1
|
Pardal A, Martinez AS, Ciotti ÁM, Christofoletti RA, Cordeiro CAMM. Macroecology of rocky intertidal benthic communities along the southwestern Atlantic: Patterns of spatial variation and associations with natural and anthropogenic variables. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 190:106099. [PMID: 37454508 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Assessing spatial variability in biodiversity and its relationships with potential drivers is necessary for understanding and predicting changes in ecosystems. Here, we evaluated spatial patterns in sessile macrobenthic communities in rocky intertidal habitats along the southwestern Atlantic (SE Brazil), spanning over 500 km of coastline. We applied a rapid-survey approach focusing on the main space occupiers and habitat-forming taxa. We partitioned community variance into spatial scales ranging from metres to hundreds of kilometres and assessed whether community patterns were associated with variation in shore topography, nearshore ocean, and human influence. The communities from the mid-midlittoral level exhibited equivalent variation (31-35%) at the scales of quadrats (metres), sites (kilometres), and sub-regions (tens of kilometres). For the communities from the low-midlittoral and infralittoral fringe levels, most variability occurred at the scales of quadrats and sites (30-42%), followed by sub-regions (22%). Wave fetch, sea surface temperature (SST), and shore inclination were the variables that best explained community structure at the mid-midlittoral. At the low-midlittoral and infralittoral fringe, the most influential variables were related to oceanic forcing (SST, total suspended solids, particulate organic carbon, chlorophyll-a concentration) and human influence. Univariate analyses also revealed strong associations between the abundance of the main components of the communities and the predictor variables evaluated. Our results suggest that urbanised estuarine bays and coastal upwelling regimes have a strong influence on adjacent benthic communities, driving macroecological patterns in the study area. This study advances the knowledge in macroecology and biogeography of rocky shores in an understudied coastline and globally and provides valuable insights for future assessments of ecological changes resulting from unfolding human impacts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- André Pardal
- Center of Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC (CCNH/UFABC), Rua Santa Adélia, 166, Santo André, SP, 09210-170, Brazil; Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça 144, Santos, SP, 11070-100, Brazil.
| | - Aline S Martinez
- Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça 144, Santos, SP, 11070-100, Brazil
| | - Áurea M Ciotti
- Center for Marine Biology, University of São Paulo (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5, São Sebastião, SP, 1160-000, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo A Christofoletti
- Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Rua Dr Carvalho de Mendonça 144, Santos, SP, 11070-100, Brazil
| | - Cesar A M M Cordeiro
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Local and large-scale spatial variation in a marine predator-prey interaction in the southwestern Atlantic. Oecologia 2022; 199:685-698. [PMID: 35857114 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05220-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are a key ecological process which can be modified by environmental conditions over a range of spatial scales. Through two complementary short-term experiments, we assessed how local and large-scale environmental conditions affect a subtropical intertidal predator-prey interaction. At a local scale, we evaluated the effects of the degree of exposure to wave action and prey density on consumption rate and interaction strength using a whelk-barnacle system. Consumption rate decreased with wave exposure at experimentally reduced prey density but did not change at ambient density. Such an interactive effect occurred due to shifts in the whelk's feeding behaviour, likely linked to encounter rate and stress amelioration underpinned by prey density. Per capita interaction strength of the whelk on the barnacle weakened along the wave exposure gradient, but to a greater degree at reduced compared to ambient prey density. This confirms that environmental harshness can decrease the importance of predators, but the magnitude of change may be modified by density-dependent effects. A large-scale experiment did not reveal spatial patterns in the whelk-barnacle interaction, nor relationships to chlorophyll-a concentration or the minor change in sea temperature across the study area. Patterns in the size of consumed barnacles along the chlorophyll-a gradient suggest changes in food choice related to prey quality and size. We conclude that disentangling the effects of wave exposure and prey density revealed important potential mechanisms driving species locally. Large-scale variation in the whelk-barnacle interaction appeared to be linked to species' traits shaped by the environmental context.
Collapse
|
3
|
VIANA MARINAG, LIMA MAUROS, MARTINEZ ALINES, BARBOZA ALINAR, MELO CLARAS, CALADO JANAÍNAF, GRIMALDI GUIDOG, SOUZA THAISAA, LEITE TATIANAS, MENDES LIANAF. Marine fish and benthic biota before the 2019 oil spill: A baseline dataset for monitoring programs and impact assessments at Rio Grande Norte state, Northeastern Brazil. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20210536. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120210536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- MARINA G. VIANA
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil; Organização Sociedade Civil, Brazil
| | - MAURO S.P. LIMA
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil; Organização Sociedade Civil, Brazil
| | | | - ALINA R.P. BARBOZA
- Secretaria Estadual de Educação e Cultura do Rio Grande do Norte (SEEC), Brazil
| | - CLARA, S. MELO
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil
| | | | - GUIDO G. GRIMALDI
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil; Organização Sociedade Civil, Brazil
| | | | | | - LIANA F. MENDES
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil; Organização Sociedade Civil, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|