A relic coral fauna threatened by global changes and human activities, Eastern Brazil

Leão, Zelinda Margarida de Andrade Nery; Kikuchi, Ruy Kenji Papa de

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.04.024

Cited by 114 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Given the increase on natural and anthropogenic threats to Brazilian corals (Leão & Kikuchi, 2005;Dutra et al, 2006;, further detailed studies are needed to a better understanding of the relative contribution of parrotfish predation to coral fitness and survival. Similarly to other studies (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Live coral predation by parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae) in the Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil, with comments on the classification of species into functional groups

Francini‐Filho

Moura²,

Ferreira³

et al. 2008

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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Parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae) represent a critical functional group on coral reefs because their intense herbivory activity helps in avoiding coral overgrowth by algae. Although feeding preferentially on algae and detritus, some parrotfish species also consume live corals, leading to detrimental effects that may offset the benefits of removing competitive seaweeds. Parrotfish species differ markedly in terms of jaw morphology, foraging activity and extent of substratum excavation, and are typically divided into three functional groups: browsers, scrapers and excavators. The recognition of species within each functional group helps to understand their relative effects in terms of bioerosion, coral fitness and survival, habitat alteration and ecosystem dynamics. Here we report on live coral predation by the Brazilian endemic parrotfishes Scarus trispinosus and Sparisoma amplum in the largest coral reefs of the South Atlantic (Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil) and comment on their classification into functional groups based on direct behavioral observations. Scarus trispinosus and Sp. amplum allocated 0.8% and 8.1% of their bites to live corals respectively. Sparisoma amplum fed at lower rates, took shorter feeding forays and larger bites than Sc. trispinosus. Bite rates and foray size were negatively correlated to body size for Sc. trispinosus, but not for Sp. amplum. Our results indicate that Sp. amplum may be primarily recognized as an excavating species, as well as the most specialized parrotfish coral predator in Brazil, while Sc. trispinosus may be recognized as a scraper or excavator depending on its body size. This functional classification corresponds to the classification used for the putative sister taxa of Sc. trispinosus (Sc. coeruleus) and the sister taxa of Sp. amplum (Sp. viride) in the Caribbean, indicating that these two congeneric species pairs play similar ecological roles in different geographic regions.Os budiões (Perciformes: Scaridae) representam um grupo funcional crítico em recifes de corais uma vez que a intensa atividade de herbivoria que desempenham ajuda a evitar a exclusão de corais por algas. Apesar de alimentarem-se preferencialmente de algas e detrito, algumas espécies de budiões também consomem corais vivos, causando efeitos negativos aos corais, os quais podem superar os benefícios decorrentes da remoção de algas. As espécies de budiões diferem acentuadamente em sua morfologia bucal, atividade de forrageio e potencial de escavação do substrato, sendo tipicamente divididas em três grupos funcionais: podadores, raspadores e escavadores. O reconhecimento das espécies nesses grupos funcionais ajuda a entender seus efeitos relativos em termos de bioerosão, condição e sobrevivência de corais, alteração do hábitat e dinâmica do ecossistema. No presente estudo nós registramos a predação de corais vivos pelos budiões endêmicos do Brasil Scarus trispinosus e Sparisoma amplum no maior complexo coralíneo do Atlântico Sul (Banco dos Abrolhos, leste do Brasil) e comentamos sobre a classifi...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Live coral predation by parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae) in the Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil, with comments on the classification of species into functional groups

Francini‐Filho

Moura²,

Ferreira³

et al. 2008

Neotrop. ichthyol.

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“…As part of that process, the lowering of sea level moved the coastline closer to the reefs. This period characterizes a passage from a phase of vertical reef accretion to a predominance of lateral growth which was evidenced by C 14 dates of several reef tops along the northeastern coast of Brazil (Barbosa et al 1986, Nolasco and Leão 1986, Dominguez et al 1990, Leão et al 2003, Leão and Kikuchi 2005. Figure 5 shows the long-term regional patterns of sand dispersion along the coastline defined by a numerical modeling of wave climate in the study region (Bittencourt et al 2005).…”

Section: The Evolution Of Shoreface Reefsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Deficit of sand in a sediment transport model favors coral reef development in Brazil

Bittencourt¹,

Leão²,

Kikuchi³

et al. 2008

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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This paper shows that the location of the shoreface bank reefs along the northeastern and eastern coasts of Brazil, in a first order approximation, seem to be controlled by the deficit of sediment in the coastal system. The sediment transport pattern defined by a numerical modeling of wave refraction diagrams, representing circa 2000 km of the northeastern and eastern coasts of Brazil, permitted the regional-scale reproduction of several drift cells of net longshore sediment transport. Those drift cells can reasonably explain the coastal sections that present sediment surplus or sediment deficit, which correspond, respectively, to regions where there is deposition and erosion or little/no deposition of sand. The sediment deficit allows the exposure and maintenance of rocky substrates to be free of sediment, a favorable condition for the fixation and development of coral larvae.

