Changes in the composition of ichthyoplankton assemblage and plastic debris in mangrove creeks relative to moon phases

Abstract

Lunar influence on the distribution of fish larvae, zooplankton and plastic debris in mangrove creeks of the Goiana Estuary, Brazil, was studied over a lunar cycle. Cetengraulis edentulus, Anchovia clupeoides and Rhinosardinia bahiensis were the most abundant fish larvae (56·6%), independent of the moon phase. The full moon had a positive influence on the abundance of Gobionellus oceanicus, Cynoscion acoupa and Atherinella brasiliensis, and the new moon on Ulaema lefroyi. The full and new moons also influenced the number of zoeae and megalopae of Ucides cordatus, protozoeae and larvae of caridean shrimps, and the number of hard and soft plastic debris, both <5 and >5 mm. Micro and macroplastics were present in samples from all 12 creeks studied, at densities similar to the third most abundant taxon, R. bahiensis. Cetengraulis edentulus and R. bahiensis showed a strong positive correlation with the last quarter moon, when there was less zooplankton available in the creeks and higher abundance of microplastic threads. Anchovia clupeoides, Diapterus rhombeus, U. lefroyi and hard microplastics were positively associated with different moon phases, when calanoid copepods, Caridean larvae and zoeae of U. cordatus were highly available in the creeks. Cynoscion acoupa, G. oceanicus and A. brasiliensis were strongly associated with the full moon, when protozoeae of caridean shrimps and megalopae of U. cordatus were also highly available, as were hard and soft macroplastics, paint chips (<5 mm) and soft microplastics. The results reinforce the role of mangrove creeks as nursery habitats. The moon phases influenced the distribution of fish larvae species, zooplankton and plastic debris by changing their compositions and abundances in the mangrove creeks of the Goiana Estuary when under the influence of different tidal current regimes.

Seasonal-Dial Shifts of Ichthyoplankton Assemblages and Plastic Debris around an Equatorial Atlantic Archipelago

“…Studies on the relationships between the abundance of planktonic organisms and plastic debris in the water column suggest that comparable amounts increase their chances of interactions (Collignon et al, 2014;Long et al, 2015;Panti et al, 2015;Lima et al, 2015Lima et al, , 2016. The density of plastic at SPSPA (0.0093 items 100 m −3 ) were on the same order of magnitude of the most abundant larval species O. micropterus (0.0044 larvae 100 m −3 ).…”

“…Great attention has been given to this size class of pollutant, as a fraction much more abundant and ubiquitous in the marine environment in terms of number of items, which occurs from mangrove creeks and estuaries to remote oceanic islands (Ivar do Sul et al, 2013;Lima et al, 2014Lima et al, , 2016. These fragments are likely to be the most hazardous to marine biota owing to their small size, physical harm, blockage, starvation and chemical contamination due to organic and inorganic pollutants absorbed by the ingested microplastic (Frias et al, 2010;Turner, 2010;Cole et al, 2011;Rochman et al, 2013;Tanaka et al, 2013;Lönnstedt and Eklöv, 2016;Wardrop et al, 2016).…”

Lunar influence on prey availability, diet shifts and niche overlap between Engraulidae larvae in tropical mangrove creeks

“…grows around the main channel and numerous intertidal creeks, forming a flooded forest of 4700 ha (Barletta & Costa, ). This study focused on the intertidal creeks of the lower portion of the estuary, where there is a greater influence of marine coastal waters (salinity 1 to <35) and where flooded forest is subject to a semi‐diurnal tidal regime, with amplitudes ranging from 0·1 to 2·7 m (Barletta & Costa, ; Lima et al ., ).…”

“…These engraulid larvae represented 8·02% of the total abundance of fish larvae in an annual study in the main channel of the Goiana Estuary (Lima et al ., ). In mangrove creeks of the same region, these larvae accounted for 72·39% in a monthly study (Lima et al ., ). Hence, a study of their utilization of food resources is important in order to understand the roles of these two closely related larval anchovy in Goiana mangrove creeks.…”

Effects of dredging operations on the demersal fish fauna of a South American tropical–subtropical transition estuary

“…The study of the ecology of estuaries through their fish communities has been shown to be fundamental for the understanding of the functioning of the entire ecosystem (Yáñez‐Arancibia et al ., ; Cyrus & Blaber, ; Barletta‐Bergan et al ., 2002 a , b ; Barletta et al ., , ; Barletta & Blaber, ; Barletta & Barletta‐Bergan, ; Dantas et al ., , ; Lima et al ., , ; Ramos et al ., ). All these studies have emphasized the importance of the estuarine ecosystem for marine, estuarine and freshwater fish species at each phase of their lives.…”