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

Abstract

Seasonality was a stronger influence in the ichthyoplankton assemblages around the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA) than distance from the islands. Plastic debris were ubiquitous and although it presented diel trends, no other spatiotemporal patterns was showed. Larval Oxyporhamphus micropterus was the most important taxa (29.37% of the total catch), followed by Ceratoscopelus warmingii and Entomacrodus vomerianus. Exocoetidae eggs represented 41.01%. Mesopelagic fish larvae dominated the community. Myctophidae had the highest species richness (15). Four larval fish assemblages occurred: (1) night-time demersal/bathydemersal (Anguillidae, Congridae); (2) daytime mesopelagic/bathypelagic/epipelagic (Myctophidae, Cyclothone acclinidens); (3) daytime epipelagic (Exocoetidae, Coryphaena hippurus, Thunnus albacares); and (4) night-time reef and demersal (Blennidae, Pomacentridae, Lutjanidae). The dry season (lower temperature, higher chlorophyll a and higher SW wind velocity) influenced the first two assemblages. The rainy season (higher temperatures and lower NW wind velocity) influenced the last two. Nighttime abundance of dominant species in the rainy season suggests diel vertical migration nearshore. Plastics were 2.12 times more abundant than the most abundant fish larvae. Comparable amounts of larvae and plastics in the water column increase the chances of interaction between these two compartments and might disturb the local marine food web and promote the transfer of microplastic from one habitat to another, especially when smaller taxa contaminated by ingested fragments are preyed by migratory animals such as marine birds and tuna. A study around the area concluded that at least a part of the plastic debris can have local source due to fishing activities. Small-scale oceanographic mechanisms such as the interaction between the topography and currents (SEC and EUC) seem to be responsible for the retention of fish eggs, fish larvae and plastics around SPSPA.

Seasonal aggregation and diel activity by the sicklefin devil ray Mobula tarapacana off a small, equatorial outcrop of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge

“…The distribution of zoo‐ and ichthyoplanktonic organisms around SPSPA suggests that this diel pattern may be associated with a greater planktonic abundance found in areas away from the archipelago during the night (Brandão et al ., ; Macedo‐Soares et al ., ; Melo et al ., 2013). In addition, fish eggs and larvae were more abundant at the surface during the night time and rainy season (Lima et al ., ). Regarding the greater use of the south‐west section of the SPSPA, it could be related to a greater distance from shore, to a greater depth (400–500 m) or to a greater abundance of prey organisms.…”

“…The distribution of zoo-and ichthyoplanktonic organisms around SPSPA suggests that this diel pattern may be associated with a greater planktonic abundance found in areas away from the archipelago during the night (Brandão et al, 2013;Macedo-Soares et al, 2012;Melo et al, 2013). In addition, fish eggs and larvae were more abundant at the surface during the night time and rainy season (Lima et al, 2016).…”

Sampling, isolating and identifying microplastics ingested by fish and invertebrates

“…This increases the likelihood of non-plastic material being identied and removed from mixed samples. 151,152 Combining these two techniques provides a cheap, if laborious method of plastic identication.…”

Microplastics in gut contents of coastal freshwater fish from Río de la Plata estuary

“…Plastic ingestion by fish from estuarine waters in Northeast Brazil, Goiana Estuary (7.5°S 34.5°W), was found in different ontogenic phases in Cathorops spixii (Agassiz, 1829), Cathorops agassizii (Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1888), Sciades herzbergii (Bloch, 1794) (Possatto et al, 2011), Eugerres brasilianus (Cuvier, 1830), Eucinostomus melanopterus (Bleeker, 1863), Diapterus rhombeus (Cuvier, 1829) (Ramos et al, 2012) and in Scianidae (Dantas et al, 2012;Ferreira et al, 2016). Also in this estuary, was analysed the relationship between the concentration of MPs and ictioplankton, highlighting the impact of this emergent pollutant (Lima et al, 2014(Lima et al, , 2015(Lima et al, , 2016.…”