This dataset originates from a standardized intertidal recruitment survey conducted between March 2019 and January 2020 at four rocky shore locations on São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic). The study aimed to characterize the recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of the limpet Patella candei and the barnacle Chthamalus stellatus, two ecologically important species of Azorean rocky shore communities. Recruitment plates made of natural basalt stone were deployed in the mid-intertidal zone and replaced monthly to assess temporal patterns in larval settlement and recruit abundance. Recruits were identified and quantified under laboratory conditions using stereomicroscopy. The dataset provides baseline information on intertidal recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of rocky shore invertebrates in the Azores, supporting future ecological research, biodiversity monitoring, and long-term assessments of coastal community dynamics in Macaronesian rocky shore ecosystems.
","language":"eng","citation":{"text":"Faria J (2026). Recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus on rocky intertidal shores of São Miguel Island (Azores, NE Atlantic). Version 1.12. Universidade dos Açores. Samplingevent dataset. https://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=patella-chthamalus-recruitment&v=1.12 https://doi.org/10.15468/h3sywy accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-26.","citationProvidedBySource":true},"contactsCitation":[],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-06-17T13:20:24.128+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.182+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7604984,"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 Delgada","country":"PT","postalCode":"9501-801","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.151+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.151+00:00"},{"key":7604985,"type":"METADATA_AUTHOR","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 Delgada","country":"PT","postalCode":"9501-801","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.153+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.153+00:00"},{"key":7604986,"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","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 Delgada","country":"PT","postalCode":"9501-801","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.155+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:57:58.155+00:00"}],"endpoints":[{"key":1323171,"type":"DWC_ARCHIVE","url":"https://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/archive.do?r=patella-chthamalus-recruitment","createdBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","modifiedBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","created":"2026-09-24T12:56:57.219+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:56:57.219+00:00","machineTags":[]},{"key":1323170,"type":"EML","url":"https://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/eml.do?r=patella-chthamalus-recruitment","createdBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","modifiedBy":"0a80feca-b411-428a-a34e-c5c2fa07cdba","created":"2026-09-24T12:56:57.119+00:00","modified":"2026-09-24T12:56:57.119+00:00","machineTags":[]}],"machineTags":[{"key":33362794,"namespace":"crawler.gbif.org","name":"crawl_attempt","value":"17","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-10-22T00:27:52.964+00:00"}],"tags":[],"identifiers":[{"key":488738,"type":"UUID","identifier":"a5ca1de9-a24d-41de-afbe-a944aa94357a","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-09-23T15:29:04.467+00:00","primary":false},{"key":469331,"type":"URL","identifier":"https://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=patella-chthamalus-recruitment","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-06-18T07:03:26.757+00:00","primary":false}],"comments":[],"bibliographicCitations":[],"curatorialUnits":[],"taxonomicCoverages":[{"coverages":[{"scientificName":"Mollusca","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Balanomorpha","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Patellida","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Arthropoda","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Gastropoda","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}},{"scientificName":"Thecostraca","rank":{"verbatim":"class","interpreted":"CLASS"}},{"scientificName":"Animalia","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Patellidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Chthamalidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}}]}],"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":37.713125,"maxLatitude":37.744674,"minLongitude":-25.641142,"maxLongitude":-25.417675,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2019-03-07T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2020-01-03T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"na","keywords":["Chthamalus stellatus","rocky intertidal shore","recruitment","Patella candei","Azores"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Samplingevent"]}],"project":{"title":"Recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus on rocky intertidal shores of São Miguel Island (Azores, NE