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CMECS
Last submission date
February 28, 2025
| ID | https://w3id.org/CMECS/CMECS_00000803
https://w3id.org/CMECS/CMECS_00000803
http://ecoportal.lifewatch.eu/ontologies/CMECS/CMECS_00000803
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| Preferred name | Substrate Component |
| Definitions | Substrate is defined in the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) as the non-living materials that form an aquatic bottom or seafloor, or that provide a surface (e.g., floating objects, buoys) for growth of attached biota. Substrate may be composed of any substance, natural or man-made. Describing the composition of the substrate is a fundamental part of any ecological classification scheme. Substrate provides context and setting for many aquatic processes, and it provides living space for benthic and attached biota.
The Substrate Component (Section 7, p. 98, FGDC-STD-018-2012) is a characterization of the composition and particle size of the surface layers of the substrate; this component is designed to be compatible with a range of sampling tools. The Substrate Component provides guidance to characterize the layers of substrate that support the majority of multicellular life (the upper layer of hard substrate, or (typically) the upper 15 centimeters of soft substrate) in a way that is consistent with a variety of past practices. The Substrate Component and the Biotic Component (Section 8, p. 119, FGDC-STD-018-2012) describe the non-living (Substrate) and living (Biotic) aspects of a plan-view perspective of the seafloor at comparable scales.
Substrate Component observational unit scales range from sediment corers or grabs, to sediment profile or plan-view photographs of the seafloor, to defined quadrats or transects, to video clips, to high-resolution acoustic images. At larger scales, the structure, shape, and surface pattern of the substrate are described by the Geoform Component (Section 6, p. 60, FGDC-STD-018-2012). |
Raw data
| rdfs:comment | Substrate is defined in the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) as the non-living materials that form an aquatic bottom or seafloor, or that provide a surface (e.g., floating objects, buoys) for growth of attached biota. Substrate may be composed of any substance, natural or man-made. Describing the composition of the substrate is a fundamental part of any ecological classification scheme. Substrate provides context and setting for many aquatic processes, and it provides living space for benthic and attached biota.
The Substrate Component (Section 7, p. 98, FGDC-STD-018-2012) is a characterization of the composition and particle size of the surface layers of the substrate; this component is designed to be compatible with a range of sampling tools. The Substrate Component provides guidance to characterize the layers of substrate that support the majority of multicellular life (the upper layer of hard substrate, or (typically) the upper 15 centimeters of soft substrate) in a way that is consistent with a variety of past practices. The Substrate Component and the Biotic Component (Section 8, p. 119, FGDC-STD-018-2012) describe the non-living (Substrate) and living (Biotic) aspects of a plan-view perspective of the seafloor at comparable scales.
Substrate Component observational unit scales range from sediment corers or grabs, to sediment profile or plan-view photographs of the seafloor, to defined quadrats or transects, to video clips, to high-resolution acoustic images. At larger scales, the structure, shape, and surface pattern of the substrate are described by the Geoform Component (Section 6, p. 60, FGDC-STD-018-2012). |
|---|---|
| unitType | CMECS Component: Substrate |
| unitCode | None |
| componentCode | S |
| rdf:type | |
| rdfs:label | Substrate Component |
| CMECS_00001668 | Original Unit |
| CMECS_00001670 | For All Substrate Component Units:
CMECS does not prescribe metrics or methodologies for substrate analysis or interpretation at this time. Classifications throughout the Substrate Component may be based on visual percent cover for plan-view images or metrics such as percent weight, or percent composition for other approaches (e.g., retrieved samples).
. For All Substrate Component Units:
Modifier terms (Section 7.6 and Section 10, FGDC-STD-018-2012) can be applied as needed to further describe substrate characteristics. Recommended modifiers for substrate units include:
Anthropogenic Impact, aRPD and RPD Depth, Benthic Depth Zones, Co-occurring Elements, Coral Reef Zone, Energy Intensity, Induration, Percent Cover (Fine), Mineral Precipitate, Percent Cover (Coarse), Seafloor Rugosity, Small-Scale Slope, Substrate Descriptor, Substrate Layering, Surface Pattern, Temporal Persistence. For All Substrate Component Units:
The Co-occurring Elements Modifier (see Section 10.6.2, p. 213, FGDC-STD-018-2012) may be used to describe mixes of origins as well as the presence of secondary substrate units within the observational unit (i.e., image frame, sampling grid cell, etc.). Depending on the sampling method used and scale of the observational unit, classifying larger features may require extrapolating information from surrounding observations or additional studies. The Geoform Component may also be used to extend the substrate classification for such features (p. 227, FGDC-STD-018-2012). For All Substrate Component Units:
CMECS components are intended to be scale-independent and method-independent; the reported scale of substrate “patchiness” is determined by the scale of observation, and so is somewhat method-dependent. To assist with comparability, practitioners should always report sampling gear, methods, units, scale of observation, and scale of reporting in project metadata. Data users should be aware of the methods that were used to collect and report data, and should make note of any data limitations that may exist. |
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