Biodiversity, biogeography and conservation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean

• Grant number: 19/24215-2
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2021
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Grantee: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Juan Pablo Quimbayo Agreda ; Luiz Alves da Rocha Filho ; Marcelo Visentini Kitahara ; Ronaldo Bastos Francini Filho
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/03980-3 - Long-term studies on the fish biodiversity of mesophotic ecosystems in the northern coast of São Paulo, BP.TT; 25/05934-9 - Long-term studies on the marine ecosystems conservation in the northern coast of São Paulo and adaptive management in the NGI Alcatrazes, BP.TT; 24/13716-9 - Structure of the reef fish community along the depth gradient of the Archipelago Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, BP.IC; + associated scholarships 24/13767-2 - Diversity and Conservation of Reef Fishes in Mesophotic Ecosystems, BP.MS; 23/12231-9 - Biodiversity, evolution, and biogeography of neglected Atlantic reef fishes, BP.PD; 23/09344-6 - Variation of reef fish community structure on Brazilian oceanic islands: a ten-year series, BP.MS; 22/08684-5 - Fish community structure in mesophotic ecosystems: an analysis between depth gradients in biogeographic provinces of the Atlantic Ocean, BP.MS; 21/07039-6 - Biodiversity, biogeography and conservation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean, AP.BTA.JP - associated scholarships

Abstract

The recent popularization of technical diving by scientists has yielded a large increase in the exploration of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs), deep reefs found between 30 and 150 m depth. Biodiversity assessments have disclosed rich MCE assemblages and many unknown species across the globe, with a current discovery rate of two new fish species per hour of technical diving exploration. Most biodiversity surveys suggest that species richness decrease along the depth gradient, and recent studies reported substantial changes in coral and reef fish assemblages with depth, a trend mainly driven by species turnover. However, the interactive effects of biogeography and environmental filtering in shaping vertical patterns of reef fish diversity, community and functional structure in MCEs have yet to be studied in detail. The few ecological studies available have revealed contradictory community patterns. Studies based on depth range datasets present high overlap of species between shallow and deep reefs, suggesting that MCEs could provide refuge to species of broad depth range that are threatened in shallow reefs; a concept known as Deep Reef Refuge Hypothesis (DRRH). On the other hand, studies based on empirical data show low levels of similarity between depth zones, revealing unique assemblages on MCEs, with many endemic and undescribed species. This contradiction might be a result of the DRRH being species or context dependent, and further environmental and biogeographic analyses exploring components of abundance-based dissimilarity are lacking. Oceanic islands and archipelagos are excellent natural laboratories to conduct these ecological and evolutionary studies, offering exceptional conditions to study MCEs. Environmental factors such as sea temperature, habitat complexity, coral cover and wave exposure are known to drive the ecology of shallow reef fishes, but need to be better explored in MCEs. Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations might have had stronger effects reducing and expanding insular shallow habitats than deep ones (Habitat Persistence Hypothesis), what is predicted to influence distinct patterns in biodiversity, endemism and the evolutionary history of MCE fishes. This proposal aims to create a research line for mesophotic reef exploration at the Center for Marine Biology of the University of São Paulo (CEBIMar / USP), and advance the understanding of evolutionary and ecological processes underlying biodiversity patterns at MCEs in the Atlantic Ocean. Among the innovative questions and hypothesis elaborated, this proposal aims, for the first time, to: evaluate how the environmental and biogeographical factors are driving taxonomic (alpha and beta) and functional diversity patterns in shallow, upper and lower MCEs of the Atlantic Ocean; assess if the validity of "Deep Reef Refuge Hypothesis" depends on ecological, historical and geographical contexts by analyzing fish abundance along depth gradients in multiple locations; determine the relationships between species richness and endemism with island biogeography predictors (area, isolation, and Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations) on both shallow and deep communities; and test the Habitat Persistence Hypothesis by exploring the evolutionary history of shallow and deep species using advanced genomic techniques. Other goals of this project include: record, sample, and describe the fish biodiversity, including new species, new records and exotic species, from poorly explored MCEs of the Atlantic Ocean; capacitate researchers and students to perform technical diving and modern genomic analyses; and consolidate this research line at the CEBIMar, thus contributing to scientific and conservation initiatives as well as awareness of the importance of MCEs. (AU)

Scientific publications

(20)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

THAIS PEIXOTO MACEDO; TAMMY IWASA ARAI; HUDSON T. PINHEIRO; ANDREA SANTAROSA FREIRE. On a trip to the mainland: occasional records of the rocky crab Grapsus grapsus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda: Grapsidae) on the Brazilian coast. Nauplius, v. 29, 2021-09-06. (19/24215-2, 18/00488-7)

