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Rhodolith Beds in Northern New Zealand: Characterisation of Associated Biodiversity
Citation
Nelson, W.A.; Neill, K.; Barr, N.; D'Archino, R.; Miller, S.; Stewart, R. (2012). Data from: Rhodolith Beds in Northern New Zealand: Characterisation of Associated Biodiversity. Southwestern Pacific OBIS, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Wellington, New Zealand, 684 records, Online http://nzobisipt.niwa.co.nz/resource.do?r=rhodolithhabitats released on June 20, 2015. https://marineinfo.org/id/dataset/5167

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Archived data
Availability: Creative Commons License This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Description
The ecology of subtidal rhodolith beds has been investigated for the first time in New Zealand, characterising two rhodolith species, Lithothamnion crispatum and Sporolithon durum, examining the structure and physical characteristics of beds at two locations and documenting their associated biodiversity. more

Site and characteristics: Field work was conducted in the Bay of Islands, at Kahuwhera Bay and Te Miko Reef, in February and September 2010. The rhodolith beds were mapped using a combination of techniques and the physical characteristics of the habitats were assessed and compared with adjacent areas outside the rhodolith beds. The rhodolith beds differed significantly in terms of water motion, sediment characteristics and light levels, with Te Miko Reef having characteristics regarded as typical of rhodolith assemblages, and Kahuwhera Bay being atypical with respect to sediments and water clarity. The Te Miko Reef bed was in clear water and rhodoliths were clearly visible sitting on top of the substrate in a more or less single layer over rhodolith- and shell-derived gravel, whereas at Kahuwhera Bay there were fine sediments suspended in the water column and covering rhodoliths and associated biota, and live rhodoliths were in a more or less single layer overlaying grey to blackened rhodoliths in a darkly coloured rhodolith/sediment sublayer. The two rhodolith beds differed in current direction and strength with no clear tidal signal or direction of water motion at Kahuwhera Bay and tidally driven water movement at Te Miko Reef with a dominant northwest flow.

Scope
Themes:
Biology > Benthos, Biology > Ecology - biodiversity, Biology > Macroalgae
Keywords:
Marine/Coastal, PSE, New Zealand, North I.

Geographical coverage
PSE, New Zealand, North I. [Marine Regions]

Temporal coverage
1 February 2010 - 30 September 2010

Parameter
Occurrence of biota

Contributors
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), moredata creator

Related datasets
Published in:
NZOBIS: Southwestern Pacific Ocean Biodiversity Information System, more

Dataset status: Completed
Data type: Data
Data origin: Research: field survey
Metadatarecord created: 2015-10-15
Information last updated: 2015-10-15
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