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Les Peuplements de Madréporaires des cotes Tropicales du Brésil
... Porto de Galinhas is a tourist destination known for its natural pools formed by coral reefs (Barradas et al., 2012;Avelino et al., 2023). Located in the State of Pernambuco, the coral reefs of Porto de Galinhas are 900 m long, and are divided into three main blocks, separated by two channels (Barradas et al., 2012;Laborel, 1970;Pitombo et al., 1988). These formations are very close to the coast, making it accessible by swimming or walking at low tide. ...
... The Abrolhos National Marine Park (ANMP) was created in 1983 with the aim of conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable tourism (Giglio et al., 2016). It is located in the south of the State of Bahia and concentrates the most extensive and richest area of corals in Brazil and the Southwest Atlantic and is characterized by pinnacles, some of which can read 20 m in height (Laborel, 1970). It occupies approximately 6,000 km 2 of the northern bank of Abrolhos, comprising two reef arcs, volcanic islands, sandbanks, and channels (Leão et al., 2001). ...
... The area is influenced by coastal upwelling, a phenomenon in which deep waters emerge on the sea surface near the coast, enriching the water column with nutrients and causing high productivity. However, within the protected bay of Arraial do Cabo, warm waters occur, leading to dense coral populations, coined as a "Coral Oasys" by Laborel (1970). The contrast of upwelling and warm coastal waters leads to high biodiversity and complex benthic communities, which are primarily rocky reefs that host coral assemblages (Batista et al., 2020). ...
Healthy reef environments provide many benefits to humanity. At least 500 million people living in coastal communities around the world highly depend on benefits provided by coastal and marine environments, including coral reefs. This study examined ecosystem services provided by coral and rocky reefs in Brazil, as perceived by users of these environments. An online questionnaire was used to assess people’s perceptions of contributions to society provided by reef environments in Brazil and changes in provisioning of these services over time. The nature of contributions to people cited by participants was classified into 18 categories according to the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. A total of 71 people answered our questionnaire, and for some questions more than one answer was possible. Main benefits perceived were classified as “physical and psychological experiences’’ (35.5% of 269 total statements), followed by “habitat creation and maintenance” (20%) and “learning and inspiration” (17.7%). Perception of change in the provisioning of services over time was not related to respondents’ experience with the marine environment or main professional activity (research, tourism, and others). Most statements of change were negative, highlighting the decrease in biodiversity, increase in solid waste, disorganized growth in tourism and reduced water quality. Improvement statements were related to biodiversity, use, environmental quality, governance/management and learning. Published literature supports changes perceived by reef users and the few positive perceptions appear to be influenced by social initiatives towards biodiversity conservation that have contributed to raise awareness about the marine environment.
... For centuries, the Abrolhos Bank has been an ancient and important fishing area, with groupers and whales as major historical fishing targets (Hartt, 1870). The history of Abrolhos is marked by many visits of European naturalists and navigators sponsored by the Portuguese crown to collect information about Brazilian nature, native inhabitants and landscape (Spix and Martius, 1828;Roussin, 1845;Hartt, 1870;Branner, 1904;Laborel, 1970). During scientific expeditions, explorers navigated the Abrolhos Bank with the help of nautical charts. ...
... More than a century later, in 1960, another work was fundamental for the understanding of the biological and ecological aspects of Brazilian reefs (Laborel, 1970). French researcher Jacques Laborel wrote his seminal thesis in 1969 entitled "Les peuplements des madréporaires des côtes tropicales du Brésil" (Madreporia populations of the tropical coasts of Brazil). ...
... He visited the reefs between Ceará (3 • 42 47.5 S, 38 • 31 39.1 W) and São Paulo states (23 • 59 24.0 S, 46 • 20 48.0 W). In the Abrolhos Bank, Laborel described the species composition and abundance (semi-quantitatively) of the chapeirões (Laborel, 1970). ...
Coral reefs are in global decline due to unprecedented anthropogenic threats that have escalated and accumulated over decades to centuries. In order to assess the magnitude and drivers of changes on reefs, it is necessary to reconstruct the history of changes of these ecosystems over this longer time scale. We compiled and assessed historical records of naturalists that visited Abrolhos reefs over the last 202 years, and compared a 160-year-old nautical chart with modern charts to quantify losses in the spatial extent of coastal reefs in the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. We found a 28% loss in the overall spatial extent of inshore reefs, with some areas experiencing declines up to 49% over the past 160 years. Such reefs with more dramatic changes (Guaratibas reefs) are the closest to the coast (∼7 km), where local impacts such as the past extraction of coral for lime since the 19th century, as well as increased coastal sedimentation and siltation due to deforestation are concentrated and that, combined, may have caused the observed decline. Collectively, this set of historical information captures coral reef changes over time, and helps update conservation and restoration goals for the Abrolhos reefs seascape.
... Um dos primeiros naturalistas a comentar sobre os recifes do Estado da Bahia foi Charles Darwin que esteve em Salvador em 29 de fevereiro de 1832 (Darwin, 1839 leptophylla; a segunda seria que a espécie F. leptophylla tivesse sido extinta da BTS devido ao aumento da turbidez da água decorrente da atividade de uma fábrica de cimento localizada em Tubarão, ao sul da praia de Inema, a noroeste de Salvador. A presença de blocos de recifes e restos de corais nesta área comprova que a fábrica utilizou material da estrutura recifal para a produção de cimento (Laborel, 1969 . Em 1998 pesquisadores e alunos do Instituto de Geociências da UFBA retornaram aos recifes das Caramuanas para aplicar, pela primeira vez no Brasil, um protocolo de monitoramento elaborado para avaliar o estado vital dos recifes do oceano Atlântico -Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) (Kramer et al., 2005). ...
... A costa do Estado da Bahia abriga os recifes de maior diversidade biológica do Oceano Atlântico Sul e os recifes da BTS possuem uma biodiversidade similar aos recifes do Banco dos Abrolhos, a maior área de recifes de coral do Brasil (Laborel, 1969). No interior da BTS, os recifes de corais são encontrados na sua região nordeste. ...
... Estas algas são importantes para a construção da estrutura recifal (Sorokin, 1995) e induzem o assentamento das larvas plânulas dos corais (Vermeij, 2005). Nos recifes internos estão presentes as espécies S. michelini, M. decactis, A. agaricites, S. stellata, S. radians, P. astreoides, P. branneri, F. gravida, M. cavernosa, M. harttii, M. hispida, S. wellsi (Laborel, 1969 Atualmente o principal problema da utilização direta dos recifes é a pesca acima da capacidade do ambiente e a pesca predatória. Ainda hoje são utilizadas práticas ilegais como a pesca com bomba e a pesca com rede de espera sobre os recifes. ...
Este livro agrega informações que subsidiam o entendimento da oceanografia da Baía de Todos os Santos. Propicia o embasamento científico para a interpretação de sua situação atual com vistas ao planejamento de futuros projetos de pesquisa e de ações gerenciais que venham a garantir a recuperação e a preservação de sua riqueza natural, como recifes de corais, estuários, manguezais, bem como a promoção da qualidade de vida das populações do Recôncavo Baiano.
... One of the coastal sectors with paucity of paleo-sea level indicators along the Brazilian coast lies between 15 • S and 18 • S encompassing the Abrolhos Bank (Fig. 1A), a 200 km long sector of an enlarged continental shelf that is up to 200 km wide (Leão and Kikushi, 1999) (Fig. 1B) and where conflicting Holocene paleo-sea level reconstructions exist. Earlier studies on the coastal plains and coral cays in this area indicate higher paleo-sea levels in the mid-Holocene, with altitudes at least 0.8 m higher than the present level at the cays and 1.6 m at the mainland coast (Delibrias and Laborel, 1969;Laborel, 1969;Martin et al., 1979/80;Martin et al., 1996;Bittencourt et al., 1979;Leão and Lima, 1982;Leão et al., 2003). These are in agreement with paleo sea-levels obtained in most of the Brazilian coast (Angulo et al., 2006;Fig. ...
... As part of an effort to assess paleo-sea level trends in the Brazilian islands, several new paleo-sea level indicators were obtained from Abrolhos Archipelago ( Fig. 1B and C) and nearby carbonate reefs, places where some of the first references to higher paleo-sea levels in Brazil were published (e.g. Hartt, 1870;Laborel, 1969). This new information provides an excellent opportunity to further the discussion on the Holocene sea-level maximum in this section of the coast. ...
... The outer-reef arc or Parcel dos Abrolhos, located 60 km offshore, is 14 km long and 6 km wide and made of submerged living corals. Conversely, the 200 km 2 coastal-reef arc (Laborel, 1969) is constituted mostly by a bundle of remains of coalesced coral pinnacles that were eroded by the Late Holocene sea-level fall. This arc comprises four abrasion platforms, named Pedra do Lixa, Parcel das Paredes, Pedra Grande, Sebastian Gomes, and Viçosa, and one sandy cay (Coroa Vermelha) that are aligned with the coast for 60 km (Leão et al., 2003;Fig. ...
This study presents spatiotemporal paleo-sea-level reconstructions from Abrolhos archipelago and Abrolhos Bank, and fill in a coastline gap of 500 km where no precise paleo-sea level reconstruction exists. The reconstructions are based on sedimentary, biological and geomorphological evidences. The data indicates sea-levels up to 2.9 m higher than the current one between the Mid- to Late Holocene, in agreement with the empirical sea-level envelope and with predictions of geophysical sea-level models for the Brazilian coast. The data suggests that there was little, if any, hydroisostatic compensation across 55 km of the continental shelf in the study area, between the archipelago and the mainland coast, given that similar elevations of the post-glacial sea-level maximum exist in both places.
... M. hispida can be one of the most abundant species in Brazilian reefs, contributing to the overall reef structure (Oigman-Pszczol and Creed, 2004). Montastraea cavernosa presents a wider distribution being very common in the Caribbean (Horta-Puga, 2003) and is also abundant on the Brazilian coast in reefs from northeastern to southeastern Brazil (Laborel, 1970). In the eastern Atlantic, it occurs off the African coast in São Tomé Island and is the dominant coral in some areas (Laborel, 1974;Maia et al., 2018). ...
... Indeed, salinity was found to be a significant variable in the global distributions of coral species (Couce et al., 2012). For M. hispida reduced salinity is a constraint (Laborel, 1970), as seen in the two gaps associated with major rivers. The same limitation is also observed for the hydrocoral genus Millepora (de Souza et al., 2017). ...
... Interestingly, other variables that are closely linked to river discharges, such as silicate, had only a minor importance in the models for M. hispida. This marginal importance may reflect the higher tolerance of most Brazilian coral species to high-turbidity waters that are influenced by terrestrial runoff (Laborel, 1970;Mies et al., 2020). ...
Many species drive the diversity of ecosystems by adding structural complexity to the environment. In coral reefs, stony corals act as habitat-forming species, increasing niche availability for other organisms. Some coral species play key roles as reef builders due to their abundance or morpho-functional characteristics. Thus, changes in the distributions of these species can entail cascading effects in entire ecosystems. With climate change, many coral species are experiencing shifts in their distributions, threatening the preservation of coral reefs. Here, we projected the current and future distributions of three key reef builders of the Atlantic (Mussismilia hispida, Montastraea cavernosa, and the Siderastrea complex) under three relative concentration pathway scenarios: the most optimistic, the most pessimistic and one moderate scenario (RCP2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). Our models revealed that all the above species will undergo habitat loss in the future (2100) in the most pessimistic scenario, although new areas could become suitable, including regions in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, when considering only its actual range of occurrence, M. hispida will lose habitats under all future scenarios. Moreover, in some regions of both the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic (TNA) and the Brazilian coast, these three species could disappear, with detrimental consequences for the associated communities. We highlight the need for an urgent change of course to guarantee functional reefs in the Atlantic in the future.
