Variation of reef fish community structure on Brazilian oceanic islands: a ten-year series

• Grant number: 23/09344-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Grantee: Esteban Jorcin Nogueira
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/24215-2 - Biodiversity, biogeography and conservation of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean, AP.BTA.JP
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/21250-0 - Temporal Dynamics and Ecological Processes Shaping Reef Fish Communities in the Southwester Atlantic, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The reef environments present in oceanic islands constitute uniqueecosystems. The physical isolation of the islands, their geological characteristics andresponses to sea level fluctuations resulted in the establishment of biogeographicalpatterns distinct from those present in coastal regions. Oceanic islands are home oforganisms that have adapted in different ways, exhibiting a high degree of speciationand endemism. Therefore, they are important sites for both ecological andevolutionary studies and for conservation actions. Despite their importance formarine biodiversity, Brazilian oceanic islands have few studies related to the naturalvariability of their communities, including analysis of ² diversity and abundancegradients. In this context, this project main objective is to evaluate the variability offish communities in Brazilian oceanic islands - Arquipélago de Trindade e MartinVaz, Atol das Rocas, Arquipélago São Pedro e São Paulo e Arquipélago deFernando de Noronha - using a 10 years dataset of a Long Term EcologicalProgram (PELD). For this, the project intends to combine island biogeography withcommunity ecology approaches, testing hypotheses that relate the natural variationof communities with the isolation and size of reef environments. Moreover, theproject aims to evaluate how the effects of the Anthropocene are affecting theconservation status of these ecosystems. In addition to generate scientific products,we intend to contribute with measures aiming to the effective conservation of theseenvironments.