Meso-oligotrophic environment contribution to the transfer of carbon biomass at the local food web of Flamengo Bay, Ubatuba (SP)

• Grant number: 24/20323-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Camila Negrão Signori
• Grantee: Francisco Abdelnur Montaño
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

For a deeper understanding of how marine ecosystems function, it is essential to comprehend the role each organism plays in its environment, how they respond to varying conditions, and how these factors can influence their intra- and interspecific relationships as well as different biogeochemical processes. One of the main ways to assess these relationships is through the transfer of carbon biomass and energy to other organisms via organic matter synthesis, also known as herbivory. Addressing the significant lack of information regarding this process along the Brazilian coast, especially in meso-oligotrophic environments, this study aims to quantify the growth of microphytoplankton and mortality by microzooplankton, and to evaluate the influence of environmental and biological factors in these rates in Enseada do Flamengo (SP).