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“…Furthermore, the reef communities dwelling on these tops experienced stress, primarily resulting from strong solar radiation and high levels of sedimentation and water turbidity. Several 14C dates from the tops of the coastal bank reefs, ranging from 3.18 to 6.00 ky BP (LEÃO et al, 1985MARTIN et al, 1996;LEÃO, 1998;LEÃO et al, 2003;KIKUCHI, 2005), provide evidence that the reefs reached heights higher than the present sea level and that they were truncated by erosion due to falls in sea level. On these flattened reef tops, which are completely subaerially exposed during low tides, living corals occur only within the tidal pools.…”

Section: Natural Disturbancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brazilian coral reefs in a period of global change: A synthesis

et al. 2016

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Brazilian coral reefs form structures significantly different from the well-known reef models, as follows: (i) they have a growth form of mushroomshaped coral pinnacles called "chapeirões", (ii) they are built by a low diversity coral fauna rich in endemic species, most of them relic forms dating back to the Tertiary, and (iii) the nearshore bank reefs are surrounded by siliciclastic sediments. The reefs are distributed in the following four major sectors along the Brazilian coast: the northern, the northeastern and the eastern regions, and the oceanic islands, but certain isolated coral species can be found in warmer waters in embayments of the southern region. There are different types of bank reefs, fringing reefs, isolated "chapeirões" and an atoll present along the Brazilian coast. Corals, milleporids and coralline algae build the rigid frame of the reefs. The areas in which the major coral reefs occur correspond to regions in which nearby urban centers are experiencing accelerated growth, and tourism development is rapidly increasing. The major human effects on the reef ecosystem are mostly associated with the increased sedimentation due to the removal of the Atlantic rainforest and the discharge of industrial and urban effluents. The effects of the warming of oceanic waters that had previously affected several reef areas with high intensity coral bleaching had not shown, by the time of the 2010 event, any episodes of mass coral mortality on Brazilian reefs. AbstrActDescriptors: Coral reefs, Global changes, Coral bleaching, Endemic fauna.Os recifes de coral do Brasil formam estruturas significativamente diferentes dos modelos conhecidos: (i) possuem uma forma de crescimento de pináculos coralíneos em forma de cogumelo, chamados "chapeirões", (ii) são construídos por uma fauna coralínea com baixa diversidade e rica em espécies endêmicas, sendo grande parte destas formas relíquias do período Terciário e (iii) os recifes costeiros estão num ambiente dominado por sedimentos siliciclásticos. Os recifes estão distribuídos em quatro áreas ao longo da costa brasileira: regiões norte, nordeste, leste, e nas ilhas oceânicas, mas espécies isoladas de coral podem ser encontradas em águas mais quentes nas enseadas da região sul. Diferentes tipos de banco recifais, recifes em franja, "chapeirões" isolados e um atol estão presentes ao longo da costa brasileira. Corais, milleporídeos e algas coralinas incrustantes constroem a estrutura rígida dos recifes. As áreas em que ocorrem os maiores recifes de coral correspondem às regiões nas proximidades de centros urbanos que estão experimentando crescimento acelerado e rápido desenvolvimento do turismo. Os principais efeitos antropogênicos sobre o ecossistema recifal estão associados, essencialmente ao aumento da sedimentação devido à remoção da mata atlântica e as descargas de efluentes industriais e urbanos. Os efeitos do aquecimento das águas oceânicas que vem afetando várias áreas de recifes, com alta intensidade de branqueamento de coral, não causaram mortalidade em massa ...

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A relic coral fauna threatened by global changes and human activities, Eastern Brazil

Cited by 114 publications

References 3 publications

Live coral predation by parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae) in the Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil, with comments on the classification of species into functional groups

Live coral predation by parrotfishes (Perciformes: Scaridae) in the Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil, with comments on the classification of species into functional groups

Deficit of sand in a sediment transport model favors coral reef development in Brazil

Brazilian coral reefs in a period of global change: A synthesis

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