Spatio temporal variation in fish diversity in the marginal intertidal area of Araçá bay, São Sebastião - SP

• Grant number: 15/06623-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2015
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Ríguel Feltrin Contente
• Grantee: Debora Silva de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/50317-5 - Biodiversity and functioning of a subtropical coastal ecosystem: a contribution to integrated management, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

The Araçá Bay, located in São Sebastião (São Paulo State), has a complex mosaic of habitats and, consequently, an exceptionally high biodiversity. However, the bay is under persistent and high anthropogenic pressure. Ecological patterns studies in areas like the bay are essential for characterizing the ecosystem, thus constituting a critical support to biodiversity conservation and management. Therefore, a major study has been carried out in Araçá (Thematic Project BIOTA-Araçá), aiming to characterize and understand the structure of the local ecological communities. As part of such a broad study, the present study aims to investigate a potential spatial variation in fish diversity of the intertidal area of bay in relation to local hydrodynamic, through the use of ecological index, regression models and canonical correspondence analysis.