Fish communities of sandy beach surf zones: unraveling the myths, exploring different methodologies and providing knowledge for management strategies

• Grant number: 18/05099-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): March 01, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Antonia Cecília Zacagnini Amaral
• Grantee: Yasmina Michel Liliane Shah Esmaeili
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 15/03804-9 - Environmental governance of macrometropolis paulista in face of climate variability, AP.PFPMCG.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/25144-1 - Fish communities of sandy beach surf zones: exploring new methodologies and providing knowledge for management strategies, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Sandy beaches dominate the world's open coastlines and provide critical ecosystem services but are amongst the most threatened and less studied coastal ecosystems. Surf zones of sandy beaches are known to be important habitats for fishes, but few studies focused on surf zones and the vast majority of those studies is concentrated in specific geographic regions, addresses few topics and has mostly used one single methodology (i.e. beach seine net). As a consequence, the paradigms of surf zone functioning are being questioned and there is a need to explore factors that may explain the temporal and spatial variability in species composition to better preserve the ecosystem services this habitat provides. Understanding environmental and anthropogenic factors driving surf zone assemblages and as well as its internal ecological processes (e.g. trophic interactions), and the connectivity among surf zones and adjacent ecosystems (e.g. off shore waters) should therefore be considered. This project has 5 main objectives: (1) to find the best sampling method for this environment by comparing two sampling techniques: the traditional beach seine netting and the use of cameras; (2) to describe the unstudied surf zone fish communities of a set of Brazilian sandy beaches with different ecological and social features; (3) to assess which factors drive differences in fish community compositions between beaches by investigating the role of several environmental factors (e.g. wave exposure and beach profile) and anthropogenic impacts such as urbanization and fisheries. Lastly, we will (4) investigate connectivity between sandy beaches and off shore environments and (5) trophic interactions in the surf zone. The conclusive aim of this study is to implement this into a management plan in order to preserve these valuable natural resources. (AU)

Scientific publications

(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)

CORTE, GUILHERME N.; CHECON, HELIO H.; SHAH ESMAEILI, YASMINA; LEFCHECK, JONATHAN S.; AMARAL, A. CECILIA Z.. Mangrove fragments as key coastal reservoirs of taxonomic and functional biodiversity. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION, v. 30, n. 5, p. 1573-1593, APR 2021. (16/10810-8, 11/50317-5, 17/17071-9, 18/22036-0, 18/05099-9)