Management regime influences the recovery of subtidal kelp forests following harvesting

Physical disturbances, especially those that reduce or remove foundation species, have complex effects on ecosystem functioning. Evaluating resilience to predict these impacts requires long-term research over large temporal and spatial scales. This study investigates the recovery of the subtidal kelp (Lessonia trabeculata) to simulated kelp harvesting in areas under different fisheries management regimes (Territorial Use Rights for Fisheries (TURF) versus Open Access (OA) sites) along the Northern-Central Chilean coast. The managed TURF sites demonstrated significantly faster recovery of adult kelp densities following harvesting, while the less OA sites exhibited consistently lower kelp densities and delayed recovery. However, the generality of this pattern varied across regions. Morphological traits such as holdfast diameter were larger at TURF sites, where kelp exhibited larger size. Delayed size recovery was evidenced at OA sites. Herbivore densities were higher in OA ..., , # Management regime influences the recovery of subtidal kelp forests following harvesting

## Description of the Data and File Structure

This dataset documents the post-disturbance dynamics of kelp forest recovery across different fisheries management regimes along the northern-central coast of Chile. Simulated harvesting of adult Lessonia trabeculata was conducted at TURF (Territorial Use Rights for Fisheries) and Open Access (OA) sites, and recovery was monitored using ecological and environmental metrics over a 42-month period.

The dataset is stored in a single CSV file named: Alldata_NERC.csv

This represents means of four replicates. This file contains observations from multiple time points across replicate patches within managed and unmanaged kelp forests. It includes data on kelp density and morphology, herbivore abundance (by functional group and species), bite rates, and derived metrics like fish biomass and maximum abundance (Nmax).

The data are structured in long format, w...,