Rubble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS): 3D-printed coral models to standardise biodiversity censuses

1. To ensure standardised, quantitative and repeatable methodologies, marine ecologists have engineered a range of artificial units to survey benthic communities with varying designs depending on target taxa, life history stage and habitat. In tropical ecosystems, autonomous units have typically lacked microhabitat complexity (e.g. planar tiles), short-term efficacy (> 1 y deployment) and/or a truly standardised design to sample cryptobenthic diversity. 2. Coral rubble is characterised by high microhabitat complexity, which is unresolved in sampling efforts. Yet, rubble can support the greatest density and diversity of metazoan taxa. 3. We engineered Rubble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS) as a dismantlable lightweight 3D-printed model to standardise cryptobenthic biodiversity sampling. 4. We demonstrate the effectiveness of RUBS with preliminary results from short-term (1–14 days) deployments in Palau, Western Micronesia. 5. RUBS uphold the microhabitat complexity inherent in coral rubble (~50% interstitial space) and provide an effective and efficient methodology to sample cryptobenthic fauna, which could be applied in comparative studies. 6. The RUBS concept provides a platform for the broader implementation of 3D-printed models in marine ecology to overcome issues of standardisation regardless of habitat type.

1. 为确保采样方法具备标准化、定量性与可重复性，海洋生态学家研发了一系列人工装置以调查底栖生物群落，这类装置会根据目标类群、生活史阶段以及栖息生境采用差异化设计。在热带生态系统中，现有自主式采样装置通常存在多重缺陷：一是缺乏微生境复杂度（如平面陶片），二是不具备短期采样效力（这类装置常规部署时长均超1年），三是缺乏可用于采样隐底栖生物多样性的真正标准化设计方案。
2. 珊瑚碎石具有极高的微生境复杂度，但当前采样工作尚未有效解决这一特性带来的采样难题；然而，珊瑚碎石可支撑后生动物类群达到最高的种群密度与物种多样性。
3. 我们研发了可拆解式轻量化3D打印模型——碎石生物多样性采样器（Rubble Biodiversity Samplers，RUBS），以实现隐底栖生物多样性采样的标准化。
4. 我们通过在西密克罗尼西亚地区帕劳群岛开展的短期（1~14天）部署试验所获得的初步结果，验证了RUBS的采样效能。
5. RUBS能够保留珊瑚碎石固有的微生境复杂度（约50%的间隙空间），并提供一种高效实用的隐底栖动物采样方法，可应用于各类比较研究。
6. RUBS的设计理念为3D打印模型在海洋生态学领域的更广泛应用搭建了平台，可突破不同栖息生境下的标准化采样瓶颈。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集介绍了“Rubble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS)”，这是一种3D打印的珊瑚模型，旨在标准化珊瑚碎石栖息地中的隐栖生物多样性调查。数据集包括从RUBS和传统碎石篮子中收集的移动隐栖动物数据，以及水位移体积信息，用于密度计算，并展示了在帕劳短期部署的初步结果，以验证其有效性。