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| Author(s): |
Fabiana Tavares Moreira
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Eletrotécnica e Energia (IEE/BT) |
| Defense date: | 2006-08-21 |
| Examining board members: |
Joseph Harari;
Roberto Fioravanti Carelli Fontes;
Elisabete de Santis Braga da Graca Saraiva
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| Advisor: | Joseph Harari; Augusto Alberto Valero Flores |
| Abstract | |
The present study was carried out along a coastline including two bays in Ubatuba, SP, Brazil. The main objectives were (1) examine, at six different rocky shores, the time series of decapod larval settlement in order to understand the physical forcing associated to onshore transport, (2) locate neustonic plankton larval aggregations over the diel cycle to infer on the nature of patchiness and to verify the occurrence of vertical migration in the decapod species examined, and (3) test the relationship between larval supply and settlement, at different spatial scales. The role of larval competency was discussed based on evidence obtained by sampling the plankton at distinct within-bay areas and comparing the results both within and between taxa. From May to August 2005, samples were carried out every other day to estimate the larval settlement rate of two different decapod assemblages in artificial collectors. During two settlement pulses recorded for the megalopae of Pachygrapsus transversus, the nycthemeral neustonic occurrence of that and other decapod stages was assessed. Subsamples of brachyuran megalopae were separated to measure their competency level, by means of both larval rearing, thus obtaining time-to-moult estimates, and microscopic moult-staging of readily fixed individuals. Log-linear models were used to test the effect of wind and tide range on settlement rate, and results were confronted to possible scenarios of surface currents provided by hydrodynamic numerical modeling. Planktonic samples revealed that patches of larvae are coincident to slick fringes, probably caused by the formation of internal waves. A suite of shrimp species undertakes a typical diel vertical migration, while a reversed pattern was found for grapsids, which may assist the final onshore transport to settlement grounds due to marine breezes. Swimming crabs did not show any vertical xi migration trend. Competency is suggested to be better estimated using the larval rearing method. In within-bay areas, portunid megalopae appeared to be more competent to settle than those of grapsids, probably because the former are closer to settlement substrates than the latter, which should be first advected to the nearshore. Within-taxon comparisons revealed that neustonic megalopae of P. transversus collected in within-bay areas are less competent than those obtained from benthic collectors. A transitional stage was missing, suggesting that the transition to the benthos and the development into competent stages are more complex than usually assumed. Significant correlations between megalopae supply and settlement rate were not found. The settlement rate of decapods inhabiting the intertidal region of the rocky coast sampled is apparently dependent on the interaction of wind and tide forcing coupled with larval behaviour. Settlement rate of both grapsids and palaemonids follows a semilunar rhythm, with maxima occurring near neap tides, corroborating the hypothesis that tidally-driven internal motions are also responsible for onshore larval transport coastal decapods. Onshore wind-forcing was found to be the key agent, although dependent on the tide regime, while winds blowing from northeast are suggested to bring larvae from source sites. Coastal circulation patterns and spatially-consistent settlement contrasts indicate that Flamengo Bay is an important area of larval deposition. (AU) | |