Data from: Burrowing crab effects on the properties and functions of coastal soft sediments

Burrowing ecosystem engineers, such as termites, crabs, marmots, and
foxes, can profoundly affect the biological structure and ecosystem
functions of their environments. However, the relative importance of
burrowing engineers on sediments are challenging to predict and are
expected to be influenced by engineer density, engineer functional traits
(e.g., burrow morphology), and environmental conditions (e.g.,
geomorphology, vegetation presence). To develop robust hypotheses
predicting the impacts of burrowing ecosystem engineers, we conducted a
systematic meta-analysis evaluating the effects of burrowing crabs on
sediment properties, nutrient stocks, and ecosystem functions in coastal
soft-sediment habitats (e.g., salt marshes, mangrove forests, tidal
flats). The data set includes 1422 effect size calculations for the
effects of burrowing crabs on sediments collected from 59 total
manuscripts. The data suggest that burrowing crabs rework and oxygenate
sediments and accelerate rates of nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrification
and CO2 flux). However, the magnitude and direction of burrowing crab
effects depend on burrowing crab superfamily, the presence of vegetation,
and their interaction. Crab burrow density does not consistently predict
burrowing engineer effects on sediments.