Micro-refuges or ecological traps: context-dependent effects of rock pools on intertidal biodiversity across latitudes

Biodiversity is unevenly distributed across the Earth. At very large spatial scales, the decline in species richness from the tropics to the poles, the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient (LDG), remains one of the most widely recognized patterns in ecology. We investigated how local-scale environmental heterogeneity influences biodiversity patterns across broad biogeographic gradients, using intertidal microhabitats (rock pools and adjacent emergent rock) as a model system within one of the most environmentally stressful ecosystems on Earth. This Dryad dataset compiles standardized biodiversity and microclimate observations from rocky intertidal habitats at 26 locations in 21 countries across six continents, spanning 38°S to 60°N (2019–2022). Across the survey, 675 taxonomic entities were recorded (505 identified to species level), with rock pools containing 618 taxa (274 unique) and emergent rock 401 taxa (57 unique). Data show that microhabitat differences can strongly ..., This Dryad dataset compiles standardized biodiversity and microclimate observations from rocky intertidal habitats at 26 locations in 21 countries across six continents, spanning 38°S to 60°N (2019–2022). At each location, two rocky shore sites (≥500 m apart) were sampled during locally defined “milder” and “harsher” periods. During each sampling event, 20 quadrats (10 × 10 cm) were placed at mid-shore height in (i) shallow rock pools (<12 cm; avoiding sediment) and (ii) adjacent emergent rock (~20 cm away). Sessile taxa were recorded as percent cover (nearest 5%) and mobile/solitary taxa as counts, identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. The dataset also includes functional-group assignments and in situ substrate temperature measurements (°C) where available (temperature data were collected for 17 of 26 locations), alongside R scripts used in the associated analyses.
, # Micro-refuges or ecological traps: context-dependent effects of rock pools on intertidal biodiversity across latitudes

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83zx](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83zx)

## Description of the data and file structure

This global dataset contains the datasets and R scripts used for analysis in the associated manuscript. Data include taxa abundance and richness, functional grouping information and environmental temperature records (from direct measurements) from intertidal microhabitats in tidepools and emergent rock across sites spawning six continents and three oceans.

The dataset contains the following files: two R scripts with General Aditive Models routine (R and Rmd files, see further methodological details in the main manuscript) and six CSV files used in these analyses:

CODE FILES:

* **Firth_etal_2026_Richness.R**: R script to reproduce richness-based analyses and figures (GAM framework as described in the manuscript methods).
* **Firth_etal_202...,