SBC LTER: Reef: Benthic Composition Experiment: photo quad

These data quantify recruitment and percent cover of invertebrates
and algae recruiting across five sampling sites (Arroyo Quemado,
Naples, Isla Vista, Mohawk, and Carpentaria) along the Santa
Barbara Coast and two sites at Santa Cruz Island (San Pedro Point
and Cavern Point). Sampling began Sep 2021 and is conducted
seasonally every three months. A housed Canon 5DR SLR camera with
a 16 mm lens, two strobes, and a 25x35 cm quadrat is used to
collect photographs for data collection on all 24 rock plates, 24
PVC recruitment plates, and 24 control quadrats within two
circular plots at each site. Plot 1 represents the control plot
with no giant kelp removal and plot 2 represents the kelp clearing
plot where all giant kelp is removed. Photographs are uploaded to
a cloud-based image analysis platform (ViQi) and point contact
analysis is conducted on 100 points in the lab. Occasionally,
additional points were collected to show the presence of
interested species or lifestage (e.g., kelp recruit). After all
photographs have been taken, all recruitment plates are cleaned
and all erect understory algae are removed seasonally from half of
the rock plates for both plots (Plot 1 rock plates #1-6 and Plot 2
rock plates #13-18) to measure seasonal recruitment. Recruitment
is measured as a proportion of the number of individuals found in
each photograph. Data are contained in one table depicting
seasonally collected invertebrate and algae recruitment and their
percent cover for given sites and sampling periods.