Ecology and Conservation of the Great Amazon Reef System

• Grant number: 22/10690-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: August 06, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Ronaldo Bastos Francini Filho
• Grantee: Thomás Nei Soto Banha
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/09682-1 - Impacts from oil and gas exploration projects on the biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Amazon shelf: a conservation planning approach, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Mesophotic ecosystems (MEs) are transitional environments between shallow reefs and the deep sea, harboring many species of ecological and economic importance but gathered more attention only in the last decade. The Great Amazon Reef System (GARS) is a mesophotic reef system that flourishes below the Amazon River Plume. Although evidence for the existence of reefs below the Amazon-Orinoco Plume (AOP) has been available since the 1970s, the GARS was thoroughly described only in the last decade. The AOP acts as a biogeographic filter between the Caribbean and Brazil, with some species being able to cross the AOP using the GARS as a corridor. The functional traits that facilitate the migration of species are known only for reef fish, with a multi-taxa trait-based functional approach still lacking. Also, the Amazon coast has the largest continuous mangrove belt in the world, which serves as a nursery for economic and ecologically important fish species that end up migrating to deeper habitats. However, the GARS and adjacent habitats face intensive uses (e.g., fishing and navigation) and are threatened by large-scale oil exploration projects. Thus, science-oriented management actions and the delimitation of priority areas for conservation are urgently needed. The project aims to (i) identify trends of the research on mesophotic reefs worldwide and research gaps for the GARS; (ii) perform a multi-taxa functional analysis to identify traits allowing the biota to transition through the AOP filter; (iii) analyze the cross-shelf distribution of megahabitats and their associated communities and compare patterns with other mesophotic/turbid reefs ; (iv) evaluate fish ontogenetic migration patterns using Lutjanus purpureus as a model species; and (v) propose priority areas for conservation considering biodiversity information, species' connectivity and ontogenetic migration, human uses (e.g. fisheries and navigation) and other major future threats, such as large-scale projects for oil and gas exploitation.