SBC LTER: Reef: Long-term experiment: biomass of kelp forest species, ongoing since 2008 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community
Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see
https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was
derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-sbc/119/7.
The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and
is included for context: These data represent values of biomass density for more than 200
species of macroalgae, invertebrates and fish measured in fixed
plots at five reefs as part of a long-term experiment designed to
evaluate the effects of disturbance to giant kelp on the structure
and productivity of the benthic community. Taxon-specific
relationships between size and mass were applied to field
measurements of species abundance to estimate biomass density of
each species. The five reefs (Arroyo Quemado 34°28.048’N,
120°07.031’W; Carpinteria 34°23.474’N, 119°32.510’W; Isla Vista
34°23.275’N, 119°32.792’W; Mohawk 34°23.649’N, 119°43.762’W; and
Naples 34° 25.342’N, 119° 57.102’W) ranged in depth from 5.8 m to
8.9 m (MLLW) and were chosen to represent a range of physical and
biological characteristics known to influence subtidal macroalgal
assemblages in the region. A common (but not always persistent)
feature on these reefs was the presence of the giant kelp, which
forms a dense canopy at the sea surface that suppresses recruitment
and growth of understory algae below it. See Methods for more information.   The primary research objective of the Santa Barbara Coastal LTER is to investigate
the importance of land and ocean processes in structuring giant kelp
(Macrocystis pyrifera ) forest ecosystems. As in many temperate
regions, the shallow rocky reefs in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, are dominated
by giant kelp forests. Because of their close proximity to shore, kelp forests are
influenced by physical and biological processes occurring on land as well as in the open
ocean. SBC LTER research focuses on measuring and modeling the patterns, transport, and
processing of material constituents (e.g., nutrients, carbon, sediment, organisms, and
pollutants) from terrestrial watersheds and the coastal ocean to these reefs.
Specifically, we are examining the effects of these material inputs on the primary
production of kelp, and the population dynamics, community structure, and trophic
interactions of kelp forest ecosystems.