Data from: Marine Animal Forests as functional engines: Biotic filtering overrides biogeographic variability in the Mediterranean

This dataset supports the manuscript "Marine Animal Forests as functional engines: Biotic filtering overrides biogeographic variability in the Mediterranean" by Licciardi et al. The study assessed the engineering role of the red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata on coralligenous benthic assemblages across seven locations in the Western-Central Mediterranean (Italy), spanning a bathymetric gradient of 20-40 m depth and two sampling times (Summer T0 and Autumn T1, 2023). The dataset consists of three sheets: species_abundance: Percentage cover data from 1300 photographic sampling units (0.2 m² quadrats) for 47 benthic taxa/morpho-functional groups, collected inside and outside P. clavata forests. Each row represents one replicate, identified by a unique ID encoding Region, Time, Location, Site, Condition, and Depth. species_traits: Species-trait matrix assigning each taxon to its corresponding categorical trait. necrosis: P. clavata status data (Mean Injured Surface, %) recorded through video transects at fixed stations in Sardinia and Campania at T0 (Summer) and T1 (Autumn), used to track tissue necrosis progression over the warm season.本数据集支撑Licciardi等学者发表的题为《海洋动物森林作为功能引擎：地中海地区生物过滤作用超越生物地理变异》的研究论文。该研究针对西-中地中海（意大利境内）的7个采样点位，覆盖20至40米的水深梯度，并设置2个采样时段（2023年夏季T0与秋季T1），评估了红色柳珊瑚（Paramuricea clavata）对珊瑚礁底栖组合群落的生态系统工程效应。 本数据集包含三张工作表： 1. 物种丰度表（species_abundance）：包含47个底栖类群/形态功能类群的盖度百分比数据，数据源自1300个0.2平方米样方的摄影采样单元，采集范围覆盖P. clavata（Paramuricea clavata）林内外区域。每一行对应一个重复样本，通过由区域、采样时段、采样地点、样地、生境状态与水深编码而成的唯一标识符进行标识。 2. 物种性状表（species_traits）：为物种-性状匹配矩阵，用于将每个类群对应至其所属的分类性状类别。 3. 坏死状况表（necrosis）：包含P. clavata（Paramuricea clavata）的健康状态数据，具体为平均受伤表面积占比（%），数据通过视频样带在撒丁岛与坎帕尼亚的固定站位采集，采样时段为T0（夏季）与T1（秋季），用于追踪暖季期间组织坏死的进展情况。