... Favia gravida Verril, 1986 is one of these tolerant species, frequently found in shallow intertidal pools, but occasionally in deeper reefs up to 15 m (Leão et al., 2003;Teschima et al., 2019). While this species has high morphological plasticity both within and between populations (Amaral & Ramos, 2007;Laborel, 1970), F. gravida and its sister species, the Caribbean endemic Favia fragum (Esper, 1793), differ with respect to the completeness of septal cycles (F. gravida always presents four complete septal cycles, whereas in F. fragum the fourth cycle is usually incomplete- Figure S1). ...
... Because all coral species in Brazil are found in the Abrolhos Bank, it has been hypothesized that its bryozoan-dominated reef structures acted as a refuge during a period of low sea levels and high sedimentation that was initiated ~5 ky ago. This period led to a reduction in coral cover as reefs grew closer to the shore (Bastos et al., 2018;Dechnik et al., 2019;Laborel, 1970;Leão et al., 2003;Leão & Kikuchi, 2005). After this regression period, when connectivity between sites was re-established, Abrolhos would have acted as a source of recruits that re-populated the coast (Kikuchi & Leão, 1998;Leão & Kikuchi, 2001). ...
Scleractinian corals are the main modern builders of coral reefs, which are major hot spots of marine biodiversity. Southern Atlantic reef corals are understudied compared to their Caribbean and Indo-Pacific counterparts and many hypotheses about their population dynamics demand further testing. We employed thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) recovered via ezRAD to characterize genetic population structuring and species boundaries in the amphi-Atlantic hard coral genus Favia. Coalescent-based species delimitation (BFD* – Bayes Factor Delimitation) recovered F. fragum and F. gravida as separate species. Although our results agree with depth-related genetic structuring in F. fragum, they did not support incipient speciation of the ‘tall’ and ‘short’ morphotypes. The preferred scenario also revealed a split between two main lineages of F. gravida, one from
Ascension Island and the other from Brazil. The Brazilian lineage is further divided into a species that occurs throughout the Northeastern coast and another that ranges from the Abrolhos Archipelago to the state of Espírito Santo. BFD* scenarios were corroborated by analyses of SNP matrices with varying levels of
missing data and by a speciation-based delimitation approach (DELINEATE). Our results challenge current notions about Atlantic reef corals because they uncovered surprising genetic diversity in Favia and rejected the long-standing hypothesis that Abrolhos Archipelago may have served as a Pleistocenic refuge during the last glaciations
... For example, a big expedition, the first of such a scale in this region, was organized by the SME aboard Captain Cousteau's R/V Calypso along the Atlantic coast of South America, with the participation of CNRS and the MNHN (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris). A key member of this expedition, Jacques Laborel, had been sent by Pérès in Recife in 1961 where he later worked on his doctoral thesis (Laborel 1970). This was a very significant contribution to the knowledge of Atlantic coral reef ecosystems by the SME researchers (Nonato & Pérès 1961;Laborel 1970;Laborel-Deguen et al. 2019). ...
... A key member of this expedition, Jacques Laborel, had been sent by Pérès in Recife in 1961 where he later worked on his doctoral thesis (Laborel 1970). This was a very significant contribution to the knowledge of Atlantic coral reef ecosystems by the SME researchers (Nonato & Pérès 1961;Laborel 1970;Laborel-Deguen et al. 2019). It was also the beginning of a long-lasting collaboration with Brazilian researchers, a collaboration still active today. ...
When marine natural sciences began to be the concern of most European scientists, in the middle of the 19th century, Marseille, in southern France, was no exception. The creation, ca. 150 years ago, of the first Zoology Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences of Marseille took place in 1868. Under the leadership of Antoine-Fortuné Marion, it soon led to the creation of the Station Marine d’Endoume (SME) in 1889. Marion’s pioneering work survived both world wars and was then taken to another dimension by Jean-Marie Pérès, head of the marine station from 1948 to 1983. This institution is still alive to date. We here inventoried all the taxa described by SME scientists (1870 to 2021) and arranged them in a public database. Three main periods of activity at the SME are described, as well as the focus made through time to different groups of taxa, selected ecosystems, or biogeographic areas. Through many examples, it was possible to document how these naturalistic, taxonomic descriptions contributed to a broader scientific knowledge within this period. Finally, we discussed trends in taxonomic and naturalistic research, based on the SME experience.
... The Abrolhos Bank region (ABR) located at the Eastern Brazilian Shelf encompasses the largest (>8,000 km 2 ) and richest coral reef system in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Laborel, 1969), and it is considered as a biodiversity hotspot Moura et al., 2013;Simon et al., 2016;Ribeiro et al., 2018;Freitas et al., 2019). The ABR also houses the largest continuous rhodolith bed in the world, and its shelf includes diverse and complex habitats that support high biodiversity providing essential ecosystem services (Amado-Filho et al., 2012;Ferreira et al., 2020). ...
... The Abrolhos Bank region (16°40′S-19°40′S and 37°20′W-39°10′W) is a 46,000 km 2 enlargement of the Eastern Brazilian shelf. The Abrolhos reefs are unique for the occurrence of isolated biogenic columnar structures called "Chapeirões" (a mushroom-like structure) built by coralline algae, bryozoans, and corals under a low storm disturbance regime (Laborel, 1969;Bastos et al., 2018;Freitas et al., 2019). Additionally, shaped pinnacles characterize the reef structure with diameters between 1 and 50 m with expanded and relatively flat, shallow tops (<10 m depth), and steep walls that reach up to 25 m depth (Bastos et al., 2018). ...
The Abrolhos Bank harbors the richest coral reef ecosystem in the South Atlantic Ocean. It exhibits unique geomorphologic structures, is localized in shallow depths, and is divided into two reef regions with an inner arc close to the coast (3-20 m depth) and an outer deeper arc (5-30 m depth). This study aims to describe some bio-optical properties of the Abrolhos Bank waters and to evaluate the performance of the inversion Hyperspectral Optimization Processing Exemplar (HOPE) model, developed to retrieve optical properties in shallow waters, in the region. To this end, measurements at 75 stations during two field campaigns conducted during the 2013 and 2016 wet seasons were analyzed, and the HOPE model was applied to both in situ remote sensing reflectance (R rs) spectra and PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA) imagery. Significant differences in optical and biological properties were found between the two arcs. The empirical relationships between chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) and absorption coefficient of phytoplankton at 440 nm (a phy (440)) diverged from Bricaud's models, suggesting differences in phytoplankton diversity and cell size. In both arcs, total non-water absorption coefficient at 440 nm (a T-w (440)) was dominated by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) by~60%. Absorption coefficient by CDOM (a cdom) presented a higher variability within the outer arc, with the lowest contribution from non-algal particles (NAPs), and the spectral slopes of a CDOM resembled those of the inner arc. The spectral slopes of the NAP absorption coefficient suggested a dominance by organic rather than mineral particles that probably originated from biological production. The HOPE model applied to in situ R rs performed satisfactorily for depth in the Abrolhos Bank waters, although retrievals of a phy (440), CDOM plus NAP (a dg (440)) and a T-w (440) were underestimated with a relative bias of −27.9%, −32.1% and −45.8%, respectively. The HOPE model retrievals from the PRISMA image exhibited low a phy (440) values over the whole scene and the highest a dg (440) values in the Caravelas river plume. Very shallow depths (≤3 m), bottom substrate reflectance used as input in the HOPE model, model parametrization associated with the water complexity in the study site, and uncertainties associated to R rs measurements used as input might be responsible for differences found when comparing HOPE retrievals with in situ measurements.
... Beachrocks, reefs composed mostly of quartz (20-80%), together with biogenic grains derived from algae and mollusks, cemented with carbonate compounds, are common in the intertidal zone of northeastern Brazil (Mabesoone, 1964;Pereira et al., 2017;Ferreira Junior et al., 2018). These reefs play an important role in the maintenance of the marine biodiversity (Laborel, 1970;Floetera et al., 2006;Leão et al., 2016) and provide a range of ecosystem services for local human populations, such as coastal protection, leisure areas and income generated by fishing and tourism (Ferreira and Maida, 2001;Pegas et al., 2018;Martins et al., 2019). ...
... These reefs are either permanently exposed and/or submerged (at depths of 5-10 m) or they are alternately exposed and submerged at high and low tide (Mabesoone, 1964;Leão et al., 2016). The morphology of beachrocks vary considerably, with a thickness of 3-5 m, width of up to 60 m, and a maximum extension of 10 km (Mabesoone, 1964;Laborel, 1970;Bezerra et al., 2005;Vieira and De Ros, 2006). The reefs have a strong influence on coastal hydrodynamics by generating strong rip currents in the gaps between the rocks on some beaches (Maia et al., 2014), driving the morphology and morphodynamic of beaches (Pereira et al., 2017;Martins et al., 2019), as well as acting as a trap for terrigenous material (Barcellos et al., 2020). ...
Coastal environments are very influenced by hydrodynamics and associated sedimentary processes. The assemblages of benthic foraminifera are structured by environmental characteristics, given the sensitivity and specificity of living populations or the presence of dead specimens, making them good indicators of the dominant processes in coastal environments. The present study used the benthic foraminifera as a proxy to assess environmental characteristics in beachrocks of Brazilian tropical sandy beaches. Samples were collected at the base of coastal beachrocks on the beaches Pina, Enseada and Toquinho (northeastern, Brazil) to describe foraminiferal assemblages (27 samples), and to grain size analysis and CaCO3 content determination (27 samples). The sediments were predominantly composed of moderately sorted and approximately symmetrical medium to coarse sand of terrestrial origin. The littoral drift, rip currents, and waves are the main factors driving the size, sorting and redistribution of the sediments. A total 6829 foraminifera were identified belonging to 42 genera and 76 species. The assemblages were dominated by Amphistegina lessonii, Archaias angulatus, Massilina pernambucensis, Quinqueloculina lamarckiana, Textularia agglutinans and Triloculina laevigata, and were mostly composed of relict tests probably originated and deposited during the last marine static period of sea level. The structure of foraminiferal assemblages significantly varied among beaches and was related to the dominant hydrodynamics and sedimentary processes. Higher richness and abundance of foraminifera occurred in areas with lower hydrodynamics and finer sediments, like Pina, whereas more intense hydrodynamics tended to prevent the deposition of fine sediments and foraminifera, and cause greater degradation of the tests, as observed in Enseada. These fidings highlight the suitability of using foraminiferal assemblages to understand the dominant environmental processes in coastal areas dominated by beachrocks.
... An unidentified species of Isaurus has also been reported for the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (Pires et al. 1992), which Ratto and Castro (1994) considered to be I. tuberculatus. However, Santos et al. (2019) thought I. tuberculatus to be absent in Fernando de Noronha, although Santos et al. (2016), in their review of the order Zoantharia in Brazil, cited I. tuberculatus from the archipelago, although failed to record its presence in the coastal zone of Pernambuco (Laborel 1970). This article increases the distribution of I. tuberculatus in other locations and updates the distribution previously registered for the species along the Brazilian coast (Fig.1). ...
