MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Nutrient enrichment strengthens feedbacks that promote and stabilize coral-to-macroalgae regime shifts on tropical reefs; Data for Gallagher et al., Ecosphere 2026

Nutrients are an important driver of coral reef community dynamics. To quantify the influence of nutrient enrichment on the growth and survival of macroalgae recruits, we conducted an in-situ nutrient enrichment experiment and collected data on the size and survivorship of the brown macroalga Turbinaria ornata recruits grown in these common garden cages at 11 time points over 33 days in 2019. Additionally we measured key demographic traits of Turbinaria, including size, toughness, and reproductive investment, as well as measures of time-integrated nutrient conditions, for 3 size classes at 10 sites along the North Shore of Moorea, French Polynesia in 2020.