Stable Isotope Data from Coral Reef Taxa in the Chagos Archipelago

Data on the carbon (ð13C) stable isotopes, nitrogen (ð15N) stable isotopes, nutrient levels (percent nitrogen, %N), and nutrient ratios (carbon-to-nitrogen ratios, C:N) of taxa collected from two depths within lagoonal reefs and from more exposed seaward reefs within the Chagos Archipelago, including from reefs surrounding islands where high densities of seabirds were present as well as those where they were absent. We collected samples of three benthic organisms that are representative of the base of the food web: two primary producers (macroalgae, Halimeda sp. and turf algae) and a sponge (Spheciospongia spp.) that filter feeds on zooplankton. We also collected tissues from two heterotrophic taxa: shallow subtidal gastropod snails, and hermit crabs. These data were collected with financial support from the Bertarelli Foundation.