Atlantic)","contacts":[{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"João","lastName":"Faria","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Afonso","lastName":"Prestes","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Gustavo","lastName":"Martins","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Ignacio","lastName":"Moreu","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Eva","lastName":"Cacabelos","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"This study was partially supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE-Operational Competitiveness Programme and national funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, under the projects PTDC/BIA-BIC/115837/2009 and PEst-C/MAR/ LA0015/2013, by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the programme PT2020 and by cE3c funding (Ref: UID/BIA/00329/2013). JF was funded by a PhD grant M3.1.2/ F/021/2011 by the Regional Government of the Azores. GMM was supported by postdoctoral grants awarded by FCT, Portugal (SFRH/ BDP/63040/2009). 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. The intertidal habitats of São Miguel are predominantly composed of volcanic substrates, including compact basaltic bedrock, boulder fields, cobble areas, crevices, and tide pools formed by historical lava formations and coastal erosion processes. Sandy intertidal habitats are comparatively scarce and localized, making rocky shores the dominant coastal environment around the island. Intertidal benthic assemblages in São Miguel commonly include turf-forming algae, crustose coralline algae, filamentous algal assemblages, frondose macroalgae, cyanobacterial films, limpets (Patella spp.), littorinids, barnacles, and other invertebrates adapted to high-energy volcanic shores. In the mid- and lower intertidal zones, macroalgal communities are often dominated by morpho-functional groups such as calcareous and non-calcareous turf assemblages, together with articulated coralline algae and opportunistic filamentous species.","designDescription":"The dataset comprises data derived from intertidal recruitment surveys conducted at four rocky shore locations on São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic), between March 2019 and January 2020, with the objective of characterizing the recruitment and seasonal variability of the limpet Patella candei and the barnacle Chthamalus stellatus.\nAt each location, recruitment plates made of natural basalt stone (7 × 7 × 2 cm) were screwed onto representative volcanic rocky substrate within the mid-intertidal zone. The basalt plates were exposed to natural environmental conditions, including tidal emersion and wave action, and were removed and replaced on a monthly basis throughout the study period.\nFollowing collection, recruitment plates were examined under laboratory conditions using stereomicroscopy to identify and quantify recruits of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus. Limpet recruits were considered as individuals with shell length smaller than 0.5 cm. Recruitment abundance was recorded for each sampling event and location, allowing the assessment of temporal variation in recruit abundance and spatial distribution across São Miguel Island rocky shores.","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"This dataset originates from a standardized intertidal recruitment survey conducted between March 2019 and January 2020 at four rocky shore locations on São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic). The study aimed to characterize the recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of the limpet Patella candei and the barnacle Chthamalus stellatus, two ecologically important species of Azorean rocky shore communities. Recruitment plates made of natural basalt stone were deployed in the mid-intertidal zone and replaced monthly to assess temporal patterns in larval settlement and recruit abundance. Recruits were identified and quantified under laboratory conditions using stereomicroscopy. The dataset provides baseline information on intertidal recruitment dynamics and seasonal variability of rocky shore invertebrates in the Azores, supporting future ecological research, biodiversity monitoring, and long-term assessments of coastal community dynamics in Macaronesian rocky shore ecosystems."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The study was conducted on rocky intertidal shores of São Miguel Island, the largest island of the Azores archipelago, located in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. São Miguel is characterized by a volcanic coastline dominated by basaltic rocky substrate, including bedrock platforms, boulder fields, crevices, and wave-exposed cliffs typical of oceanic islands in Macaronesia.\nSampling sites were distributed across representative rocky intertidal habitats around the island. These coastal environments are strongly influenced by North Atlantic wave exposure, tidal emersion, and substrate heterogeneity, factors that play an important role in shaping recruitment patterns and early survival of intertidal organisms.\nThe study focused specifically on the mid-intertidal zone, where Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus are common and ecologically important components of rocky shore communities.","sampling":"Sampling was conducted monthly between March 2019 and January 2020 during low tide at four rocky shore locations on São Miguel Island. Recruitment plates consisting of natural basalt stones (7 × 7 × 2 cm) were screwed onto representative volcanic rocky substrate within the mid-intertidal zone and subsequently removed and replaced on a monthly basis.