Data from: Burrowing crab effects on the properties and functions of coastal soft sediments

<p>Burrowing ecosystem engineers, such as termites, crabs, marmots, and foxes, can profoundly affect the biological structure and ecosystem functions of their environments. However, the relative importance of burrowing engineers on sediments are challenging to predict and are expected to be influenced by engineer density, engineer functional traits (e.g., burrow morphology), and environmental conditions (e.g., geomorphology, vegetation presence). To develop robust hypotheses predicting the impacts of burrowing ecosystem engineers, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis evaluating the effects of burrowing crabs on sediment properties, nutrient stocks, and ecosystem functions in coastal soft-sediment habitats (e.g., salt marshes, mangrove forests, tidal flats). The data set includes 1422 effect size calculations for the effects of burrowing crabs on sediments collected from 59 total manuscripts. The data suggest that burrowing crabs rework and oxygenate sediments and accelerate rates of nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrification and CO₂ flux). However, the magnitude and direction of burrowing crab effects depend on burrowing crab superfamily, the presence of vegetation, and their interaction. Crab burrow density does not consistently predict burrowing engineer effects on sediments. </p>