This dataset originates from a standardized benthic survey conducted during 2020 and 2021 at multiple coastal locations around São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic), within the scope of the MIMAR project (Monitoring, Control and Mitigation of Marine Organism Proliferations Associated with Human Disturbances and Climate Change in the Macaronesian Region). The primary objective of the sampling campaign was to characterize the composition and spatial variability of shallow subtidal macroalgal assemblages across representative benthic habitats of the island. Using consistent field methodologies, the survey generated a robust baseline of macroalgal community data, enabling comparisons among sites and supporting assessments of benthic biodiversity patterns at local and regional scales. The dataset provides reference information relevant for ecological assessment and long-term monitoring, including the evaluation of environmental variability, anthropogenic pressures, and potential changes in community structure over time, such as those associated with climate-driven shifts and the introduction or spread of non-indigenous species in coastal ecosystems.
","language":"eng","citation":{"text":"Faria J, Santos A, Lorente B, Jiménez-Herrero J, Prestes A (2026). Benthic marine macroalgae of São Miguel Island (Azores): 2020-2021 survey. Version 1.2. Universidade dos Açores. Samplingevent dataset. https://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=mimar&v=1.2 https://doi.org/10.15468/6p3psx accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-15.","citationProvidedBySource":true},"contactsCitation":[],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-06-17T13:20:41.118+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T13:01:31.576+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7604992,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":[],"firstName":"João","lastName":"Faria","position":[],"email":["joao.fo.santos@uac.pt"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO-Açores)","address":["Rua Mãe de Deus"],"city":"Ponta 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macroalgae","coverages":[{"scientificName":"Plocamiales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Bonnemaisoniaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Rhodophyta","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Corallinales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Cutleriaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Gigartinales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Ceramiales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Bryopsidaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Delesseriaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Ectocarpales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Plocamiaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Cladostephaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Dictyotales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Ulvaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Fucales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Ahnfeltiales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Ulvophyceae","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}},{"scientificName":"Nemaliales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Chromista","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Tilopteridales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Cystocloniaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Bryopsidales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Codiaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Ulvales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Cladophorales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Dictyotaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Stypocaulaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Plantae","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Chlorophyta","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Corallinaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Sargassaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Callithamniaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Cyanobacteria","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Cladophoraceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Ochrophyta","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Florideophyceae","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}},{"scientificName":"Ahnfeltiaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Sphacelariales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Bacteria","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Liagoraceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Scytosiphonaceae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Bonnemaisoniales","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Phaeophyceae","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"This study was conducted on São Miguel Island, part of the Azores Archipelago (Portugal), located in the Eastern Group of the archipelago. Sampling was carried out at multiple coastal sites distributed around the island, targeting representative shallow subtidal rocky habitats.","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":37.712986,"maxLatitude":37.889172,"minLongitude":-25.835686,"maxLongitude":-25.31694,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2020-07-22T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2021-03-18T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"NA","keywords":["Macaronesia","Marine","Macroalgae","Benthos","Azores"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Samplingevent"]}],"project":{"title":"MIMAR – Seguimiento, control y mitigación de proliferaciones de organismos marinos asociadas a perturbaciones humanas y cambio climático en la Región Macaronésica","contacts":[{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Ana","lastName":"Neto","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"José","lastName":"Azevedo","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"Project funding was provided by INTERREG MAC 2014–2020 Programme (MAC/4.6.d/066and MAC2/4.6.d/249). The authors acknowledge funding by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the projects UID/BIA/50027/2020 and UID/50027/2025-Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, as well as Azorean regional funds through DRCID (M1.1.A/FUNC.UI&D/015/2025/RTF/001/Apoio UI&D). Funding to put data open access in AZORES BIOPORTAL was obtained from the project “Upgrading the Azorean Biodiversity Portal Infrastructure (AZORES BIOPORTAL-PORBIOTA) to Boost Biodiversity Research, Management, and Education -PORBIOTA” (DRCID, ACORES2030-FEDER-03420600). Data transformation and publication was funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme with Grant Agreement No. 101112823 (DTO-BioFlow) through an FSTP call.","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"São Miguel Island belongs to the Eastern Group of the Azores archipelago and is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately 1,600 km west of mainland Europe. It is the largest island in the archipelago, covering about 745 km², and is of volcanic origin, with a rugged morphology and a pronounced altitudinal gradient that reaches approximately 1,105 m above sea level. The coastline is highly indented and shaped by volcanic processes, featuring lava flows, cliffs, and extensive rocky shores. Coastal environments are predominantly rocky and provide wide areas of shallow subtidal habitat. In these