\nCollected recruitment plates were examined under laboratory conditions using stereomicroscopes to identify and quantify recruits of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus. Limpet recruits were defined as individuals with shell length smaller than 0.5 cm. The sampling design enabled the assessment of temporal variation in recruitment abundance and spatial distribution across multiple coastal locations around São Miguel Island.","qualityControl":"Field sampling and laboratory analyses were conducted by personnel trained in marine ecology, rocky shore fieldwork, and intertidal invertebrate identification. Recruitment plates were deployed and retrieved following standardized procedures to ensure methodological consistency among locations and sampling periods.\nLaboratory identification and quantification of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus recruits were performed using stereomicroscopes and optical microscopes when necessary. Taxonomic identification followed regional identification guides, taxonomic keys, and relevant literature for Northeast Atlantic marine invertebrates. Limpet recruit classification followed a standardized criterion in which individuals with shell length below 0.5 cm were considered recruits.\nData digitization and standardization procedures included verification of sampling dates, site codes, abundance records, and taxonomic nomenclature. Taxonomic names were reviewed to ensure consistency and compatibility with biodiversity data standards and downstream publication platforms such as GBIF and EMODnet.","methodSteps":["Fieldwork and Laboratory Procedures: Fieldwork was conducted on intertidal rocky shores of São Miguel Island, Azores (Northeast Atlantic), between March 2019 and January 2020, with the objective of characterizing the recruitment and seasonal variability of the limpet Patella candei and the barnacle Chthamalus stellatus, two dominant and ecologically important species of Azorean rocky shore communities. Sampling was carried out at four coastal locations distributed around São Miguel Island. At each location, recruitment plates made of natural basalt stone (7 × 7 × 2 cm) were screwed onto the rocky substrate within the mid-intertidal zone. The use of natural basalt allowed the recruitment surface to closely resemble the surrounding volcanic substrate typical of Azorean rocky shores. Recruitment plates were exposed to natural wave action, tidal emersion, and environmental conditions and were removed and replaced on a monthly basis in order to evaluate temporal patterns in larval settlement and early recruit abundance. Field activities were performed during low tide and under suitable sea and weather conditions to ensure safe access to the rocky shore. Recruitment plates were positioned on stable rocky substrate while minimizing disturbance to surrounding intertidal communities.\nFollowing collection, recruitment plates were transported to the laboratory for examination under a stereomicroscope and, when necessary, an optical microscope. Early recruits of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus were identified based on morphological characteristics and quantified for each sampling event and location. For Patella candei, individuals with shell length smaller than 0.5 cm were considered recruits. Whenever possible, recruit size and spatial distribution on recruitment plates were also recorded.","Data Preparation and Standardization\nField and laboratory observations were compiled into a structured dataset organized by sampling location, sampling event, and recruitment plate. Recruitment abundance data for Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus were digitized and standardized to ensure consistency across sites and sampling periods. Taxonomic nomenclature was reviewed and harmonized according to currently accepted marine species classifications and regional taxonomic references for Northeast Atlantic intertidal fauna. Sampling dates, site information, and abundance measurements were standardized using consistent formatting and controlled terminology to facilitate interoperability with biodiversity data standards and downstream biodiversity data infrastructures. Quality checks included verification of sampling metadata, taxonomic names, abundance records, and consistency among sampling events. The resulting dataset provides a standardized baseline for evaluating seasonal recruitment dynamics and spatial variability of Patella candei and Chthamalus stellatus populations on Azorean rocky shores."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","acknowledgements":"This study was partially supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the COMPETE-Operational Competitiveness Programme and national funds through FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, under the projects PTDC/BIA-BIC/115837/2009 and PEst-C/MAR/ LA0015/2013, by the Strategic Funding UID/Multi/04423/2013 through national funds provided by FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the framework of the programme PT2020 and by cE3c funding (Ref: UID/BIA/00329/2013). JF was funded by a PhD grant M3.1.2/ F/021/2011 by the Regional Government of the Azores. GMM was supported by postdoctoral grants awarded by FCT, Portugal (SFRH/ BDP/63040/2009). 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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