Data obtained by systematic review (codified data and meta-data) for: Influence of upwelling on coral reef benthic communities: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Highly competitive coral reef benthic communities are acutely sensitive to
changes in environmental parameters such as temperature and nutrient
concentrations. Physical oceanographic processes that induce upwelling
therefore act as drivers of community structure on tropical reefs. How
upwelling impacts coral communities, however, is not fully understood;
upwelling may provide a natural buffer against climate impacts and could
potentially enhance the efficacy of spatial management and reef
conservation efforts. This study employed a systematic review to assess
existing literature linking upwelling with reef community structure, and a
meta-analysis to quantify upwelling impact on the percentage cover of
coral reef benthic groups. We show that upwelling has context-dependant
effects on the cover of hard coral and fleshy macroalgae, with effect size
and direction varying with depth, region and remoteness. Fleshy macroalgae
was found to increase by 110% on inhabited reefs yet decrease by 56%
around one well-studied remote island in response to upwelling. Hard coral
cover was not significantly impacted by upwelling on inhabited reefs but
increased by 150% when direct human pressures were absent.  By
synthesising existing evidence, this review facilitates adaptive and
nuanced reef management which considers the influence of upwelling on reef
assemblages.