Spatiotemporal Distribution and Population Structure of Monokalliapseudes schubarti (Tanaidacea: Kalliapseudidae) in an Estuary in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Monokalliapseudes schubarti is an endemic tanaidacean microcrustacean from southeastern Brazil to Uruguay inhabiting low energy estuaries. Saco da Fazenda is located in the estuary of the Itajaí-Açú River, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is exposed to strong anthropic impact and receives intensive flows of domestic wastewater, solid residues, and drainage activities. Specimens of M. schubarti were collected monthly, in the intertidal and subtidal regions of Saco da Fazenda, in four stations defined as a function of the physiography of the environment during the period of July 2003 to June 2004. Fecundity values were high, with continuous reproductive activity during the whole period of study. The greatest population densities were observed in the intertidal region, where they are nevertheless intensely consumed by birds, swimming crabs, and fish. This species represents a fundamental link in the food chain of Saco da Fazenda, transferring energy from the detritus level to higher trophic levels. Habitat disturbance and high organic matter may represent factors controlling the distribution of populations of M. schubarti. For this reason, the species may be used to monitor anthropic effects in estuarine areas.

A new species of the genusMonokalliapseudes(Crustacea: Tanaidacea: Kalliapseudidae) from French Guiana

“…Aspects of the biology and ecology of Monokalliapseudes schubarti have been intensively studied and have been shown to play an important ecological role in estuarine environments (Freitas-Júnior et al 2013 and references therein). Since M. guianae also occupies similar habitats and is common and abundant, it is reasonable to suspect that it also plays a similarly important role.…”

“…It is a member of the subfamily Kalliapseudinae, which is distinguished from other kalliapseudids by having long plumose setae on the chelipeds, maxillipeds, and mandibular palps. Only one species has been described until now, Monokalliapseudes schubarti (Mané-Garzón, 1949), distributed from southeastern Brazil to Uruguay (Drumm & Heard 2011, Freitas-Júnior et al 2013. It has been shown to be an important component of estuaries in southern Brazil, where it can reach high population densities and is a major food item of fish, crustaceans, and birds (Bemvenuti 1987, Leite 1995, Rosa-Filho & Bemvenuti 1998, Montagnolli et al 2004, Ferreira et al 2005, Barreiros et al 2009, Contente et al 2009, 2012.…”

The Codevelopment of Mangroves and Infaunal Community Diversity in Response to the Natural Dynamics of Mud Deposition in French Guiana

“…Finally, 7-9% of infaunal beta diversity was correlated with nonlinear spatial variables unrelated to the mangrove gradient (Figure 8). This variation is related to small scale spatial heterogeneity, i.e., changes in the morphology and elevation of the order of meters between creeks, flat areas, and depressions [64], but also changes in root density, canopy cover and food resources [12,14,92]. Likewise, such spatial heterogeneity is known to influence crab distributions in the study area [34,64].…”

Spatiotemporal distribution of the benthic macrofauna in an urbanized subtropical estuary: environmental variations and anthropogenic impacts

“…For example, the gastropod Heleobia australis (D'Órbigny, 1835) is one of the main food sources of estuarine fish commercially exploited in southern Brazil (BEMVENUTI, 1997). The tanaid Monokalliapseudes schubarti (GUTU 2006) is abundant in subtropical estuaries, and is consumed by many species of birds and fish (FREITAS-JÚNIOR et al, 2013). Polychaetes are also abundant in subtropical estuaries, acting as an important part of the trophic web (FAUCHALD; JUMARS, 1979;PAGLIOSA;BARBOSA, 2006;TAVARES, 2009).…”