Temporal Dynamics and Ecological Processes Shaping Reef Fish Communities in the Southwester Atlantic

• Grant number: 24/21250-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Hudson Tercio Pinheiro
• Grantee: Esteban Jorcin Nogueira
• Supervisor: Camille Mellin
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Adelaide, Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/09344-6 - Variation of reef fish community structure on Brazilian oceanic islands: a ten-year series, BP.MS

Abstract

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse marine environments, many found on oceanic islands, unique ecosystems and home to organisms adapted to specific conditions. Their geographic isolation, geological characteristics and response to sea level fluctuations resulted in distinct ecological and biogeographical patterns in comparison to coastal regions. Such islands, as those in the Southwestern Atlantic, have lower species diversity compared to the coastal area, but have higher endemism rates, therefore being natural laboratories for models and studies related to biogeography. In this context, this study aims to investigate the stability and dynamics of reef fish assemblages on four Brazilian oceanic islands - Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, St Peter and St Paul Archipelago, and Trindade Island. Data has been collected from 2006 to the presente, and will be analyzed using temporal beta-diversity indices (TBI) to understand the processes of colonization (gains) and extinction (losses). This project will provide insights of the ecological dynamics underlying those assemblages, resulting in high impact papers, as well as it will contribute to the conservation and management of those pristine but vulnerable ecosystems.