ALVES, ALINE CRISTINA; LEITE FERREIRA, CARLOS EDUARDO; ROSA, RICARDO DE SOUZA; PINHEIRO, HUDSON TERCIO; FRANCINI-FILHO, RONALDO BASTOS. Spawning ecology of the Saint Paul's Gregory Stegastes sanctipauli, a damselfish endemic to the remote St Peter and St Paul's Archipelago. Journal of Fish Biology, v. 103, n. 2, p. 10-pg., 2023-06-01. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

GUABIROBA, HELDER COELHO; ROCHA, LUIZ A.; JOYEUX, JEAN-CHRISTOPHE; PIMENTEL, CAIO R.; TEIXEIRA, JOAO BATISTA; MACIEIRA, RAPHAEL M.; GASPARINI, JOAO LUIZ; FRANCINI-FILHO, RONALDO BASTOS; ANDRADES, RYAN; MAZZEI, ERIC; et al. Coralline Hills: high complexity reef habitats on seamount summits of the Vitoria-Trindade Chain. CORAL REEFS, v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2022-05-20. (19/24215-2, 21/07039-6)

QUIMBAYO, JUAN P.; FREITAS, RUI; ROCHA, LUIZ A.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.. Are cleaning interactions offered by large cleaners positive?. Journal of Natural History, v. 57, n. 17-20, p. 5-pg., 2023-05-15. (21/09279-4, 21/07039-6, 18/21380-0, 19/24215-2)

PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; MACDONALD, CHANCEY; SANTOS, ROBSON G.; ALI, RAMADHOINE; BOBAT, AYESHA; CRESSWELL, BENJAMIN J.; FRANCINI-FILHO, RONALDO; FREITAS, RUI; GALBRAITH, GEMMA F.; MUSEMBI, PETER; et al. Plastic pollution on the world's coral reefs. Nature, v. 619, n. 7969, p. 16-pg., 2023-07-13. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

SHEPHERD, BART; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; PHELPS, TYLER A. Y.; SIU, GILLES; ROCHA, LUIZ A.. Terelabrus toretore sp. nov. (Perciformes: Labridae), a New Species of Striped Hogfish from Tahiti, with Range Extensions for Two Congeners. ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES, v. 62, p. 13-pg., 2023-03-31. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; MACDONALD, CHANCEY; QUIMBAYO, JUAN PABLO; SHEPHERD, BART; PHELPS, TYLER A.; LOSS, ANA CAROLINA; TEIXEIRA, JOAO BATISTA; ROCHA, LUIZ A.. Article Assembly rules of coral reef fish communities along the depth gradient. Current Biology, v. 33, n. 8, p. 15-pg., 2023-04-24. (21/09279-4, 21/07039-6, 18/21380-0, 19/24215-2)

PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; SHEPHERD, BART; TEIXEIRA, JOAO BATISTA; PIMENTEL, CAIO R.; PEREIRA, PEDRO HENRIQUE C.; STEIN, CARLOS E.; REIS-FILHO, JOSE AMORIM; GARLA, RICARDO C.; MACIEIRA, RAPHAEL M.; DELFINO, STEPHANIE D. T.; et al. Fish aggregations and reproductive behaviour on mesophotic coral ecosystems of a southwestern Atlantic Oceanic archipelago. Journal of Natural History, v. 55, n. 31-32, p. 2017-2025, AUG 18 2021. (19/24215-2)

ANDERSON, ANTONIO B.; BERNARDES, MANUELA B.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; GUABIROBA, HELDER C.; PIMENTEL, CAIO R.; VILAR, CIRO C.; GOMES, LUIZ E. O.; BERNARDINO, ANGELO F.; DELFINO, STEPHANIE D. T.; GIARRIZZO, TOMMASO; et al. Niche availability and habitat affinities of the red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus, 1758): An important ecological player on the world's largest rhodolith beds. Journal of Fish Biology, v. 101, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2022-05-27. (19/24215-2)

HORTA, PAULO; SISSINI, MARINA; MUELLER, CAROLINA MELISSA; SOARES, FERNANDA M. M.; PAGLIOSA, PAULO; RORIG, LEONARDO; BONOMI-BARUFI, JOSE; BERCHEZ, FLAVIO; DA CUNHA, LETICIA COTRIM; KERR, RODRIGO; et al. Brazil fosters fossil fuel exploitation despite climate crises and the environmental vulnerabilities. MARINE POLICY, v. 148, p. 4-pg., 2023-02-01. (19/24215-2)

