Monitoring biodiversity and envionmental changes of temperate rocky-shore communities

we introduce the “Algues brunes and Bigorneaux” (Brown algae and periwinkles) dataset which is dedicated to monitoring rocky-shore communities. This dataset is part of the BioLit citizen science program created in 2012 by the NGO “Planète Mer” and the French National Museum of natural history (MNHN) which aims to leverage the potential of citizen scientists in order to enhance knowledge of french marine biodiversity. This dataset specifically focuses on the intertidal brown macroalgae canopy habitat across 3 ecoregions along the french Atlantic coastline. As it include the description of both the macroalgae belt cover and the abundance of associated epifaunal species, the ABB dataset provided valuable insights into how intertidal gastropod communities was influenced by multiscale drivers (Serranito et al. 2021). Moreover, since 2023, the dataset has been expanded to include a description of the epifaunal size structure and additional habitat descriptors, designed to monitor the impacts of eutrophication and climate change on this rocky shore ecosystem.