Influence of Santos estuarine system on the inner continental shelf meiofauna

• Grant number: 05/01775-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2005
• End date: December 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Thais Navajas Corbisier
• Grantee: Luciana Erika Yaginuma
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The meiofauna, which is composed by metazoans that pass through a 0,5 mm mesh sieve and are retained on a 0,042 mesh sieve, is important to the energy flow in marine benthic systems where it play a role as consumer, predator, prey or absorbing organic matter. Besides, it is an important instrument to assess environmental alterations caused by contaminants or by natural causes. “The Influence of the Santos Estuarine Complex on the Adjacent Inner Continental Shelf” (ECOSAN) project, of the Instituto Oceanográfico (PRONEX-FAPESP, process 2003/09932-1), aims to evaluate the continental contribution influence on the adjacent inner continental shelf by the study of the mechanisms of transport and deposition of this material and the impact of this contribution on the biological processes and the ecosystem structure. This study proposes to evaluate that influence by analysing the meiofauna community and to add more information about this fauna on the Southeastern Brazilian region. The specific objectives are to analyse the meiofauna qualitative and quantitatively at higher taxonomic group levels in the inner shelf off Santos in a summer and in a winter; and to relate this data with the sediment type, the organic matter percentage and the microphytobenthic biomass. (AU)