... Black circles = previous published records; gray circles = previous unpublished records (gray literature); red circles = new records, studied populations. Abbreviations and sources of data: CE = Ceará (Morandini et al. 2006; Rabelo and Matthews-Cascon 2007; Soares et al. 2011); RN = Rio Grande do Norte (Gondim et al. 2020); FN = Fernando de Noronha Archipelago; PB = Paraíba (Gondim et al. 2020); PE = Pernambuco(Laborel 1970;Gondim et al. 2020); AL = Alagoas(Gondim et al. 2020); BA = Bahia(Grohmann and Peixinho 1995;Gondim et al. 2020). ...
The zoantharian Isaurus tuberculatus Gray, 1828 is highly variable in its morphology, and considered pantropical. As it is a shallow water and zooxanthellate species, its wide distribution has been questioned, and it is likely that the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations are distinct species. Here we update the distribution of this species in Brazil and provide the first description of the microanatomy and cnidom of populations in the South Atlantic. Along the Brazilian coast, the species is distributed from Ceará to Bahia, and is also in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago.
... They reach depths greater than 60 m (Carvalho, 1982), but the large majority occur at depths of up to 40 m (Rocha et al., 1998). The northern coast, down to the Municipality of Cabedelo, is dominated by sandstone reefs ("arrecifes"), but beyond this region, the sandstone reefs become more patchy and co-occur with coral reefs (Laborel, 1970) (Fig. 2). Local reefs probably follow the structure common in northeastern Brazil, in which the base is arenitic, and the biogenic portion is formed by calcareous algae and vermetids (Melo, 2006). ...
... Many of these reef formations were intensely explored over many years to remove calcareous blocks for the construction of churches, monasteries, houses, and the production of lime (Branner, 1904). Branner (1904), Laborel (1970), and Carvalho (1982) provide a detailed characterization of the littoral of the state. Geological information may be obtained in Branner (1902). ...
The first record of echinoderms from the state of Paraíba appeared in 1789, yet the systematic survey of the phylum along the coast only began in 2008. New species and several new records have been added since. An extensive literature survey and an analysis of the main Echinodermata collections housed in Brazil yielded 74 species. Our qualitative survey results in up-to-date records of echinoderm species along the littoral of the state, including information on habitat and their occurrence in Conservation Units (UCs). Even though all records are from the intertidal to 35 m, the resulting diversity of species is high when compared to other areas, since it corresponds to 21% of all Brazilian species and to 16% of the species known from the Caribbean Sea. The main habitats used by echinoderms are reefs and rhodolith beds. About 15% of the species are in the Brazilian Red List. A positive result is that 67% of these species occur within UCs in the state. Based on these results, we conclude that the fauna of echinoderms from shallow water is well documented in Paraíba. Finally, we comment on the conservation status of species and indicate future directions for the study of Echinodermata.
... According to former authors who investigated the Rocas Atoll (e.g., Davis, 1928;Andrade, 1959;Ottman, 1963;Laborel, 1969;Kikuchi and Leão, 1997;Soares et al., 2009a;Soares et al., 2009b), the "rocks", which gave the atoll name, are one of its more impressive morphological features. According to these authors, they would represent in situ older reef remains corresponding to a reef built during a higher sea-level than the present one (Fig. 2). ...
... Remarkably, the boulders are hard to reach due to them lying on the reef rim, which emerges for a few hours during low tide and is located at the opposite side of the atoll's cays, where boats dock. Andrade (1959), Ottman (1963), and Laborel (1969 reported that they could not reach the boulders. Andrade (1959) based his assumption on a description made by Alvim (1881), who states that the boulders seem to be detached over the reef when seen from afar, but are, in fact, remains of the reef. ...
Rocas Atoll is a remote place and the only atoll in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. This study presents new paleo-sea level reconstructions and a new interpretation on former ones. The new data indicate that sea level was higher at the Late-Holocene than it is at present and that the hydrodynamic factors overlap with sea-level changes, precluding more precise paleo-sea level reconstructions. According to previous works, the Rocas Atoll presents one of the most conspicuous paleo-sea level indicators, represented by reef remains. But, in this paper, these supposedly reef remains are reinterpreted as algal-reef boulders detached from the atoll reef-front by high-wave energy events and deposited over the reef rim, where they remain detached or are cemented and, sometimes, mushroom shaped. It is considered that the bigger boulders may have been deposited in their current position by the cumulative effects of past energetic wave events. Furthermore, the use of beachrocks as paleo-sea level indicators in former studies is discussed, leading to the conclusion that they actually indicate beach progradation and lateral accretion resulting from a positive sand budget. Finally, a schematic morphological evolution of the atoll during the Late-Holocene is proposed. At the atoll, leveling with RTK and imagery with laser scanner were collected, and eleven radiocarbon ages were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).
... The Brazilian margin encompasses the entire tropical Western South Atlantic (SWA) and harbours vast carbonate systems across 3,000 km of its continental shelf, from the northward border with French Guyana south to Espírito Santo state (Hartt 1870) (5.5 o N-20 o S), as well as rhodolith beds that extend south to Santa Catarina state (27.5 o S) (Riosmena-Rodríguez et al. 2017). While SWA reefs are relatively small (~5% of Atlantic reef area), thrive largely under turbid-zone conditions, and encompass assemblages with low diversity and high endemism levels (Laborel 1969), the region's rhodolith beds are among the world's largest and richest, and occur in less turbid settings in the mid and outer shelf (Amado-Filho et al. 2012;Riosmena-Rodríguez et al. 2017). Contrasting with the best-known Caribbean and Indo-Pacific reef provinces, in which corals play a major reef-building role, the framework of Brazilian reefs and rhodoliths is dominated by crustose coralline algae, with corals playing a subsidiary role (e.g., Laborel 1969;Gherardi & Bosence 2005). ...
... While SWA reefs are relatively small (~5% of Atlantic reef area), thrive largely under turbid-zone conditions, and encompass assemblages with low diversity and high endemism levels (Laborel 1969), the region's rhodolith beds are among the world's largest and richest, and occur in less turbid settings in the mid and outer shelf (Amado-Filho et al. 2012;Riosmena-Rodríguez et al. 2017). Contrasting with the best-known Caribbean and Indo-Pacific reef provinces, in which corals play a major reef-building role, the framework of Brazilian reefs and rhodoliths is dominated by crustose coralline algae, with corals playing a subsidiary role (e.g., Laborel 1969;Gherardi & Bosence 2005). Bryozoans are among the most important reef and rhodolith builders in Northern Vale et al. 2018) and Eastern Brazil Ramalho et al. 2018;Holz et al. 2020), which is an unusual feature in modern reefs worldwide. ...
The reef system off the Amazon River mouth extends from Amapá state to Maranhão state along the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, encompassing more than 10,000 km2 of rhodolith beds and high-relief hard structures on the outer shelf and upper slope. This unique hard bottom mosaic is remarkable for being influenced by the turbid and hyposaline plume from the world’s largest river, and also for representing a connectivity corridor between the Caribbean and Brazil. Bryozoans were recently recognized as major reef builders in the Southwestern Atlantic, but their diversity off the Amazon River mouth remained unknown. Here, we report on recent collections obtained from 23 to 120 m depth in Northern Brazil. Sixty-five bryozoan taxa were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, including 57, five and three taxa of Cheilostomatida, Cyclostomatida and Ctenostomatida, respectively. Cribrilaria smitti and three genera (Cranosina, Glabrilaria and Thornelya) are new records for Brazil, and 13 new species are herein described: Antropora cruzeiro n. sp., Cranosina gilbertoi n. sp., Cribrilaria lateralis n. sp., Crisia brasiliensis n. sp., Glabrilaria antoniettae n. sp., Micropora amapaensis n. sp., Parasmittina amazonensis n. sp., Plesiocleidochasma arcuatum n. sp., Poricella bifurcata n. sp., Pourtalesella duoavicularia n. sp., Stephanollona domuspusilla n. sp., Therenia dianae n. sp., and Thornelya atlanticoensis n. sp. Our results highlight the biodiversity significance of the Amazon reefs and the need for more comprehensive sampling to clarify the role of bryozoans in modern turbid-zone reefs and rhodolith beds.
... Com relação a outros organismos típicos do infralitoral desta região, também é notória a mudança abrupta que ocorre na fauna coralínea, com a presença dos octocorais Leptogorgia violacea e L. punicea ocorrendo apenas em costões da face externa da Ilha de Cabo Frio (Laborel, 1969). registraram ainda a presença da anêmona Corynactis viridis, ausente em áreas tropicais, e encontrada no Brasil apenas em Arraial do Cabo, nos costões sob influência das águas frias. ...
... e de arenito no Nordeste (aproximadamente 30 espécies)(Castro & Pires, 2001;Leão et al., 2003). No entanto, devido à abundância inesperadamente alta de corais, a Baía de Arraial do Cabo foi considerada como um �oásis coralíneo� porLaborel (1969). Além disso, a região de Arraial do Cabo também caracteriza o limite sul de distribuição de formadores de reci- ...
A área marinha de Arraial do Cabo é reconhecida por abrigar uma peculiar
biodiversidade em seus costões rochosos, onde são registradas espécies tipicamente de
ambientes tropicais e subtropicais. Na abrigada Baía do Arraial do Cabo é possível encontrar corais formadores de recifes bem como espécies típicas de águas frias que são registradas no lado externo da Ilha de Cabo Frio. Essa coexistência de espécies tão distintas no município é favorecida pelo fenômeno da ressurgência que ocorre com maior intensidade próximo à Ilha de Cabo Frio e que reduz a temperatura da água (<18oC) em determinadas áreas. As águas geladas da ressurgência não somente funcionam como uma barreira biogeográfica para muitas espécies marinhas, como também trazem muitos nutrientes que sustentam uma rica teia trófica e fazem de Arraial uma relevante área para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas nas áreas de taxonomia, biogeografia e ecologia.
O livro intitulado ‘Biodiversidade Marinha dos Costões Rochosos de Arraial do Cabo:
Histórico, Ecologia e Conservação é composto por 14 capítulos, perfazendo um compilado do conhecimento sobre as características oceanográficas, ambientais e dos principais grupos que ocorrem nos costões rochosos da região: Macroalgas, Porifera, Cnidaria, Mollusca, Crustacea, Echinodermata, Bryozoa, Ascidiacea, Peixes recifais. Cerca de 40 pesquisadores de dez renomadas intuições brasileiras foram convidados para participar na redação dos capítulos de acordo com a especialidade de cada um. Os autores compilaram as informações disponíveis ou não literatura, com linguagem acessível para todos. Adicionalmente, algumas excursões de
mergulho foram realizadas com o apoio de operadoras locais e do ICMBIO em diferentes pontos da Ilha de Cabo Frio, assim como na Enseada dos Cardeiros e Ilha dos Porcos. Durante os mergulhos foram realizados os registros fotográficos das principais espécies e dos ambientes na área, além da coleta de materiais biológicos.
... Na região de transição entre Natal e João Pessoa, Laborel (1970) (Costa et al. 2007;Debeus e Crispim 2008). Além das pesquisas de impacto do turismo e da ecologia espacial de peixes recifais (Ilarri et al. 2008), também são conduzidas pesquisas enfocando a diversidade de microssimbiontes associados a corais. ...
... Nesta, forma um banco de corais rolados em uma área de 3400 m 2 , em profundidade de 5 a 15 m (Capel et al. 2012). No Brasil, essa forma de crescimento rolada foi registrada anteriormente apenas por Laborel (1970). O autor relata a ocorrência de colônias de Siderastraea "stellata" no litoral de Pernambuco, crescendo livres sobre um substrato arenoso, até atingirem um tamanho em que somente a parte superior das colônias continua a se desenvolver. ...
