Data from: Regional surveys of macrobenthic shelf invertebrate communities in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Despite its importance for quantifying ecosystem responses to
environmental and anthropogenic drivers, our understanding of spatial
heterogeneity in marine communities remains inadequate. Studies in coastal
marine benthic habitats are sparse, and predominantly target single higher
taxonomic groups. Here we describe macrobenthic marine invertebrate
community surveys from 52 localities in Onslow Bay (Beaufort, North
Carolina, U.S.A.), over an extensive geographic area (~200 km2). The data
consist of 11,467 individuals, 175 species, and 7 phyla. The data include
species abundance data for each sample at all localities, and
corresponding species lists and locality information. The metadata
describe the sampling protocols and localities. The data provided here
will facilitate examination of assemblage heterogeneity with regards to
spatial and temporal patterns, and depth gradient analyses.