Decadal-scale time series highlight the role of chronic disturbances in driving ecosystem collapse in the Anthropocene

These data support a publication in the Journal Ecology that describes 37 years of change on the coral reefs of St. John, US Virgin Islands. In this paper, four decades of surveys from two coral reefs (9 and 14 m depth) off St. John, US Virgin Islands, are used to quantify the associations of acute and chronic events with the changes in benthic community structure. These reefs profoundly changed over 36 years, with coral death altering species assemblages to depress abundances of the ecologically important coral Orbicella spp. and elevating the coverage of macroalgae and crustose coralline algae/turf/bare space (CTB). Linear mixed models revealed the prominent role of chronic variation in temperature in accounting for changes in coverage of corals, macroalgae, and CTB, with rising temperature associated with increases in coral cover on the deep reef, and declines on the shallow reef. Hurricanes were also associated with declines in coral cover on the shallow reef, and increases on the d..., The study began in December 1987 to evaluate the effects of coral bleaching. Three, 10-m long, permanently marked transects were established at 14-m depth at the Tektite reef, and at 9-m depth at Yawzi Point. These reefs were selected because of their high percentage cover of Orbicella spp. and ease of access from a field station with small boats. Each transect was sampled using 10 contiguous photoquadrats (1 × 1 m), recorded annually between May and December beginning in December 1987 and ending in July 2022. The reefs were sampled twice each year in 1988, 1989, and 2017 to evaluate the effects of hurricanes, and initially were recorded using color slide film, and from 2001, digitally. A strobe was used with all cameras, each image contained a scale bar, and slides were digitized (4000 dpi) for analysis. Images were analyzed using CPCe or CoralNET software, with 200 randomly-located points image-1 that were manually annotated to resolve coral (scleractinians and Millepora), macroalgae,..., , # Data from: Decadal-scale time series highlight the role of chronic disturbances in driving ecosystem collapse in the Anthropocene [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x0k6djht1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x0k6djht1) The data managed here describe how coral community structure at two sites (Yawzi Point and Tektite) have changed over 37 years based on mostly annual samplings. The data originated form 1 x 1 m quadrats recorded photographically at fixed positions on the reef. Ten quadrats are recorded along each of three transect lines, each ~ 10 m long and 5 m apart at each site. Images are analyzed using a grid of 200 randomly-located dots and analyses are completed with (a) functional group resolution, and (b) by coral genus ## Description of the data and file structure **File 1: Yawzi_Point_Functional_Groups_1987_2022** This files contains functional group data for Yawzi Point: These data support Figures 1A and 3A, and describe how the community structure at Yawzi Point has change...本数据集支持发表于《Journal Ecology》的一篇学术论文，该论文阐述了美属维尔京群岛圣约翰岛周边珊瑚礁37年间的变化历程。该论文利用美属维尔京群岛圣约翰岛周边两处珊瑚礁（水深9米与14米）的四十余年调查数据，量化了急性与慢性扰动事件与底栖群落结构（benthic community structure）变化之间的关联。 这两处珊瑚礁在36年间发生了显著变化：珊瑚死亡改变了物种组成，使得具有重要生态功能的团块珊瑚属（Orbicella spp.）的丰度下降，同时提升了大型藻类（macroalgae）、壳状珊瑚藻/藻席/裸露空间（crustose coralline algae/turf/bare space，CTB）的覆盖占比。线性混合模型（linear mixed models）结果显示，温度的慢性波动对珊瑚、大型藻类及CTB的覆盖占比变化具有显著影响：温度升高与深水礁的珊瑚覆盖占比上升相关，却与浅水礁的珊瑚覆盖占比下降相关。飓风同样与浅水礁的珊瑚覆盖占比下降相关，且与深水礁的珊瑚覆盖占比上升相关（原文此处截断）。 本研究始于1987年12月，旨在评估珊瑚白化的影响。研究人员在特克蒂特礁（Tektite reef）14米水深处与亚齐角（Yawzi Point）9米水深处，各设置了3条长度为10米的永久样带。选择这两处礁体的原因在于其团块珊瑚属（Orbicella spp.）的覆盖占比较高，且便于乘坐小艇从野外工作站抵达。 每条样带采用10个连续的1米×1米摄影样方（photoquadrats）进行采样，采样时间为1987年12月至2022年7月期间的每年5月至12月。1988年、1989年及2017年，研究人员每年对这两处礁体进行两次采样，以评估飓风的影响；初期采用彩色幻灯片胶片（color slide film）记录影像，2001年起改用数码方式采集。所有相机均搭配频闪灯（strobe）使用，每张影像均包含比例尺（scale bar），幻灯片以4000 dpi的分辨率数字化后用于分析。影像分析采用CPCe或CoralNET软件完成，通过对每张影像上200个随机分布的点进行手动标注，以区分珊瑚（石珊瑚类（scleractinians）和多孔螅属（Millepora））、大型藻类……【注：原文此处截断】。 # 数据来源：《Decadal-scale time series highlight the role of chronic disturbances in driving ecosystem collapse in the Anthropocene》 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x0k6djht1 本数据集所收录的数据，基于绝大多数为年度的采样工作，展现了两处站点（亚齐角Yawzi Point与特克蒂特礁Tektite）的珊瑚群落结构37年间的变化情况。这些数据源自礁体固定位置上通过摄影方式记录的1米×1米样方。每个站点设置3条样带，每条样带长约10米，样带间距为5米，每条样带上记录10个样方。影像分析采用200个随机分布的点构成的网格进行，分析结果分为两类：(a) 按功能类群（functional group）划分，(b) 按珊瑚属（coral genus）划分。 ## 数据与文件结构说明 **文件1：亚齐角功能类群数据_1987_2022（Yawzi_Point_Functional_Groups_1987_2022）** 该文件包含亚齐角的功能类群数据： 本数据对应图1A与图3A，阐述了亚齐角的群落结构变化情况【注：原文此处截断】。