Brazilian sandy beach macrofauna production: a review

Autor(es)

Marcelo Petracco ^[1] ; Ricardo Silva Cardoso ^[2] ; Thais Navajas Corbisier ^[1] ; Alexander Turra ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Oceanog, BR-05508120 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Estado Rio de Janeiro UNIRIO, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol & Recursos Marinhos, BR-22290240 Rio De Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Brazilian Journal of Oceanography; v. 60, n. 4, p. 473-484, 2012-12-00.

Resumo

The state of the art of the studies on the production of Brazilian sandy beach macrofauna was analyzed on the basis of the data available in the literature. For this purpose, the representativeness of the production dataset was examined by latitudinal distribution, degree of exposure and morphodynamic state of beaches, taxonomic groups, and methods employed. A descriptive analysis was, further, made to investigate the trends in production of the more representative taxonomic groups and species of sandy beach macrofauna. A total of 69 macrofauna annual production estimates were obtained for 38 populations from 25 studies carried out between 22º56'S and 32º20'S. Production estimates were restricted to populations on beaches located on the southern and southeastern Brazilian coast. Most of the populations in the dataset inhabit exposed dissipative sandy beaches and are mainly represented by mollusks and crustaceans, with a smaller number of polychaetes. The trends in production among taxonomic groups follow a similar pattern to that observed on beaches throughout the world, with high values for bivalves and decapods. The high turnover rate (P/B ratio) of the latter was due to the presence of several populations of the mole crab Emerita brasiliensis, which can attain high values of productivity, in the dataset. Most of the studies focus on the comparison of production and, especially, of P/B ratio according to life history traits in populations of the same species/taxonomic group. Despite the importance of life history-production studies, other approaches, such as the effect of man-induce disturbances on the macrofauna, should be undertaken in these threatened environments. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 08/11053-0 - Produção secundária da macrofauna bentônica de praias arenosas: estudo de caso com Olivella minuta (Link, 1807) (Mollusca, Gastropoda) e análise e validação metodológica
• Beneficiário: Marcelo Petracco
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado