The consequences of small-scale variations in habitat conditions driven by a floating marina on reef fish assemblages of SE Brazil

Pastro, Gabriela; Dias, Gustavo Muniz; Pereira-Filho, Guilherme H.; Gibran, Fernando Zaniolo

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.03.004

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…While colonial ascidians from Bermuda show less palatability than solitary species [13], colonial ascidians from the Gulf of Mexico have been shown to have higher palatability to fishes than solitary ascidians [44]. At our site the most observed predators are fishes, including Abudefduf saxatilis (Linnaeus, 1758), Stephanolepis hispidus (Linnaeus, 1766), and Diplodus argenteus (Valenciennes, 1830) [32,45,46]. Here, solitary species were less predated by fishes probably owing to anatomical defences, such as tougher tunics or camouflage [13,44].…”

Section: (A) Latitudinal Gradient In the Ratio Of Colonial To Solitarmentioning

confidence: 69%

Colonial ascidians strongly preyed upon, yet dominate the substrate in a subtropical fouling community

et al. 2019

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Higher diversity and dominance at lower latitudes has been suggested for colonial species. We verified this pattern in species richness of ascidians, finding that higher colonial-to-solitary species ratios occur in the tropics and subtropics. At the latitudinal region with the highest ratio, in southeastern Brazil, we confirmed that colonial species dominate space on artificial plates in two independent studies of five fouling communities. We manipulated settlement plates to measure effects of predation and competition on growth and survivorship of colonial versus solitary ascidians. Eight species were subjected to a predation treatment, i.e. caged versus exposed to predators, and a competition treatment, i.e. leaving versus removing competitors, to assess main and interactive effects. Predation had a greater effect on growth and survivorship of colonial compared to solitary species, whereas competition did not show consistent patterns. We hypothesize that colonial ascidians dominate at this subtropical site despite being highly preyed upon because they regrow when partially consumed and can adjust in shape and space to grow into refuges. We contend that these means of avoiding mortality from predation can have large influences on diversification patterns of colonial species at low latitudes, where predation intensity is greater.

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Section: (A) Latitudinal Gradient In the Ratio Of Colonial To Solitarmentioning

confidence: 69%

Colonial ascidians strongly preyed upon, yet dominate the substrate in a subtropical fouling community

et al. 2019

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“…The YCI consists of floating concrete platforms, surrounded by a breakwater, both providing substrate for a diverse encrusting community, dominated mainly by ascidians and bryozoans (Oricchio et al, 2016). While the location inside the marina and the breakwater are only 130 m apart, communities growing in these two locals are exposed to contrasting environmental conditions (Oricchio et al, 2016; Pastro, Dias, Pereira, & Gibran, 2017). Sessile organisms in the inner portions of the marina, where boat activity is intense, are exposed to more turbid, productive and possibly more polluted waters.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, as the ability to express different phenotypes is a genetic trait of organisms (DeWitt et al, 1998), we also expected a strong genotypic effect (i.e., a significant effect of both colony's origin and genotype). More specifically, since the primary productivity is higher inside the marina (Pastro et al, 2017) and the predation pressure higher in the breakwater (Oricchio et al, 2016), we expected that clones translocated to the BW would (a) have lower ability to occupy space, resulting in smaller colonies than those in the interior of the marina; (b) but present higher density of autozooids and avicularia, to compensate the lack of food and the higher predation intensity, respectively, and (c) exhibit lower density of zooids with ovicells, which would indicate a reduction in the potential of sexual reproduction due to food limitation in the BW.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial habitats induce plasticity in colonies of the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata

2020

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Modular organization provides flexibility for colonial animals to deal with variable and unpredictable environmental conditions since each module has specific tasks within the colony, such as feeding, defending or reproducing. Depending on the selecting pressures, sessile organisms may phenotypically adjust the morphology of each module or modify their density, increasing individual fitness. Here we used the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata (Cheilostomata, Schizoporellidae) to test how the divergent conditions between two artificial habitats, the location inside a marina (IM) and the external wall of the breakwater (BW), affect colony size and the density of the distinct modules. The density of avicularia and ovicells, modules related to defense and reproduction, respectively, did not differ between habitats. However, colonies growing in the turbulent waters of BW were, in general, larger and had higher density of feeding autozooids than those at IM. Reciprocal transplants of bryozoan clones indicated that trait variation is genotype‐dependent but varies according to the environmental conditions at the assigned location. The occurrence of larger colonies with more zooids in BW is probably linked to the easier feeding opportunity offered by the small diffusive boundary layer around the colony at this location. Since in colonial polymorphic organisms each module (zooid) performs a specific function, the phenotypic response is not uniform across colonies, affecting only those modules that are susceptible to variations in the main selective pressures. Understanding the importance of colony‐level plasticity is relevant to predict how modularity will contribute to organisms to deal with human‐induced environmental changes in coastal habitats.

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“…Unfortunately, along the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic Sea, negative practices of marine construction in recent decades, such as embankment, gravel beaches nourishment, marinas, breakwaters and seawalls has been rampant, primarily to increase tourism facilities and capacities. Such artificial structures have the potential to modify marine physical conditions by interfering with water circulation and increasing sedimentation and pollution, leading to biological homogenization 20 . However, they can also increase the availability of hard substrata for larval recruitment, resulting in the development of a diverse sessile community and associated fish fauna 21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early evidence of a shift in juvenile fish communities in response to conditions in nursery areas

Matić‐Skoko

Vrdoljak

Uvanović

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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A multivariate analysis of juvenile fish community data, sampled at two nursery sites at an interval of 17 years (2000—early, and 2017—late), was conducted to elucidate the trends of change in littoral juvenile fish communities along the eastern Adriatic coast. Fishing, trophic and taxonomic composition to the community data were analysed for possible causality. The ichthyofaunal composition differed significantly for Site, Period and all interactions. According to the mMDS ordination plot, four groups of communities were defined, with clear cyclicity. No patterns were found in species composition between sites in the early period, while the observed community changes were governed by the same pattern at both sites in the late period. The species that contributed most to the observed changes were non-commercial, small, benthic resident fishes, such as gobiids and blennids, or those associated with canopy alga for shelter and feeding. The analysis correctly allocated samples based on community information to Sites and Periods. The data obtained provided an invaluable opportunity to test for the generality of potential patterns of change in littoral fish communities, suggesting that significantly modified juvenile fish communities may be the result of constant human embankment and marine infrastructure construction along the coast in recent decades, rather than climate change or fishing pressure, as generally considered.

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The consequences of small-scale variations in habitat conditions driven by a floating marina on reef fish assemblages of SE Brazil

Cited by 18 publications

References 45 publications

Colonial ascidians strongly preyed upon, yet dominate the substrate in a subtropical fouling community

Colonial ascidians strongly preyed upon, yet dominate the substrate in a subtropical fouling community

Artificial habitats induce plasticity in colonies of the marine bryozoan Schizoporella errata

Early evidence of a shift in juvenile fish communities in response to conditions in nursery areas

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