Latitudinal and temporal structure of benthic cnidarians assemblages on recruitment panels in two harbors of the Brazilian coast

Author(s)

Marina de Oliveira Fernandez

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB)
• Defense date: 2013-01-28

Examining board members

Antonio Carlos Marques; Tito Monteiro da Cruz Lotufo; Rosana Moreira da Rocha

• Advisor: Antonio Carlos Marques

Abstract

A variety of spatial scales, in which different factors vary, can be important in studies of biodiversity. Structure and dynamics of marine epifaunal communities are known to vary latitudinally, but how that variation changes over time is relatively unstudied. Here we investigate how the structure of fouling assemblages of cnidarians in harbors varies temporally at a tropical and a subtropical latitude and due to local factors. In Brazil, we studied recruitment during four 3 month periods in two harbors (tropical Pecém at 3°32′S and subtropical Ilhabela at 23°46′S) and over two years at Ilhabela. We found that (1) species richness follows a latitudinal gradient with more speciose benthic cnidarian assemblages at tropical Pecém; (2) composition of the assemblages varies widely over time, while being more constant at the tropical latitude and seems to be a consequence of greater seasonal variation in temperature at the subtropical latitude; (3) abundance of members of the assemblages at Ilhabela are not seasonally defined; (4) each site has different taxa that are more important in assemblage structure; (5) assemblages at Ilhabela are structured by microhabitat, biotic interactions and time of submersion. This study highlights the importance of a temporal perspective in understanding community dynamics, contributes to the understanding of the importance of scale in determining patterns of marine communities and how human impacts difficult interpretation and prediction of community patterns (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/14149-8 - Seasonal dynamics of the community of benthic cnidarians in large latitudinal scale of the Brazilian Coast
• Grantee: Marina de Oliveira Fernandez
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master