... The Abrolhos shelf extends ~200 km offshore and is the most biodiverse region of the South West Atlantic (1640 ′ -19 • 40 ′ S, 39 • 10 ′ -37 • 20 ′ W; Laborel, 1969;Laborel, 1970;Ferreira et al., 2020). The very large mid-to-outer shelf hard bottom domain harbours well-studied megadiverse coral reefs and rhodolith beds (~20,900 km 2 ) ( Fig. 1) with depths rarely exceeding 70 m (Moura et al., 2013;Amado-Filho, 2012). ...
... The coral species evaluated in this study was M. harttii, a zooxanthellate scleractinian distributed along the northeast coast of Brazil and one of the main reef-building corals in the South Atlantic Ocean [40,41]. This species is endemic and listed as an endangered species along the Brazilian coast [42]. ...
In 2019, the largest oil spill ever recorded in tropical oceans in terms of extent occurred in Brazil. The oil from the spill was collected directly from the environment and used in an exposure experiment with the endangered reef-building coral Mussismilia harttii. The treatments of the experiment were control (without oil), 1% oil, 2.5% oil, and direct contact of coral with oil. The most abundant hydrocarbon in the seawater of the experiment was phenatrene, which is toxic to corals. However, overall, the concentration of PAHs was not very high. The analysis of the maximum photosynthetic capacity of Symbiodiniaceae dinoflagellates showed a small impact of oil on corals, mainly on the contact treatment. However, coral microbiomes were affected in all oil treatments, with the contact treatment showing the most pronounced impact. A greater number and abundance of stress-indicating and potentially pathogenic bacteria were found in all oil treatments. Finally, this highly weathered oil that had lain in the ocean for a long time was carrying potentially coral-pathogenic bacteria within the Vibrionaceae family and was able to transmit some of these bacteria to corals. Bacteria within Vibrionaceae are the main causes of disease in different species of corals and other marine organisms.
... The so-called Royal Charlotte and Abrolhos Banks are striking physiographic features within the continental shelf. The above mentioned reefs in the Abrolhos Bank are considered as the most significant reefs of the entire Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Laborel, 1969;Castro & Pires, 2001;Leão et al., 2003). The rivers that flow into the study area, with the exception of the Jequitinhonha River ( Fig. 1), present very low average annual flows (CEPLAB, 1979) and have drainage basins with small expressions that develop estuarine areas and ebb tidal deltas in their mouths. ...
RESUMO. Potencias consequências das mudanças climáticas ao longo de uma região costeira tropical do Brasil. O presente estudo avalia qualitativamente os potenciais impactos induzidos pelas mudanças climáticas ao longo de uma faixa litorânea do estado da Bahia, a qual apresenta grande diversidade geomorfológica e exuberante beleza cênica. Entre esses impactos salientamos: um ganho significativo da energia das ondas podendo acelerar processos erosivos na linha das praias; intrusão de água salgada nos aquíferos costeiros; rápido recuo das falésias ativas; mudanças nas zonas baixas como terras úmidas e manguezais; represamento de salinidade nos estuários e aumento da turbidez e sedimentação sobre os recifes de corais. Estes efeitos irão gerar enormes prejuízos econômicos nas áreas urbanas. A aproximação de primeira ordem referente às avaliações feitas no presente estudo, crivado de incertezas, requerem, ainda, estudos posteriores que venham a refinar os cenários perspectivos quanto às mudanças climáticas na área de estudo. Todavia, mesmo com incertezas, essas avaliações podem vir a serem úteis como um instrumento válido para o planejamento e gerenciamento das zonas costeiras.Palavras chave: Mudanças climáticas; zonas costeiras; nível do mar; impactos ambientais, Brasil.ABSTRACT. The present study has a qualitative assessment of potential impacts induced by climate changes along a coastal region from the State of Bahia, which presents great geomorphological diversity and exhibits lush scenic beauty. Among these impacts we include: a significant increase of wave energy that will accelerate erosion processes along the beaches; intrusion of seawater into shallow coastal aquifers, a rapid retreat of active cliffs, changes in low-lying areas, such as wetlands and mangroves, increasing in salinity within estuaries and turbidity and sedimentation around coral reefs. These impacts will generate enormous economic losses in urban areas. The first-order approach for the assessments made in the present study, which is riddled with uncertainties, still requires further study to refine its prospects with regard to climate change scenarios along Brazilian coastal regions. However, even with these uncertainties, these evaluations can be useful as valid instruments for coastal zones planning and management.Key words: Climate change; coastal zone; sea-level; environmental impacts; Brazil
... Moreover, it exhibited the lowest number of species and the greatest abundance of Siderastrea spp. The genus Siderastrea is considered tolerant to natural disturbances (Laborel 1970), including strong variations in salinity (Muthiga & Szmant 1987;Lirman & Manzello 2009), sedimentation (Lirman & Manzello 2009) and temperature (Kemp et al. 2011). In the RFMPA, colonies of Siderastrea spp. ...
Brazilian coral reefs are the largest and richest reefs in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Despite their historical and tourist importance, coral reefs on the east coast of Brazil remained unknown until recently. This study evaluated the structure of the reef-building coral community in three tidal pools along a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. The pool known as Dolphin Pool is the warmest and has a high abundance of stony coral Siderastrea spp. One endemic species is on the national list of threatened species. Despite the high frequency of water temperatures above the alert threshold for mass bleaching events, the tidal pools have high densities of adults and recruits of reef-building corals. The results highlight the importance of reef formations on the coastal zone of the Royal Charlotte Bank, given the uniqueness of this area, and reinforce the need for further research and adoption of adaptive conservation approaches.
... Both shallow water and mesophotic reefs are present on the NEBS (Fig. 6.4). The shallowest ones are known for a long time (Branner 1905;Laborel 1969) and at least in part are located in marine protected areas such as the Abrolhos Marine National Park (BA e ES states), the Costa dos Corais (AL and PE states), and Recifes de Corais (RN state) and Marine Protected areas (Ferreira and Maida 2006;Laborel-Deguem et al. 2019). Mesophotic reefs have been described more recently across the mid and outer shelves of the ES, BA, PE, and RN states at depths from 25 to the shelf edge (e.g., Camargo 2016;Silva et al. 2018;Fontes et al. 2020;Gomes et al. 2020a, b;Bastos et al. 2021). ...
Continental shelves are areas of high heterogeneity that are poorly understood and increasingly influenced by anthropic activities. The tropical passive continental shelf of northeastern Brazil is the narrowest in the country and in some stretches is among the world’s narrowest. Narrow continental shelves are unusual features on passive continental margins. This is clearly reflected in the small number of studies in the international literature. In this chapter, we present a synthesis of the current knowledge about seafloor morphology, its associated benthic ecosystems, and the role of eustatic variations in the evolution of this tropical shelf. Major human uses are also discussed.KeywordsContinental shelfShelf sedimentationSiliciclastic–carbonate sedimentation
... Paiva Beach (8°16'S, 34°56'W) is an open ocean tropical sandy beach approximately 7.8 km long located in the Cabo de Santo Agostinho municipality (Pernambuco State, northeast Brazil) (Holanda 2020). The sandstone reefs of Paiva Beach are elongated and occur parallel to the shore (Laborel 1970). The reef line closest to the beach is 2.5 km long and 1 km wide and densely colonized by macroalgal assemblages that are typically found in the tropical phycogeographic region (Horta et al. 2001). ...
The present study describes the population dynamics and life history parameters of the enigmatic tanaid Chondrochelia dubia collected in Paiva Beach, tropical coast of Brazil. The region was impacted by a large, unexpected oil spill from August to October 2019. Samples were taken monthly between July 2019 and July 2020 in beds of the red seaweed Jania capillacea. The abundance of individuals was negatively correlated with monthly rainfall, with higher abundances in drier months. There was an unexpected significant drop in abundance in September, possibly caused by contact with the crude oil, but the population recovered fully within two months. The parameters of the von Bertallanfy growth equation, calculated for the first time for the species, were Linf=5.26 mm; k=3.36 year-1; t0=0.0. Compared with other studies, the specimens are very small (2.04 ± 0.95 mm in length), females reach sexual maturity very early (L50=2.3 mm), and natural mortality is high (Z=M=5.77 year-1), indicating an opportunistic life strategy. This study reinforces the bioindication potential of C. dubia and the use of bootstrapped length-based methods to estimate key population parameters in small marine invertebrates.
... While much effort has been made toward understanding the processes that shape genetic structure and diversity in reef fish (Rocha and Bowen 2008;Selkoe and Toonen 2011;Gaither et al. 2015;Bowen et al. 2016) and scleractinians (Baums et al. 2006;Vollmer and Palumbi 2007;Nunes et al. 2009;Serrano et al. 2014;Peluso et al. 2018;Riquet et al. 2021), less is known about other benthic invertebrates that also serve important ecological roles on coral reefs. For example, the fire corals of the genus Millepora are the only branching reef-building organisms of the Southwestern Atlantic (Laborel 1970;de Souza et al. 2017), and so they provide a unique habitat type for other reef dwellers. However, only a few studies have evaluated genetic connectivity in hydrozoans (de Souza et al. 2017;Postaire et al. 2017a, b). ...
Biodiversity on coral reefs depends not only on primary reef-builders, but also on associated taxa that create microhabitats for other species. Hydrocorals of the genus Stylaster, commonly known as lace corals, form small branching colonies that enhance three-dimensional complexity on reefs and are known to support a variety of commensal species. Furthermore, the genus is highly speciose, further increasing biodiversity. Despite their important ecological roles, little is known about the evolutionary history and the intraspecific diversity and structure in these broadly distributed hydrocorals. Here, we assessed the phylogenetic relationships among Atlantic species in the genus Stylaster and examined the genetic structure of S. roseus in the Tropical Western Atlantic (Caribbean and Brazil) and of S. blatteus in the Tropical Eastern Atlantic (Africa), using DNA sequences from the 16S ribosomal gene. Time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses showed that S. roseus and S. blatteus diverged at ~ 24.6 Ma. A well-supported Brazilian clade within S. roseus indicates a possible cryptic species that diverged at ~ 11.6 Ma, consistent with the formation of the Amazon River at 9 Ma (Hoorn et al. in Glob Planet Change 153:51–65, 2017). Strong genetic structure was observed even over moderate distances, with ΦST values over all populations being 0.98 for S. roseus and 0.90 for S. blatteus. Nearly, all haplotypes were private (found in a single location) and diverged by many mutational steps from one another. In contrast, genetic diversity was low at the local scale for both species, with most sites showing no variation (a single haplotype). These results are coherent with the reproductive strategy of Stylasteridae, where larvae are brooded and are highly developed at the time of release, often settling near the parental colony. Limited dispersal coupled with possible clonal reproduction have likely contributed to the high levels of genetic differentiation observed here. Lace corals show unusual reproductive and population dynamics compared to other reef inhabiting cnidarians. Future work may reveal additional cryptic diversity in this poorly studied family.
... Water depths in the complex range from a maximum water depth ca. 5 m to partially exposed patches during the lowest tides. Scleractinian corals comprise the reef structure, with S. stellata responsible for about 80% of reef construction, alongside calcareous algae (Laborel, 1970). The Maracajaú reefs do harbor other scleractinian corals, such as Porites astreoides, Favia gravida, Agaricia fragilis Agaricia agaricites, Porites branneri, Meandrina braziliensis, Mussismilia hartii (Santos et al., 2007) and Mussismilia hispida (rare, Roos et al., 2019), as well as the hydrocorals Millepora alcicornis, which form crowns on the reef tops, and less abundant Millepora braziliensis (Santos et al., 2007). ...
