Invertebrates Surveys

Overview

The invertebrate survey (inverts) protocol is used to quantify the diversity, abundance, and size distribution of motile reef invertebrates at Pristine Seas UVS sites. Divers swim along fixed transects and record invertebrate observations within defined belt widths, using two complementary methods:

• Standard invertebrate survey — All motile invertebrates within 1 meter of one side of the transect are counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level.
• Large-scale invertebrate survey — Culturally and fishery important species are measured for size within a wider 4-meter belt on the opposite side of the transect.

This dual protocol captures both fine-scale community composition and large-bodied target species for management applications.

Invertebrate data are organized into three interlinked tables:

• uvs.inverts_stations — Metadata and ecological summaries for each invertebrate transect station
• uvs.inverts_observations — Raw counts and size measurements of individual invertebrate taxa
• uvs.inverts_density_by_taxa — Station-level summaries by species, including density and average size

All records are linked by ps_station_id, and species are standardized using accepted_aphia_id from taxonomy.inverts.

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Tables

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Stations (uvs.inverts_stations)

This table contains metadata and summary statistics for each invertebrate survey station. Each row corresponds to a single 50 m transect at a UVS site and includes spatial context, survey effort, and ecological indicators such as species richness and density of target taxa.

Table 1: Schema for uvs.inverts_stations: metadata and summary metrics for motile invertebrate survey stations

Field	Type	Required	Description
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Unique station ID (ps_site_id_depth), e.g., COL_2024_uvs_001_20m
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Foreign key to uvs.sites
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR) - denormalized for performance
region	STRING	true	Region name - from uvs.sites
subregion	STRING	true	Subregion name - from uvs.sites
locality	STRING	false	Locality name - from uvs.sites
habitat	STRING	true	Habitat type - from uvs.sites
exposure	STRING	true	Exposure type - from uvs.sites
divers	STRING	true	Divers who conducted transects (pipe-delimited)
depth_m	FLOAT	true	Average station depth (meters)
depth_strata	STRING	true	Depth category: supershallow, shallow, or deep
survey_dist_m	FLOAT	true	Total distance surveyed (m)
survey_area_m2	FLOAT	true	Total area surveyed (transect_length x belt_width).
total_taxa	INTEGER	false	Total number of unique invertebrate taxa observed at the station (on-transect only).
total_count	INTEGER	false	Total number of invertebrates recorded.
density_m2	FLOAT	false	Mean density (individuals/m²).
notes	STRING	false	Field notes or QA comments

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Observations (uvs.inverts_observations)

This table stores raw observations of invertebrates recorded during the surveys. Each row represents a single species recorded on a given transect, and includes taxonomic identity, count, and where applicable, size estimates for large-bodied species.

• Species are identified using accepted_name and accepted_aphia_id
• All individuals are counted in the 1 m belt
• Selected species are measured in the 4 m belt (e.g., giant clams, pearl oysters, conchs, sea cucumbers)

Table 2: uvs.inverts_observations Table Schema

Field	Type	Required	Description
obs_id	STRING	true	Unique observation ID (e.g., CHL_2024_inverts_AMF_0001).
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Foreign key linking to uvs.inverts_stations.
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR) - denormalized for performance
diver	STRING	true	Name of the diver who recorded the observation.
station_label	STRING	true	Field-assigned station label (A, B).
depth_m	FLOAT	true	Recorded depth (m) at which the transect was conducted.
in_transect	BOOLEAN	true	TRUE if observation was made within the standard 1-m or 4-m survey band; FALSE if incidental or off-transect.
transect_width_m	FLOAT	true	Width of the transect band (m) — typically 1 for general surveys, 4 for large-scale surveys.
morphotaxon	STRING	true	Diver-entered morphotaxon label (e.g., Unidentified crinoid, Conus vexillum, Ancylomenes sp.).
accepted_name	STRING	true	Scientific name (Genus species) of the observed morphotaxon
accepted_aphia_id	INTEGER	true	WoRMS AphiaID — foreign key to taxonomy.inverts.
rank	STRING	true	Taxonomic rank of the record (species, genus, or family).
family	STRING	true	Family of the observed taxon (from taxonomy.inverts).
common_name	STRING	false	Generalized name used for communication and summaries (e.g., sea cucumbers, giant clams, sea urchins).
functional_group	STRING	false	Functional group classification
count	INTEGER	true	Number of individuals observed for this taxa
density_m2	FLOAT	true	Density (individuals/m²), standardized by transect area.
size_cm	FLOAT	false	Measured length (cm), if applicable for the taxon.
size_type	STRING	false	Type of length measured (e.g., shell width, total length). Use standardized vocabulary.
notes	STRING	false	Optional comments or QA annotations.

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Density by taxa

This table summarizes invertebrate density and size metrics by species at each station. It is the primary analysis-ready table for evaluating community structure and assessing the presence of key indicator species.

Each row is a unique combination of ps_station_id and species, with fields such as:

• density_m2 — mean individuals per square meter
• avg_size_cm, min_size_cm, max_size_cm — summary of measured size data

Table 3: Schema for uvs.inverts_density_by_taxa

Field	Type	Required	Description
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Station identifier (foreign key)
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Site identifier - denormalized for performance
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID - denormalized for performance
region	STRING	true	◂ Region name.
subregion	STRING	true	◂ Subregion name.
habitat	STRING	true	◂ Habitat type (see controlled vocabulary).
exposure	STRING	true	◂ Exposure type (see controlled vocabulary).
divers	STRING	true	Comma-separated names of divers who conducted the transects.
depth_strata	STRING	true	Depth bin label: supershallow, shallow, or deep.
depth_m	FLOAT	true	Mean depth (m) of the station.
morphotaxon	STRING	true	Diver-entered morphotaxon
accepted_name	STRING	true	Scientific name (Genus species) of the observed taxon.
accepted_aphia_id	INTEGER	true	WoRMS AphiaID — foreign key to taxonomy.inverts.
rank	STRING	true	Taxonomic rank of the record (species, genus, or family).
family	STRING	true	Family of the observed taxon (from taxonomy.inverts).
common_name	STRING	false	Generalized name used for communication and summaries (e.g., sea cucumbers, giant clams, sea urchins).
functional_group	STRING	false	Functional group classification
total_count	INTEGER	true	Total number of individuals observed at the station.
density_m2	FLOAT	true	Mean density (individuals/m²), standardized by band width and transect length.
avg_size_cm	FLOAT	false	Weighted mean length (cm), if applicable.
min_size_cm	FLOAT	false	Minimum length (cm) observed at the station.
max_size_cm	FLOAT	false	Maximum length (cm) observed at the station.