| Grant number: | 06/00559-4 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral |
| Start date: | August 01, 2006 |
| End date: | December 31, 2010 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology |
| Principal Investigator: | Augusto Alberto Valero Flores |
| Grantee: | Ronaldo Adriano Christofoletti |
| Host Institution: | Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Rocky shores usually harbor a very high diversity, thus considered an important coastal environment, still poorly understood in tropical regions. The biotic composition and its dynamics are directly influenced by physical factors, such as wave exposure and tide range, and biological factors, namely competition, predation, herbivory and colonization rate. In Brazil, little is known on the species composition and community dynamics in rocky shores, including the trophic ecology of so-called keystone species and their influence on the sessile assemblages. In order to test specific hypotheses concerning the influence of the mottled shore crab, Pachygrapsus transversus, in the regulation of the sessile community, the composition and abundance of main algal and invertebrate species will be assessed throughout the seasonal cycle and according to wave exposure, as a preliminary objective. After this first stage, the natural diet of this dominant crab will be examined and specific experiments, which include environmental manipulation, will be conducted in the field. Species composition and seasonal community dynamics will be evaluated in a monthly basis during a 1-yr period, both in exposed and sheltered shores, by obtaining estimates of percentage cover and density of all detected species. Crabs will be collected in the same areas and conditioned in cooled isothermal boxes until later analyses of their stomach contents. The influence of Pachygrapsus on the sessile communities will still be evaluated by comparing the density of key species assemblages in total predator exclusion and crab inclusion experimental plots, as an attempt to asses the impact of crab populations on the surrounding sessile community. (AU) | |
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