In the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is an important climate feature controlled by the interhemispheric sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, and greatly influences rainfall patterns over the adjacent continents. To better understand ITCZ dynamics in the context of past and future climate change, long-term oceanic records are needed, but observational data are limited in temporal extent. Shallow-water corals provide seasonally-resolved archives of climate variability over the tropical ocean. Here we present seasonally-resolved records of stable oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values of a Siderastrea stellata coral from northeastern Brazil (Maracajaú, ~5°S). We show that the long-term trends in the record of coral δ¹⁸O values are not primarily driven by SST but by hydrological changes at the sea surface. Combining the record of coral δ¹⁸O values with instrumental SST, we present the first reconstruction of seawater δ¹⁸O changes (δ¹⁸Oseawater) in the western tropical South Atlantic back to the early 20th century, a parameter that is related to changes in sea surface salinity. The reconstructed δ¹⁸Oseawater changes indicate a prominent freshening between the mid-1940's and mid-1970's, which coincides with a weakening of the Atlantic interhemispheric SST gradient during this time interval. Our results suggest that the weakened Atlantic SST gradient resulted in a southward shift of the thermal equator that was accompanied by a southward migration of the ITCZ, resulting in freshening of the western tropical South Atlantic during the mid to late 20th century.
... From this perspective, the present study investigates the physiological effects of increasing SST and lowering seawater pH alone, together through the spectral reflectance analyses and Fv/Fm on two coral reef species: Mussismilia harttii and hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis. They were chosen due to their key role in the construction of South Atlantic reefs (Laborel 1969;Castro and Pires 2001). ...
The increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) atmospheric levels contributes to the rise in temperature and ocean acidification; consequently, it directly impacts coral reefs. The increase in seawater temperature is the primary factor that causes the collapse of coral-algal symbiosis, which can be followed by coral death and, generally, ocean acidifica- tion impairs biogenic calcification and promotes dissolution of car- bonate substrata. These harmful effects on corals associated with the continuous increase in CO2 atmospheric levels raise widespread concerns about the coral reef decline, intensifying the efforts to understand/monitor their effects on these organisms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological effect of temperature increase, water acidification (i.e. decrease in pH), and their effects combined (temperature increase with water acidification), through the reflectance analyses and maximum photosynthetic capacity of zooxanthellae (Fv/Fm) in two coral species: Millepora alcicornis and Mussismilia harttii. Fragments of four large colonies of each specie were collected, fragmented, and submitted to four different treat- ments for 15 days: (i) control treatment (under identical temperature and pH conditions observed in the sampling seawater site), (ii) temperature treatment (with an increase temperature of around ≅2oC); (iii) water acidification treatment (with a decrease of nearly 0.3 in pH); and (iv) a treatment of combined effects from water temperature rising and acidification. Spectral reflectance and Fv/Fm were measured from samples of these species in a marine mesocosm. Data of reflectance, first and second-order derivative, area under the curve, full width at half maximum (FWHM), depth values and the Fv/Fm were used to classify the coral species and treatments through the linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Coral samples were exposed to the increased temperature bleached, whilst decreased pH caused a slight reduction in reflectance albedo with minimal effects on Fv/Fm. The combined factors (treatment iv) triggered a bleaching response, presenting spectral reflectance and colouring patterns similar to those observed in bleached corals, especially for M. alcicornis. The two-way ANOVA indicated statistically meaningful spectral differences between treatments for the second-order deri- vatives at 634 nm and for Fv/Fm values. However, there was no statistically meaningful interaction effect due to the treatment type and coral species response for the second-order derivative at 670 nm and to the Fv/Fm values. LDA classified the corals’ species and the corals in different treatment, using their spectral responses and Fv/ Fm results, with high accuracy (96.7% and 73.3%, respectively), reinforcing its application for coral physiology evaluation and species classification. The control and combined groups achieved the best classification scores, with only one misclassification.
... Além disso, a pressão social advinda da necessidade de ordenação da atividade turística nos recifes é outro fator que impulsiona pesquisas com o tema, onde busca-se respostas sobre a capacidade de suporte de visitação das áreas, sobre possíveis alterações ambientais e prejuízos que o turismo pode causar aos recifes (Silva et al., 2009). Outro fator que pode estar relacionado às poucas publicações na década de 1990, é que comparado às pesquisas em ecossistemas terrestres, observa-se que os trabalhos desenvolvidos em ambientes recifais no Brasil são mais recentes, iniciados na década de 1970, com a descrição dos recifes brasileiros por Jacques Laborel (Laborel, 1970) e tornando-se mais forte a partir da década de 1990, com o avanço do mergulho científico no Brasil. ...
Ambientes recifais concentram elevada biodiversidade e são responsáveis por fornecer bens e serviços à humanidade, como por exemplo, os benefícios econômicos associados a atividade turística. O turismo em recifes cresce no mundo, assim como a relação de impactos ambientais causados pela atividade. O objetivo desse trabalho foi sistematizar e analisar os resultados de estudos que avaliaram os impactos do turismo em ambientes recifais tropicais brasileiros, identificando a abrangência geográfica dos estudos, bem como os grupos biológicos e variáveis ecológicas utilizadas para a avaliação ambiental, discriminando aquelas que sofreram alteração em função do uso turístico. Foram identificadas 81 publicações, entre 1996 e 2020, com um crescimento exponencial dos trabalhos ao longo do tempo. Pernambuco e Rio Grande do Norte foram os estados com maior número de estudos com o tema, concentrando 50% das pesquisas. Sete grupos biológicos, entre, peixes, algas e invertebrados, foram avaliados em áreas recifais, considerando variáveis como riqueza, abundância e densidade. A maioria das variáveis analisadas foram alteradas em função da atividade turística nos recifes. A compreensão integrada dos impactos do turismo pode colaborar para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de manejo em áreas recifais, buscando soluções que considerem aspectos sociais, econômicos e ambientais.
... Acanthurus coerulus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) pode ser considerada uma espécie seletiva por ingerir o alimento com pouca ou nenhuma quantidade de matéria inorgânica, mordendo e/ou rasgando as porções inteiras ou partes individuais mais altas (apicais) das macroalgas -hábito podador (Jones, 1968 ;Lobel, 1981;Choat, 1982; (Oliveira Filho, 1972;Oliveira Filho & Menezes, 1972;Oliveira Filho & Ugadim, 1974;1976), cnidários (Laborel, 1969;Echeverría et. al. 1996), ...
In Brazil, studies on the ictyofauna reef are still rare and consequently little or nothing if
knows about the alimentary habits of fish herbivore reefs, except for some exceptions. The
Reserva Biológica do Atol das Rocas, has been attracting an enormous scientific interest, due
to the singularity of your system reef when compared to the Ocean Pacific typical formations.
It is done necessary the amplification of the scientific knowledge especially on the alimentary
habits of fish herbivore reef mainly in A. coeruleus in order to contribute for environmental
characterization the effects upon the benthic community. The collections of the A. coeruleus
specimens were made during the project: "Distribuição e aspectos ecológicos das macroalgas
da reserva biológica do Atol das Rocas", Biomar-UFF e Fundação Boticário, summing up 20
individuals in two samplings (winter of 2001 and summer of 2002). The analysis of the A
coeruleus diet was made starting from the application of the numerical method, the
gravimetric method, the frequency of occurrence method, and for the indexes of relative
importance (IRI) of Dias, index of relative Importance (IRI) of Pinkas and index of Specific
Prey (weigh and number) Amundsen. There have been identified and counted 44.750
macroalgae fragments belonging to 27 taxa in the 2 samplings (winter of 2001 and summer of 2002). The analysis of the stomach content based on the methods and alimentary indexes resulted in a great variety of ordinations of the degree of relative importance of the appraised alimentary items. The behavior of the results of the used indexes and methods may be on of the consequence of the characteristics of the stomach content of A coeruleus in presenting an enormous width of size of preys from fragments possessing measurement in micrometers to macroalgae pieces with some centimeters (2cm). The alimentary index considered as appropriate to describe and to evaluate the A. coeruleus diet, was IRI index of Relative Importance of Pinkas, Acanthurus coeruleus presented a diversified alimentary diet in which most of the consumed alimentary items belonged to the class Rhodophyta in which the macroalgae, Gelidium and Digenea were among the consumed alimentary items were the most abundant in the alimentary diet in the winter and in the summer
... Sea level change over the Pleistocene has had a profound effect on species distributions, as well as genetic diversity of tropical marine invertebrates in the South Atlantic. Laborel (1970) in his monograph that examined the ecology and biogeography of the scleractinian fauna from Brazil, proposed that eustatic sea-level changes led to multiple retractions of the coastline offshore, which meant that nearshore populations have been repeatedly wiped out and recolonized. His observations that scleractinian species diversity was greater offshore than nearshore and interpretations that this was a result of climate and sea-level change are well supported by genetic studies (Peluso et al. 2018). ...
Understanding how populations are inter-connected can help identify species that are vulnerable or those that are likely to persist over ecological and evolutionary time scales. Favia fragum and Favia gravida are sister species of brooding corals common in the Atlantic Ocean that are secondary reef-builders that contribute to habitat complexity in intertidal and shallow-water coral reefs. To better understand population connectivity in these two congeneric species with broad and presumably non-overlapping distributions, one single-copy nuclear marker (masc1) and one ribosomal marker (ITS) were used to estimate population genetic parameters for Favia in four biogeographic regions: the Caribbean, Brazilian, Ascension and Tropical Eastern Atlantic provinces. Strong and significant levels of population structure were found among all four biogeographic regions, with each province being characterized by nearly all private alleles. Phylogenetic analyses based on each gene and on a combined marker analysis showed strong support for three sister clades composed of individuals from either the Caribbean, South Atlantic (Brazilian + Tropical Eastern Atlantic), or Ascension provinces. However, low genetic diversity was observed at each location, and no differentiation was observed among populations along the entire coast of Brazil (~ 1600 km). Furthermore, the Tropical Eastern Atlantic was likely colonized by at least two independent founder events, one from the Caribbean and another from the Brazilian provinces. Life-history traits of the genus might explain the different patterns found. Favia fragum and F. gravida release zooxanthellae larvae monthly and may be capable of rafting, which could favor occasional long-distance dispersal. On the other hand, they are capable of self-fertilization and commonly disperse over a few meters which may explain low genetic variability locally. Our results show that while long-distance migration events are possible for Favia corals, they are insufficient to maintain connectivity across biogeographic regions. Lastly, the Ascension Island population was more divergent than the sister clades composed of Caribbean or South Atlantic Favia, indicating a possible cryptic lineage, but further work may clarify species boundaries within the Atlantic coral genus Favia.
... Although there are some temporal studies on reef benthic communities along the Brazilian coast, to date, only spatial or short-term assessments of reef benthic communities in Brazilian oceanic islands are available (Laborel, 1970;de Eston et al., 1986;Pires et al., 1992;Maida et al., 1995;Ferreira et al., 2006Ferreira et al., , 2012Krajewski et al., 2010;Krajewski and Floeter, 2011;Pereira-Filho et al., 2011;Amado-Filho et al., 2012;Longo et al., 2015;Magalhães et al., 2015;Meirelles et al., 2015;Aued et al., 2018;Matheus et al., 2019) and the lack of methodological standardization jeopardizes temporal comparisons. Additionally, there is a gap in the understanding of environmental drivers that most influence communities' structure, which has already been raised by other studies (Francini-Filho et al., 2013). ...
