Two key intertidal species (Austrovenus stutchburyi and Macomona liliana) from Wairoa River estuary, Auckland, New Zealand

Intensifying land use and accelerated erosion has resulted in increased delivery and deposition of fine terrestrially derived sediment to coastal ecosystems, increasing sediment mud content in estuarine ecosystems. This change in the sedimentary environment is known to have negative consequences for ecosystem functioning. Yet indirect and cyclical relationships between species and the environment are rarely investigated, despite being crucial for understanding ecosystem resilience. We investigate changes in intra- and inter-specific interactions between two key intertidal species (Austrovenus stutchburyi and Macomona liliana) with different but overlapping environmental preferences.

This dataset contains the results of a survey for Austrovenus stutchburyi and Macomona liliana at the Wairoa River estuary, Auckland, undertaken in November 2018. Results include species abundance for juveniles and adults, as well as sediment data (shell, mud, organic matter content) and microphytobenthic biomass at each core site.