| Autor: |
Andrades R; Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075-910, Brazil. ryanandrades@gmail.com.; Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira e Manejo dos Recursos Aquáticos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral, 2651, Terra Firme, Belém, 66075-110, Brazil. ryanandrades@gmail.com., Reis-Filho JA; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, 40170-115, Brazil.; Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira e Manejo dos Recursos Aquáticos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral, 2651, Terra Firme, Belém, 66075-110, Brazil., Macieira RM; Laboratório de Ecologia Marinha, Universidade Vila Velha, Rua Comissário José Dantas de Melo, 21, Boa Vista, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, 29102-770, Brazil., Giarrizzo T; Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira e Manejo dos Recursos Aquáticos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral, 2651, Terra Firme, Belém, 66075-110, Brazil., Joyeux JC; Laboratório de Ictiologia, Departamento de Oceanografia e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, Espírito Santo, 29075-910, Brazil. |
| Abstrakt: |
Intertidal reef environments are facing a global crisis as climate changes are causing sea-level rise. Synergistically, other human-induced impacts (e.g., sewage, habitat loss) caused by concentration of human populations near the coast increase the natural vulnerability of intertidal ecosystems. However, the effect of these threats have long been neglected due, in part, to a limited knowledge of some aspects of intertidal fish ecology. We tested what are the main differences and drivers in fish assemblages structure between tidepools in three oceanic and three continental shelf (coastal) sites of the tropical southwestern Atlantic (Brazilian Province) using standardized sampling methods. Oceanic and coastal fish assemblages were distinctly structured at the trophic and composition levels. The noteworthy endemism species rate (38-44%) and high densities in oceanic sites are supported by resident species restricted to mid and high-shore tidepools where herbivores were the major trophic group. The coastal sites, on the other hand, were dominated by widely distributed and carnivore species. Physical (substrate type, pool height, subtidal distance and rock coverage), biological (sessile animal coverage) and chemical (salinity) parameters act as the driving forces influencing fish spatial occupancy. Here, clear evidences of high fish endemism and importance of endemics structuring oceanic communities may act as the last straw in favor of the conservation of oceanic intertidal reefs. |