Reefs are the richest marine ecosystems. Their benthic communities generate structural complexity and participate in nutrient cycles, providing habitat and food for many marine species. These ecosystems have been threatened by local and global anthropogenic impacts and changes in community structure have led to loss of biodiversity, ecosystem function and services worldwide. Most studies about these structural changes have been conducted in Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral reefs. In the Southwestern Atlantic, where reefs are naturally algae-dominated, these efforts are incipient, especially at oceanic islands where local anthropic impacts tend to be lower, and natural and climate-induced fluctuations might be easily detected. We conducted the first temporal assessment of benthic communities and the influence of oceanographic parameters between 2013 and 2019 in Fernando de Noronha (FNA), the largest Brazilian oceanic archipelago. We annually sampled benthic communities in FNA’s shallow reefs (2–21 m) using photoquadrats, quantified and gathered organisms in major groups according to their functional roles. We also characterized and tested “sea surface temperature,” “marine heatwaves,” “diffuse attenuation coefficient,” and “wave energy” influence for the same period. The most abundant groups were epilithic algal matrix (EAM; mean annual coverage: 23–60%), macroalgae (15–35%) and calcifiers (15–29%), followed by cyanobacteria (1–37%), suspension/filter-feeders (<2%), zoanthids (<1%) and other invertebrates (<0.1%). EAM was negatively correlated with “marine heatwaves” and positively correlated with “wave energy,” while macroalgae and calcifiers showed opposite responses to “marine heatwaves” and “wave energy,” respectively. Cyanobacteria was positively correlated with “marine heatwaves.” The dominance of EAM and macroalgae was already described for reefs along the Brazilian Province and we demonstrated the persistence of this structure over the years in FNA, with the exception of 2019 when there was a substantial increase of cyanobacteria after a strong marine heatwave. Our results suggest a flickering dynamic between EAM and macroalgae, which vary according to the oceanographic conditions, reinforcing its distinct dynamics from most tropical coral reefs. However, the increase of cyanobacteria added to projections of more frequent and stronger marine heatwaves worldwide indicate possible structural changes in this community. Continued monitoring of community and oceanographic drivers is key for better understanding and predicting changes in important marginal reefs.
... W) is an open, sandy oceanic beach approximately 7.8 km long (Holanda et al., 2020;Fig. 1), with several discontinuous lines of rocky reefs in the nearshore waters running parallel to the shoreline (Laborel, 1970). The reef line closest to the beach is at least 2.5 km long and 1 km wide and is colonized by a diverse benthic community (Vasconcelos et al., 2019). ...
In August 2019, thousands of tons of crude oil from an unidentified source began washing up on the Brazilian coast, causing the most severe environmental disaster that has ever impacted the South Atlantic Ocean. Paiva beach, which has some of the bestpreserved tropical coral reefs on the Brazilian coast, was one of the coastal environments most severely affected by this oil. We report on the impact of the disaster on the local population of the symbiotic polychaete Branchiosyllis spp. associated with the sponge Cinachyrella sp. Following the oil spill sponges were found with oil stains on their surface and in their channels, and oil droplets were identified among the grains of the sediment accumulated within these channels. During this same period, the polychaetes in sponges had oil droplets on the surface of the body or in their pharynxes. Solubility tests using mineral oil and Raman spectra indicated that these oil droplets, found in both the sponges and the polychaetes, had similar chemical characteristics to those of the crude oil that washed up on the beach. Following the disaster, the abundance of Branchiosyllis declined sharply, although there was no significant shift in the mean size of individuals. By December 2019, the density of polychaetes was significantly lower than in the preceding months (107.9±28.31 ind.10 mL-1 of sponge in August 2019 vs. 18.62±35.48 ind.10 mL-1 of sponge in December 2019). This abrupt reduction in abundance with no change in the mean size of the individuals indicates that mortality affected all size (age) classes similarly, which is typical of anthropogenic impacts rather than natural mortality. It is thus clear that the contamination of polychaetes with crude oil increased mortality, causing a significant reduction in the Branchiosyllis populations of the coral reefs of Paiva beach following the 2019 oil spill.
... Em relação à distribuição dos ambientes recifais no Brasil, o município de Arraial do Cabo, na região de Cabo Frio (RJ) é considerada o limite sul, para a ocorrência de várias espécies de corais da costa brasileira (CASTRO; PIRES, 2001;LIMA;COUTINHO, 2016;LABOREL, 1970). Seu território é reconhecidamente rico em fauna e flora marinha e conta com a Reserva Extrativista Marinha para conservar os interesses ecológico-sociais, e para proteger a cultura da pesca artesanal em Arraial do Cabo (FONSECA-KRUEL; PEIXOTO, 2004). ...
O presente estudo objetiva descrever as ocorrências de branqueamentos dos corais e de outros cnidários bentônicos no costão rochoso da Praia do Forno (Arraial do Cabo, RJ), observadas em fevereiro (verão) e maio (outono) de 2019, relacionando-as com possíveis eventos de aquecimento das águas superficiais do oceano. As cartas de anomalias térmicas foram obtidas pelo INMET e os trabalhos de campo foram desenvolvidos baseados no Protocolo AGRRA. Foram utilizados dois transectos de 10 m de comprimento, colocados de forma contínua e paralelos ao eixo maior do costão rochoso, onde foram distribuídos quadrats de 36X36 cm, nas posições demarcadas em: 1, 3, 5, 7 e 9 m ao longo destes transectos e fotografados para obtenção dos dados. Foram calculados: o número total de colônias, número de colônias branqueadas e a média da área de cada espécie de cnidário bentônico afetada por diferentes intensidades de branqueamento (fraco ou forte). Quatro espécies de cnidários bentônicos foram identificadas, dentre estas, Millepora alcicornis e Palythoa caribaeorum sofreram branqueamento forte e fraco, com aumento principalmente do branqueamento forte no mês de maio – período antecedido, por anomalia térmica de valor 2,0 oC durante todo o mês de março e na segunda quinzena de abril; enquanto Siderastrea stellata e Zoanthus sp. não sofreram branqueamento.
... Carcinactis dolosa Riemann-Zürneck, 1975Sagartiidae Riemann-Zurneck, 1975bZamponi et al., 1998 Stichodactyla helianthus (Ellis, 1767) Stichodactylidae Laborel, 1969;Belém and Preslercravo, 1973 Cystiactis gaudichaudi Milne Edwards, 1857 Incertae sedis Milne Edwards, 1857; Fautin, 2016 Paractis sanctaecatherinae (Lesson, 1830) Incertae sedis Lesson, 1830;Fautin, 2016 Williamsactis brasiliensis (Tilesius in Milne Edwards, 1857) ...
... They are naturally exposed to high sedimentation levels from river discharges (Dutra, Kikuchi, and Leão, 2006;Segal and Castro, 2011;Castro et al., 2012). Therefore, these reefs exist under conditions typically detrimental for corals that thrive in oligotrophic waters, favoring stress-resistant species (Laborel, 1970;Leão, Kikuchi, and Testa, 2003;Vasconcelos, Leão, and Kikuchi, 2018). Compared to the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific reefs, Brazilian reefs have higher endemism of coral species, despite their lower diversity (Castro and Pires, 2001;Castro and Zilberberg, 2016). ...
Terrestrial runoff is a source of sediments and nutrients to coral reefs. Due to runoff, Brazilian reefs are typically turbid, and have coral species that are naturally turbidity-resistant. This study investigated how terrestrial input influences population and physiology for the coral Favia gravida on two reefs with differences in river mouth proximity in eastern Brazil. The population structure and physiological traits of F. gravida colonies were assessed on both reefs, then some colonies selected for a subsequent transplantation experiment. The reef less impacted by terrestrial influence showed higher population density and lower recruitment. At this site, the coral colonies displayed higher calcification and larger larvae. The reproductive effort between coral populations at the two sites showed no significant difference. The transplantation experiment confirmed the high physiological plasticity of F. gravida colonies at the more turbid reef site. Despite being regarded as a more challenging environment, where F. gravida has a lower population density, the reef closer to the river mouth appears to secure more nutrients, which may heterotrophically compensate its coral colonies.
... Consequently, organism's ability to deal with environmental stressors may be diminished (Carvalho and Fernandes, 2008). Mussimilia harttii is a zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that has a key role in the construction of South Atlantic reefs, being found along the Atlantic Coast in northwestern Brazil (Laborel, 1969;Mazzei et al., 2017). South Atlantic corals were recently exposed to high concentrations of metals, including Cu, following the Mariana's dam collapse, the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history (Francini-Filho et al., 2019). ...
It is widely known that metals can alter enzyme functioning, however, little is known about the mechanisms of metal toxicity in energy metabolism enzymes of corals. Thus, the present study had two objectives: firstly, we evaluated the activity of eight metabolic enzymes of the coral Mussismilia harttii to clarify metabolic functioning under field conditions. After that, we investigated the in vitro effect of copper (Cu) exposure in the activity of an enzyme representative of each metabolism stage. We evaluated enzymes involved in glycolysis (hexokinase, HK; phosphofructokinase, PFK; pyruvate kinase, PK and lactate dehydrogenase, LDH), Krebs cycle (citrate synthase, CS and isocitrate dehydrogenase, IDH), electron transport chain (electron transport system activity, ETS) and pentose phosphate pathway (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G6PDH). The in vitro tests were performed through contamination of the reaction medium using Cu concentrations of 0, 1.4, 3.7 and 14.2 μg L − 1. The results showed that M. harttii has elevated activity of HK, PK and CS in field conditions compared to the activity of other energy metabolism enzymes evaluated. Moreover, lower activities of LDH and ETS in exposed samples were observed. In conclusion, in field conditions this species has elevated aerobic metabolism and glucose may be an important energetic fuel. Also, exposure to Cu in vitro caused inhibition of LDH and ETS by direct binding.
... Salinity may also vary in approximately 2-3 PSU (Abrantes, 2018;Omachi et al., 2019). Therefore, South Atlantic reefs are formed under conditions typically adverse for Indo-Pacific and Caribbean corals (Laborel, 1970;Leão et al., 2003;Mies et al., 2020). ...
Rivers release freshwater, nutrients and pollutants into reefs. This type of environmental stress reduces coral larvae settlement and alter its energy metabolism. We investigated the tolerance of Favia gravida (Scleractinia) larvae to river discharges. We exposed larvae to (i) different salinities (25, 30, 35 and 40 PSU); and (ii) dilutions of river water containing nutrients and metals (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% river water) under control salinity of 35 PSU. We then examined settlement and larval enzymatic activity. No differences in settlement were detected among salinities. Settlement was also similar to control for larvae under 100% river water. Enzymatic activity for citrate synthase remained unaltered for all treatments. Lactate dehydrogenase activity was slightly altered under different salinities, suggesting a mild stress response. Findings suggest that F. gravida larvae are tolerant to a wide range of salinity and nutrient conditions and that this is a stress-tolerant species.
... Occasional fish feeding by humans may occur in this area, albeit in minimal quantities. These two reefs together form part of a complex of oval-shaped reefs located a few kilometres off the north Brazilian coast (Laborel, 1967). ...
• Tourism in marine environments is growing each year, especially in regions with attractive coastlines. One of the main activities practised by tourists is offering food, normally bread, to fish. This activity can result in negative impacts that are still not fully understood. Such impacts were previously detected among omnivores, but fish at other trophic levels also respond to feeding by humans.
• The effects of supplementary fish feeding by tourists on the diet of a coral reef predatorial haemulid fish, a common reef fish in many tourist destinations, were analysed. Specimens were sampled from one location in which tourists frequently feed the fish and another in which fish maintain their natural diet, both in a marine protected area. The standard length, total weight, hepatosomatic index, condition factor, starch content, and diet composition of fish from the two locations were compared.
