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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The consequences of small-scale variations in habitat conditions driven by a floating marina on reef fish assemblages of SE Brazil

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Author(s):
Pastro, Gabriela ; Dias, Gustavo Muniz ; Pereira-Filho, Guilherme Henrique ; Gibran, Fernando Zaniolo
Total Authors: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT; v. 141, p. 98-106, JUN 1 2017.
Web of Science Citations: 6
Abstract

Marine constructions modify physical conditions by interfering with water circulation and increasing sedimentation and pollution, leading to biological homogenization. However, they also increase the availability of hard substrata for larval recruitment, resulting in the development of a diverse sessile community and associated fish fauna. To describe how the modifications caused by a floating marina affect reef fish assemblages at Sdo Sebastiao Channel, SW Atlantic, a multiparameter probe and a visual census methodology were used to compare the abiotic conditions and the diversity and abundance of fishes between two areas: the area inside the marina where boats are moored and the breakwater, an area more similar to nearby natural rocky shores. The area inside the marina presented more turbid and productive waters, while the breakwater was more turbulent. The abundance of fishes inside the marina was greater than at the breakwater throughout the study, but species richness was higher inside the marina only during the hot and wet period (Austral Summer and Spring). Fish assemblages were strictly different, between areas. Species dominance for each area and at nearby natural rocky reefs was also different. This study shows that artificial habitat causes micro-spatial modifications to local fish assemblages. As spatial variations were related to the behavioural and ecological aspects of fishes, marine facilities should be carefully planned, and engineering principles should be combined with ecological processes to better resemble natural habitats, thereby reducing environmental impacts. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/11286-2 - How microspatial diferences of abiotic conditions affect the recruitment and predation on the encrusting community and the fitness of the bryozoan Schyzoporella errata?
Grantee:Gustavo Muniz Dias
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants