Surf-zone fish assemblage structure and its diel variability in an ocean beach of Espírito Santo (Central Brazilian coast)

Abstract

We characterized the surf-zone fish assemblage structure of an ocean beach on the central coast of Brazil (Guriri Beach, Espírito Santo) and assessed its diel variability. Like the entire Espírito Santo coast, Guriri Beach was also affected by ore tailings from the Fundão dam, which collapsed on November 5, 2015. Monthly samplings were carried out before the dam collapse along a year cycle (May 2013-April 2014), during the day and night in the neap tide, using a beach seine. A total of 2217 specimens were caught (1017 during the day and 1200 at night), distributed in 36 fish species and 20 families. Juveniles of the kingcroaker Menticirrhus spp., great pompano Trachinotus goodei, Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus, littlescale threadfin Polydactylus oligodon, and Atlantic sabretooth anchovy Lycengraulis grossidens dominated the fish fauna, accounting for 84% of the total capture. The fish assemblage structure changed irregularly between day and night throughout the year. P. oligodon and Menticirrhus spp. were more abundant at night, whereas T. carolinus and L. grossidens were more abundant during the day. In most cases, no significant change was detected in fish abundance and richness between the day and night; when significant differences were detected, abundance and richness were higher at night. Our findings could support a monitoring program of the local surf-zone fish fauna and serve as before-impact data, allowing more accurate quantification of the ore tailings' impacts on the local fish biodiversity.

A life in the surf zone: Age and feeding habits of the pompano (Trachinotus ovatus, Linnaeus, 1758) on the beaches of the Gulf of Cádiz (south‐west Iberian Peninsula)

“…Gutiérrez-Martínez et al ( 2021) found no significant differences in the abundance of the species based on the time of the day. In studies conducted on its congener Trachinotus carolinus, there are disparate results, with some authors finding higher abundances during the day (Contente et al, 2023;Ross et al, 1987) and others at night (Félix-Hackradt et al, 2010). This increase in abundance at night compared to the day may be due to several factors.…”

“…Additionally, greater accessibility to certain types of prey that are more active at night could contribute to this pattern. The shift to the surf zone during the night, in particular, appears to be a strategic behavior to evade daytime predators like seabirds and other fish, utilizing the cover of darkness as a defensive mechanism (Ansell & Gibson, 1990;Contente et al, 2023;Gibson et al, 1996;Gibson et al, 1998;Layman, 2000;Lewin et al, 2004), although factors specific to the sampling, such as biases due to the gear used and the time of the day it was conducted, with a lower possibility of escape at night compared to the day (Contente et al, 2023;Gaelzer et al, 2006;Ley & Halliday, 2007), may also play a role.…”

“…The existence of daily migrations of zooplankton in the surf zone is confirmed by various authors (DeLancey, 1987;Hae-Lip & Ok-Hwan, 1996;Lasiak & McLachlan, 1987;Suh et al, 1995). These nocturnal migrations would attract small planktivorous fish, such as clupeiforms, to the surf zone to feed on zooplankton (Contente et al, 2023;Jarrin & Shanks, 2011;Lewin et al, 2004), being more active in the water column at that time of the day (DeLancey, 1987), thus explaining the great importance of these prey due to predation on them at night.…”

Coexisting in the Surf Zone: Age and Feeding Habits of the Spotted Seabass (Dicentrarchus punctatus) and European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) on the Gulf of Cádiz Beaches (Southwest Iberian Peninsula)

“…This nocturnal prevalence could be attributed to several factors, including a strategy to avoid predation by visual and diurnal predators such as seabirds, by coming to these areas at the time of day when these species do not hunt. Alternatively, the increased nighttime abundance might be linked to foraging behavior, capitalizing on heightened prey activity, including small fish and zooplankton, during nocturnal hours [67][68][69][70]. This latter explanation aligns well with the known nocturnal feeding patterns of the European seabass and is likely applicable to the spotted seabass as well [66].…”