• Specimens fed by tourists were generally larger than those consuming a natural diet, but weight, hepatosomatic index, and condition factor were not statistically different. Diet composition varied between the two areas, with almost half of the stomach contents from specimens collected in the supplementary feeding area composed of starch. Considering the natural diet of this species, carbohydrate ingestion can interfere with energy accumulation. Additionally, natural prey species were being consumed on a smaller scale.
• These results shed light on the controversial issue of supplementary fish feeding as a tourist attraction and provide information to help shape effective ecotourism management. In this regard, the offered food volume should be banned in more sensitive environments, reduced in remaining areas and food quality should be controlled to make ecotourism a more sustainable activity globally.
... The first comprehensive studies on the Brazilian shallow-water coral fauna date back to the 1870 (Hartt, 1870;Branner, 1904), and extensive mapping of these shallow-water communities started several decades later (Laborel, 1969(Laborel, , 1970Castro and Pires, 2001;Leão et al., 2003). On the other hand, the Brazilian EEZ deep-sea fauna mapping efforts had its onset only in the last decade, being concentrated in Eastern and Southern regions (~13 � to ~22 � S) (Castro et al., 2006;Arantes et al., 2009;Kitahara, 2009). ...
Deep-sea coral communities are poorly known in the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), particularly in the equatorial/subequatorial latitudes embraced by the northeastern Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Such knowledge gap has lead to the idea that the latter has low species richness when compared to southern Brazilian regions. Recent studies, however, indicate the northeastern slope as highly suitable for deep-sea coral habitats. Herein, based on recent sampling efforts, we confirm that deep-sea coral richness in that region is higher than previously thought. Trawl surveys carried out in 2011 at the Potiguar Basin, Rio Grande do Norte State, yielded the identification of at least 51 coral species, including 28 octocorals, 16 scleractinians, and seven antipatharians, including five new records for the South Atlantic and 11 new occurrences for the northeastern Brazilian waters. Comprising 29 species, the upper slope communities (102–200 m) showed the highest richness. Species richness between northeastern and southern Brazil is briefly compared, indicating a decrease of species richness southwards. Since most of the studied area is under influence of the same water masses, proximity to the Caribbean fauna may explain the species richness found in the northern Brazilian external shelf and slope. Finally, we suggest that biogeographic units within the Brazilian upper and middle slope are closer to shallow-water provinces than to deep-sea ones.
... Example include the Açu Incised Valley (e.g., Schwarzer et al. 2006;Vital et al. 2008Vital et al. , 2010aGomes et al. 2016), Apodi Incised Valley (Lima and Vital 2006;Vital et al. 2010a, b), subaqueous dunes (Vital et al. 2008; Nascimento Silva and Gomes 2019), submerged beachrocks-both on the northern (e.g., Urca do Minhoto) and eastern shelf (Batente das Agulhas), the most continuous of which is located at a water depth of 25 m (e.g., Santos et al. 2007;Vital et al. 2010a;Cabral Neto et al. 2013) (Fig. 1). The presence of reefs on this inner shelf is known (e.g., Laborel 1969;Testa and Bosence 1998;Lima and Amaral 2001;Leão et al. 2003;Lima and Vital 2006;Ferreira and Maida 2006). However, those on the outer shelf were only mapped this decade , and only recent investigations characterize their morphology, the inter-reef sedimentation (Nascimento Silva et al. 2018;Nascimento Silva and Gomes 2019;Eichler et al. 2019), and the oceanic controls on the nutrient enrichment and flourishing of the reef habitat Rovira et al. 2019;Eichler et al. 2019). ...
Morphological features on low-latitude continental shelves have recorded past sea level fluctuations. This study aims to recognize and interrogate, on the Rio Grande do Norte (RN, NE Brazil) outer shelves, specific seabed morphologies that could have been produced by the punctuated relative sea level rise of the last deglaciation. These sea floor morphologies, imaged by single-beam bathymetric data from two areas of the North and East outer Shelves, ~ 160 km apart, reveal terraces, submerged paleo-shorelines, reefs, and incised valleys, which act as regional archives of past sea levels. The North and East outer shelves, covered by carbonate sediments, display steep gradients (~ 0.5°), variable widths (up to 13 km), and are bound between a well-defined shelf break at 75 m water depth and a beachrock ridge at 25 m. A steep step on the sea floor occurs between depths of 60 and 70 m in both areas. Though interrupted by the Açu Incised Valley, two distinct continuous terraces, 3 and 4 km in width, at depths of 49 m (± 5 m) (T1n) and 33 m (±3 m) (T2n), respectively, extend for 60 km along the North Shelf. Three nearly continuous terraces occur along the East Shelf on either the north or south sides of the Natal Canyon. A first, 6 km wide, lower terrace occurs at a depth of 54 m (± 4 m) (T1e). A second terrace, 2 km wide, at 40 m (± 2 m) (T2e), and a third 2 km wide upper terrace at 30 m (±2 m) (T3e) are also found. Patch reefs scattered over the terraces rise in average to 3 m in height. Based upon their depth occurrences, the established limited neotectonics in the study areas, and correlations with well-established archives from other morphological features of similar outer shelves, we hypothesize that these reefs and terraces were likely formed during the last deglacial interval spanning from the end of the MWP-1A (70–60 m), through the MWP-1B (50–40 m), and to subsequent punctuated millennial sea level rise events (30–25 m) occurring prior to the 8.2 kyr cooling event.
From August 2019 to January 2020 the Brazilian Coast was impacted by the largest oil spill in the Tropical oceans ever since. Paiva Beach, one of the most preserved sandy beaches in the northeast tropical Brazilian coast, was among the most affected regions by the oil spill in October 2019. This area has important reef systems that harbor abundant macroalgal assemblages with very diverse epifaunal communities. The present study aims to
evaluate the impacts of the 2019 oil spill on epifauna associated with the seaweed species Jania capillacea and Penicillus capitatus collected in Paiva Beach from July 2019 to October 2022, and use the interaction macroalgae/epifauna/timescale as a proxy to quantify the effects of oil spills on communities structure and recovery. The epifauna of both algae did not suffer severe changes in abundance immediately after the spill, however, the
abundance of taxa like echinoderms, sea spiders (Pycnogonida) and peracarid crustaceans dropped during or soon after the event, whereas others, like sabellid worms, had strong increase in abundance, possibly related to the spill. Both phytal assemblages also had distinct temporal patterns in species diversity and abundance, the last being strongly correlated to amphipod abundance for some taxa. The epifauna of J. capillacea had a short-term tendency of decrease in taxonomic diversity, whereas the epifaunal communities of P. capitatus gained a few taxa
in the months immediately after the disaster. The diversity profiles of both communities returned to pre-spill conditions a few months later, with a slower abundance recovery in J. capillacea. Local environmental characteristics like landscape heterogeneity, connectivity with other environments, and critical-species (mainly amphipods) were possibly the main buffering factors for the phytal communities after the oil spill.
This chapter updates the list of Cuban stony corals through the review of all published taxonomic, bathymetric, or geographical information. Species are listed alphabetically within their families and are geographically allocated in nine ecological districts around the coast of Cuba. Each taxon is categorized as rare, occasional, common, or frequent based on its qualitative presence in the scleractinian community. Data regarding the presence of symbiont zooxanthellae, the species ability to build colonies, mode of attachment, and bathymetric range are included. In addition, identification references for the hermatypic stony corals have been added. One hundred sixty-three species of stony corals were listed for Cuba, distributed over 27 families. Of these corals, 140 are Scleractinia and 23 are Anthoathecata, divided by their reef-building status into 59 hermatypic and 104 ahermatypic. Ten ahermatypic species were found in Cuban coral reefs. Trematotrochus corbicula, Cylicia inflata, and three species of the Stylasteridae family are identified as endemics. Tubastraea coccinea was found 50 years ago only in the southeast coast; however, in the last 4 years, this species has been observed in four additional marine areas, which highlights the urgency to survey its current populations. Finally, attention is drawn to biodiversity in the Gran Banco de Buena Esperanza reticulated reefs.
Scientific diving (SD) is defined as any diving activity that applies scientific procedures to produce subsidies for studies and technical works in underwater environments. The first report of an underwater scientific study in Brazil dates to the 19th century, in the Abrolhos reefs. Currently, in Brazil, scientific diving has been performed in various areas, from shallow coastal regions to remote and sometimes hard-to-reach places, such as oceanic islands, flooded caves, and icy areas like Antarctica. However, the regulation of SD in Brazil still lacks more concrete actions towards an effective and efficient self-regulation that offers physical safety to practitioners and institutional safeguards for organizations that use it in their research projects. Thus, this article aims to contribute to a better understanding of this critical issue in Brazil and to serve as a reference and incentive for the training of professionals and the development of these activities in the country. It includes: 1) a historical review of SD; 2) a diagnosis of the training and application of SD in Brazil; 3) the evolution of marine sciences in Brazil from the perspective of SD; 4) a review of the use of environmental assessment and underwater conservation techniques in oceans and internal waters; 5) an analysis of the evolution of scientific diver training in Brazil, including a diagnosis on training; 6) the history and updates of the rules, regulations, and safety of SD. Given all the potential of diving combined with specific techniques for research, monitoring, and marine and limnic science in Brazil, we aim to understand the evolution of scientific diving teaching and to outline perspectives in the country, as it is crucial for the training of qualified scientists capable of performing these underwater tasks. Finally, we present future plans for the development of this activity in Brazil from the point of view of research and the labor market.
Reefs that grow in the western tropical South Atlantic are known as marginal reefs because they thrive in environmental conditions (e.g., elevated turbidity) far from those considered to be the optimal conditions for framework builders (calcareous skeleton secreting organisms, such as corals). This is assumed to be one reason for the lower taxonomic richness in coral species and relatively higher endemism compared to reefs in other regions of the world, such as the Caribbean and the Pacific. These reefs, considered hot spots of biodiversity and home to turbidity-tolerant corals, are increasingly affected by local anthropogenic-driven impacts (pollution, dredging-related sedimentation, overfishing, unregulated tourism, and bioinvasions), global climate changes (warming, heatwaves, acidification, and sea-level rise) and their synergic effects. As a consequence, ecosystem goods and services are severely affected. Reef location in relation to the coastline and to urbanized areas are key points of vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. In this chapter, we synthesize the main characteristics of the distribution of reef and coralline ecosystems of the tropical southwestern Atlantic. Finally, we use three endemic coral species (Mussismilia hispida, Mussismilia harttii and Mussismilia braziliensis) as proxies of the reef ecosystem to evaluate the trend of environmental suitability across the Brazilian Tropical Marine region in the RCP8.5 scenario.KeywordsMarginal reefsCoralline environmentsCoral distributionFish diversityGlobal change
The scleractinian corals of the genus Tubastraea Lesson, 1830 are currently globally dispersed and even so still present a confused taxonomy due to the overlap of morphological characters between the species. In this study, we investigate Tubastraea species previously found in the western Atlantic, based on the molecular marker (ITS gene) and morphology, to determine the accuracy of their descriptions. We identified three morphotypes from Brazil which were genetically delimited into two species: Tubastraea coccinea (Morphotypes I and II) and Tubastraea sp. (Morphotype III). Although morphotype I has morphological patterns of Tubastraea aurea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) there was no molecular divergence to support the species differentiation and continue to be recognized as a morphological variant of T. coccinea . The third morphotype is both morphologically and genetically distinct from T. coccinea and is also not representative of the species Tubastraea tagusensis Wells, 1982 despite earlier descriptions describing T. tagusensis in Brazil. Morphotype III exhibited distinct morphological characteristics among the other morphotypes, mainly due to greater polyp projection. In addition, it has fusions between septa, a characteristic that differentiates it from T. tagusensis . Nevertheless, molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that Brazilian Tubastraea fell into two well-supported monophyletic clades, and samples collected in the United States overlapped in both clades. Florida samples exhibited fewer morphotypes and showed greater genetic diversity, presenting haplotypes in four other internal clades. This study highlights the need for an integrative approach to conduct a deeper species delimitation of Tubastraea , essential for managing bioinvasion events by sun corals.