shallow subtidal zones, benthic habitats are heterogeneous and mainly composed of volcanic substrates, including basaltic bedrock, boulder fields, and interspersed sandy patches. This substrate heterogeneity generates a diversity of microhabitats that support rich macroalgal assemblages and associated benthic communities, making São Miguel a particularly suitable setting for studies on subtidal ecology and coastal biodiversity in the Azores.","designDescription":"The dataset comprises data derived from standardized benthic surveys conducted at nine coastal locations around São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic), during 2020 and 2021, with the objective of characterizing shallow subtidal macroalgal assemblages. Five locations were surveyed in 2020 and four additional locations in 2021, covering representative coastal habitats of the island. At each location, macroalgal communities were sampled at approximately 5 m depth using 50 × 50 cm quadrats haphazardly placed on the seabed. In 2020, ten replicate quadrats were surveyed per location, while in 2021 the sampling effort was increased to fifteen replicate quadrats per location. The macroalgal assemblage within each quadrat was visually assessed following the semi-quantitative method of Dethier et al. (1993; Marine Ecology Progress Series 96: 93–100). Each quadrat was subdivided into twenty-five 10 × 10 cm subquadrats, and each taxon was assigned a score ranging from 0 (absent) to 4 (completely occupied subquadrat, equivalent to 4% cover) according to its estimated occupancy within each subquadrat. Organisms occupying less than one-quarter of a single subquadrat (equivalent to <1% cover of the total quadrat area) were recorded as rare and subsequently assigned an arbitrary cover value of 0.5%. This approach provides a standardized estimate of species abundance and percentage cover, allowing robust comparisons of macroalgal community composition among locations and between sampling years.","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"O Projeto MIMAR (MAC/4.6d/066) é financiado pelo programa Europeu Interreg MAC 2014-2020 e visa investigar a proliferação e potencialidade prejudicial das espécies não indígenas associadas às pressões antropogénicas, e as alterações climáticas na Região Macaronésica. Tem por objetivo melhorar o conhecimento existente sobre as espécies marinhas com potencial de impacto nos habitats da Rede Natura 2000, identificando os mecanismos que originam as suas proliferações e os vetores de introdução que utilizam. Assim sendo, a partir das suas principais conclusões, está previsto definir ações de monitorização, controle e mitigação, e planos para prevenir a introdução e possíveis impactos das espécies não indígenas."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The study encompasses multiple coastal locations around São Miguel Island, the largest island of the Azores archipelago, situated in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Surveys were conducted exclusively in shallow subtidal habitats at approximately 5 m depth, along a highly indented volcanic coastline dominated by rocky substrates, including basaltic bedrock, boulder fields, and interspersed sandy patches. These habitats are representative of the predominant coastal environments of the island.","sampling":"Sampling was carried out during 2020 and 2021 through SCUBA dives conducted under suitable sea-state and underwater visibility conditions. Surveys were performed at nine coastal locations around São Miguel Island, Azores, with five locations sampled in 2020 and four locations sampled in 2021. At each sampling location, 50 × 50 cm quadrats were haphazardly deployed on the seabed at approximately 5 m depth and spaced several meters apart to capture local variability in community composition. Ten replicate quadrats were surveyed at each location in 2020, while fifteen replicate quadrats were surveyed at each location in 2021.\nMacroalgal assemblages were visually assessed in situ using the subquadrat-based cover estimation method described by Dethier et al. (1993), which provides a rapid, repeatable, and non-destructive approach for quantifying community composition and relative abundance. Each quadrat was subdivided into twenty-five 10 × 10 cm subquadrats, and the cover of each taxon was estimated based on its occupancy within the subquadrats, allowing standardized comparisons among locations and sampling periods.","qualityControl":"Field surveys were conducted by experienced scientific divers with training in benthic ecology and macroalgal identification. Care was taken to place quadrats on representative, undisturbed substrates and to apply cover scores consistently across sites. Taxonomic identification was performed with particular attention to accuracy, using regional and general taxonomic guides, illustrated floras, and identification keys appropriate for Northeast Atlantic and Macaronesian macroalgae. Ambiguous or morphologically challenging specimens were conservatively identified at the lowest confident taxonomic level. Nomenclature was reviewed and standardized to ensure internal consistency and compatibility with downstream biodiversity data infrastructures, enhancing the reliability and reusability of the dataset.","methodSteps":["Fieldwork and Laboratory Procedures: Benthic macroalgal assemblages were surveyed during 2020 and 2021 at nine shallow subtidal locations around São Miguel Island (Azores, Northeast Atlantic). Surveys were conducted by trained scientific divers using SCUBA at approximately 5 m depth. At each location, 50 × 50 cm quadrats were haphazardly placed on the seabed (10 replicates per location in 2020 and 15 in 2021). Macroalgal cover was visually estimated following the method of Dethier et al. (1993), using twenty-five 10 × 10 cm subquadrats within each quadrat. Taxa were assigned cover scores ranging from 0 (absent) to 4 (fully occupied subquadrat), with rare occurrences (<1% cover) assigned a value of 0.5%. Representative specimens were collected when necessary for taxonomic confirmation.","Data Preparation and Standardization: Field observations were compiled into a standardized dataset organized by sampling event, location, and quadrat. Taxonomic names were reviewed and updated according to current accepted nomenclature, and records were formatted to ensure consistency and interoperability with biodiversity data standards. The resulting dataset provides a baseline for assessing spatial patterns and long-term changes in shallow subtidal macroalgal communities in the Azores."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","acknowledgements":"This work was partially funded by MIMAR (MAC/4.6.d/066) and MIMAR+ (MAC2/4.6.d/249) INTERREG MAC 2014–2020 Programme. The authors acknowledge funding by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors-COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under the projects UID/BIA/50027/2020 and UID/50027/2025-Rede de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, as well as Azorean regional funds through DRCID (M1.1.A/FUNC.UI&D/015/2025/RTF/001/Apoio UI&D). Funding to put data open access in AZORES BIOPORTAL was obtained from the project “Upgrading the Azorean Biodiversity Portal Infrastructure (AZORES BIOPORTAL-PORBIOTA) to Boost Biodiversity Research, Management, and Education -PORBIOTA” (DRCID, ACORES2030-FEDER-03420600). Data transformation and publication was funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme with Grant Agreement No. 101112823 (DTO-BioFlow) through an FSTP call.
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