Locations of sediment ecotypes of surfgrass (Phyllospadix spp.) along the west coast of North America (1996 to 2019)

This dataset provides the coordinates for observations of different species of surfgrass (genus Phyllospadix) that were growing rooted in sediment rather than attached to rock. There are 51 locations provided. These observations were collected by a network of coastal scientists and the description/results of the work are reported in a peer-reviewed article entitled "Between a rock and a soft place: surfgrass colonizes sediments without attachment to rock" (published in the journal Ecology in 2019). These data are novel because previous observations on all members of Phyllospadix indicate that included species obligately attached to only rock; these are the first observations of recruitment in soft-sediment habitats.