ROCHA, LUIZ A.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; NAJEEB, AHMED; ROCHA, CLAUDIA R.; SHEPHERD, BART. Chromis abadhah (Teleostei, Pomacentridae), a new species of damselfish from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Maldives. ZOOKEYS, v. N/A, n. 1219, p. 10-pg., 2024-01-01. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

MACEDO, THAIS PEIXOTO; ARAI, TAMMY IWASA; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; FREIRE, ANDREA SANTAROSA. On a trip to the mainland: occasional records of the rocky crab Grapsus grapsus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda: Grapsidae) on the Brazilian coast. Nauplius, v. 29, p. 4-pg., 2021-09-24. (18/00488-7, 19/24215-2)

GIGLIO, VINICIUS J.; AUED, ANAIDE W.; CORDEIRO, CESAR A. M. M.; EGGERTSEN, LINDA; S. FERRARI, DEBORA; GONCALVES, LEANDRA R.; HANAZAKI, NATALIA; LUIZ, OSMAR J.; LUZA, ANDRE L.; MENDES, THIAGO C.; et al. A Global Systematic Literature Review of Ecosystem Services in Reef Environments. Environmental Management, v. 73, n. 3, p. 12-pg., 2023-11-25. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

SHEPHERD, BART; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; NAJEEB, AHMED; ROCHA, CLAUDIA R.; ROCHA, LUIZ A.. Plectranthias raki (Teleostei, Serranidae), a new species of perchlet from mesophotic coral ecosystems of the Maldives. ZOOKEYS, v. N/A, n. 1223, p. 12-pg., 2025-01-01. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

TATIANA S. LEITE; IGOR E. PINHEIRO; FLÁVIO BERCHEZ; ÁTHILA A. BERTONCINI; OSWALDO M. DEL CIMA; IRENE E. DEMETRESCU; RONALDO B. FRANCINI-FILHO; RUY K.P KIKUCHI; ARTHUR A. MACHADO; RODRIGO MAIA-NOGUEIRA; et al. Scientific diving in Brazil: history, present and perspectives. Ocean and Coastal Research, v. 71, 2023-12-08. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

KOIVUNEN, ANNA M. A.; CUNHA, REGINA L.; QUIMBAYO, JUAN P.; OTERO-FERRER, FRANCISCO; FREITAS, RUI; MALLMANN, ANTONIA I. M.; FAUVELOT, CECILE; BRAMANTI, LORENZO; ROCHA, LUIZ A.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.. Environmental and geographical drivers of reef fish beta diversity across the depth gradient. MARINE ECOLOGY-PROGRESS SERIES, v. 752, p. 14-pg., 2025-01-16. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

ROOS, NATALIA C.; VERAS, PRISCILA C.; GUTIERREZ, JORGE L.; GIBRAN, FERNANDO Z.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; FRANCINI-FILHO, RONALDO B.; LONGO, LEILA L.; SANTOS, CINTHYA S. G.; SENNA, ANDRE R.; PEREIRA-FILHO, GUILHERME H.. Secondary engineering of rhodolith beds by the sand tilefish Malacanthus plumieri generates distinctive habitats for benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION, v. 33, n. 6-7, p. 17-pg., 2024-03-21. (21/07039-6, 16/14017-0, 19/24215-2)

BANHA, THOMAS N. S.; LUIZ, OSMAR J. J.; ASP, NILS E. E.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T. T.; MAGRIS, RAFAEL A. A.; CORDEIRO, RALF T. S.; MAHIQUES, MICHEL M. M.; MIES, MIGUEL; GIGLIO, VINICIUS J. J.; OMACHI, CLAUDIA Y. Y.; et al. The Great Amazon Reef System: A fact. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE, v. 9, p. 6-pg., 2022-12-08. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; LUIZ, OSMAR J.; ROCHA, LUIZ A.; WOHAK, KIRSTEN; FRANCINI-FILHO, RONALDO B.. Beyond fear: a new paradigm to manage shark recovery in Brazilian marine protected areas. PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, v. 22, n. 1, p. 3-pg., 2024-01-01. (21/07039-6, 19/24215-2)

CORD, ISADORA; ARAUJO, GABRIEL S.; SILVA, FERNANDA C.; KURTZ, YAN R.; ROCHA, CLAUDIA R.; PINHEIRO, HUDSON T.; ROCHA, LUIZ A.; FLOETER, SERGIO R.. Biogeography and evolution of reef fishes on tropical Mid-Atlantic Ridge islands. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 292, n. 2051, p. 11-pg., 2025-07-16. (19/24215-2, 21/07039-6, 23/12231-9)