Biodiversity monitoring in rocky shores: Challenges of devising a globally applicable and cost-effective protocol

Large-scale coastal monitoring programs that focus on long-term inter-annual and seasonal community variability are rare mostly because they costly, logistically complex require coordination by groups of dedicated scientists. The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is currently developing a regional collaboration throughout the American continent to collect biological data in habitats using common methodologies sharing best practices. goal this paper compare two survey methods with contrasting field time demands (i.e. situ collected vs. photoquadrats), identify scales at which may differ, determine convenience suitability for their use large-scale standardized biodiversity studies rocky intertidal shores. Visual quadrat (VQ) was compared obtained from photographs those same quadrats (PQ) digitally analyzed three levels within sites during four different times year. Analysis site showed effect all shore an only low level both sites. PQ method reliable, cheap efficient tool study communities. It capable detecting spatial temporal as VQ various including tidal height, year site. We suggest mid sampling zone across latitudes basis having higher diversity than high intertidal, more level, being affected climate change through changes air (temperature wind) ocean (warming acidification). This provides empirical evidence simple, low-cost low-tech offer required information need.