Este e-book é resultado do III GISday & I Simpósio de Geotecnologias do Nordeste: Planejando Cidades, Mitigando Riscos realizado entre 18/11/2020 e 20/11/2020. Desde 2018, quando realizamos a primeira edição do GISday na Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, somamos esforços para dar continuidade às diversas discussões que contemplem, de maneira sistêmica, as variadas análises espaciais da paisagem geográfica, sob seus muitos enfoques teórico-conceituais, metodológicos, procedimentais, além de práticas pedagógicas voltadas ao ensino da Geografia com uso de novas Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação, incluindo os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG).
O GISday é considerado um fórum internacional voltado para pesquisas e usuários de SIG, criado em 1999 pelo presidente e co-fundador da ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Jack Dangermond, no qual, atribuiu a Ralph Nader a pessoa responsável por inspirar a criação da data. Em 2020, associamos este importante fórum internacional ao I Simpósio de Geotecnologias do Nordeste: Planejando Cidades, Mitigando Riscos, que pretendemos dar continuidade em edições futuras.
O tema Planejando cidades, Mitigando riscos foi construído pensando-se na tarefa essencial nas ações de planejamento, de ordenação e/ou de monitoramento do espaço com análise de diferentes componentes do ambiente, incluindo o meio físico, a ocupação humana e o seu inter-relacionamento. O cenário ainda recorrente de habitações precariamente instaladas no país em áreas naturalmente suscetíveis a desastres, bem como, a pandemia da COVID-19, entre outras práticas que exigem planejamento e mitigação de riscos em áreas urbanas e rurais levaram à sistematização desta temática.
O evento foi organizado pela Empresa Jr. MapGeo: Mapeamentos e Soluções Geográficas (Departamento de Geografia/UFPE), em parceria com o Laboratório de Geomorfologia e Geotecnologias (GEOTEC), Grupos de Pesquisa ENPLAGEO (Geotecnologias Aplicadas a Geomorfologia de Encostas e Planícies) e GEODEQC (Estudos em Mapeamento Geomorfológico e do Quaternário Continental), todos vinculados à Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Contamos, ainda, com o apoio essencial do Departamento de Ciências Geográficas e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia da UFPE, e de monitores voluntários, dos quais, agradecemos imensamente para a construção de mais um simpósio.
Entre 18/11/20 e 20/11/20 tivemos a oportunidade de realizar diversas discussões, de cunho geográfico, a partir de apresentações orais de trabalhos, mesas-redondas e palestras. Foram 482 inscrições provenientes de todas as regiões brasileiras (incluindo-se também participantes de fora do país), sob variadas temáticas; 62 submissões de trabalhos completos aprovados (que compõe este e-book) desdobrados nos seguintes eixos temáticos: Geografia Física e SIG, Geografia Humana e SIG e Ensino e SIG.
O III GISday & I Simpósio de Geotecnologias do Nordeste foi composto por três mesas-redondas e três palestras, que resultaram em valiosas discussões, das quais, mais uma vez manifesto o meu agradecimento pelo aceite e participação. Em relação às mesas-redondas, a primeira intitulada “Desastres Naturais hidro-climáticos e geomorfológicos” teve como debatedores os Professores Dr. Ranyere Silva Nóbrega (UFPE) e Dr. Fabrizio de Luiz Rosito Listo (UFPE). A segunda “Técnicas de Sensoriamento Remoto” contou com os Professores Dr. Waldir de Carvalho Junior (EMBRAPA) e Dra. Milena Dutra (UFAL). Por fim, a terceira intitulada “Mapeamento da COVID-19” foi composta pelas Professoras Dra. Ana Brito (FIOCRUZ-PE) e Dra. Ligia Vizeu Barrozo (USP).
Das palestras, a primeira intitulada “Planejamento Urbano e cidades mais inteligentes” contou com a presença do Prof. Dr. Jan Bitoun (UFPE). A segunda “Modelos Matemáticos em bases físicas” foi proferida pelo Prof. Dr. Nelson Ferreira Fernandes (UFRJ) e, por fim, a terceira intitulada “Modelos Digitais de Terreno: tipos, resoluções e aplicações” foi composta pelo Prof. Dr. Roberto Arnaldo Trancoso Gomes (UNB).
Finalmente, gostaria de agradecer imensamente à participação aguerrida de toda a comissão organizadora deste evento, especialmente a todos os membros da MapGeo, que aceitaram, como uma de suas tarefas, o desafio de organizar um evento, ainda mais no formato inteiramente remoto, do qual, estamos aprendendo a nos reinventar devido as ações de prevenção ao Covid-19. A comissão organizadora do evento liderou o processo de editoração eletrônica em prazo bastante curto, permitindo a construção deste e-book.
Muito obrigado à toda equipe organizadora, palestrantes, inscritos, apresentadores de trabalho, monitores, Departamento de Geografia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia e, claro, a todos os autores que compõe este e-book! E a você também: leitor, que nos acompanha nesta trajetória!
Boa leitura à todos e esperamos nos rever no IV GISday e II Simpósio de Geotecnologias do Nordeste!
In 2019, a major coral bleaching event affected reefs worldwide, including marginal reefs within the Abrolhos Bank (16°40′–19°40′S, 39°10′–37°20′W), the largest and richest coral reefs in the South Atlantic. Between March and May 2019, this area was affected by the strongest heatwave since 1985. The health trajectories of the branching hydrocoral Millepora alcicornis and the endemic reef-building coral Mussismilia braziliensis were recorded during this thermal stress event. The degree heating week value reached its historical maximum (DHW 19.65), causing bleaching in 100% of Millepora alcicornis and 80% of Mussismilia braziliensis colonies. Bleached Millepora alcicornis were rapidly covered by cyanobacteria, followed by algal turfs and calcareous algae, leading to 90% mortality. Conversely, 90% of Mussismilia braziliensis colonies recovered to a healthy state after bleaching. The high post-bleaching recovery capacity and resistance to mortality of this massive reef-building coral suggests these marginal reefs can be resilient to thermal stress events, despite losing structural complexity due to high mortality of branching and less abundant hydrocorals.
Tropical reefs are declining rapidly due to climate changes and local stressors such as water quality deterioration and overfishing. The so-called marginal reefs sustain significant coral cover and growth but are dominated by fewer species adapted to suboptimal conditions to most coral species. However, the dynamics of marginal systems may diverge from that of the archetypical oligotrophic tropical reefs, and it is unclear whether they are more or less susceptible to anthropogenic stress. Here, we present the largest (100 fixed quadrats at five reefs) and longest time series (13 years) of benthic cover data for Southwestern Atlantic turbid zone reefs, covering sites under contrasting anthropogenic and oceanographic forcing. Specifically, we addressed how benthic cover changed among habitats and sites, and possible dominance-shift trends. We found less temporal variation in offshore pinnacles’ tops than on nearshore ones and, conversely, higher temporal fluctuation on offshore pinnacles’ walls than on nearshore ones. In general, the Abrolhos reefs sustained a stable coral cover and we did not record regional-level dominance shifts favoring other organisms. However, coral decline was evidenced in one reef near a dredging disposal site. Relative abundances of longer-lived reef builders showed a high level of synchrony, which indicates that their dynamics fluctuate under similar drivers. Therefore, changes on those drivers could threaten the stability of these reefs. With the intensification of thermal anomalies and land-based stressors, it is unclear whether the Abrolhos reefs will keep providing key ecosystem services. It is paramount to restrain local stressors that contributed to coral reef deterioration in the last decades, once reversal and restoration tend to become increasingly difficult as coral reefs degrade further and climate changes escalate.
Brazil oil spill disaster affected several ecosystems and species-rich areas. The shallow-water reefs of Paiva beach are among the best-preserved coastal environments in the State of Pernambuco (NE Brazil), but were severely affected by oil arrival at the end of 2019. The reefs are densely covered by macroalgae as important biogenic substrates for benthic fauna. Based on that, herein, we provide a baseline assessment of the immediate impacts of the oil spill on the structure of epifaunal communities associated with the algae Jania capillacea and Penicillus capitatus. The benthic communities in both algae simplified (reduction of species richness and abundance) soon after oil arrival, while opportunistic taxa increased. After two months, the macrofaunal communities restructured to almost pre-disaster levels. However, polychaeta diversity remained low. Despite the apparently fast recovery of reef macrobenthos, a more detailed, long-term monitoring is necessary to evaluate the chronic effects.
The Brazilian Continental Margin (BM) hosts one of the most poorly known deep-water fauna in the world, especially those referred to as habitat forming such as scleractinians and octocorallians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). In waters deeper than 150 m, these anthozoans are the framework builders for coral reefs and coral gardens. Together, these habitats host the highest diversity of metazoans on the external shelf and slope. Although only a few surveys have been dedicated to the study of these organisms in the BM, it is known that Desmophyllum pertusum (former Lophelia pertusa), Solenosmilia variabilis, and Madrepora oculata form extensive reefs especially on the southern and southeastern regions. In the same way, Octocorallia representatives, such as those of the families Priminoidae, Clavulariidae, Plexauridae, Alcyoniidae, Isididae, Coralliidae, and Paragorgidae, also have great ecological importance at the BM and are particularly abundant at the northern and northeastern continental shelves and slope. In order to set a baseline for future research, the present chapter provides a historical review of the studies of these anthozoans from the BM, including a list of all records and their geographical and depth distributions. Based on part of these records, the BM distributional modeling of these organisms is predicted using habitat suitability models, which suggest that carbonate saturation state, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and particulate organic carbon are the main factors structuring habitat suitability along the BM. In addition, a comprehensive review of the studies focusing on reproduction of the main species occurring at the BM, a key process for the maintenance and renewal of coral populations and, therefore, design of marine protected areas, as well as the human-based impacts imposed to the habitats structured by these species, are provided.
Reef environments are unique ecosystems of high ecological and anthropic importance in the economics, tourism, pharmaceutical and other areas. Fauna surveys in these environments allow us to provide knowledge for the management and conservation of these invaluable ecosystems, which are still scarce. In this work, the organisms that constitutes the invertebrate macrofauna found in the emerged reefs of Boa Viagem and Gaibu beaches from September 2018 to June 2019 were surveyed, having their characteristics recorded in the field with the aid of a stereoscopic microscope, avoiding collection and minimizing the ecological impact. A total of 108 taxa were identified at the lowest possible taxonomic level: 26 mollusks, 19 arthropods, 17 porifers, 14 cnidaria, 14 echinoderms, 6 chordates, 5 annelids, 3 bryozoans, and only 1 flatworm. This result showed that marine fauna present in a reasonable diversity of zoological organisms and groups even in places affected by impacts resulting from anthropic action.
In a wave-dominated coast, most of the Jacarepaguá coastal plain is occupied by buildings. During a new construction in this region at Barra da Tijuca, the subsurface area was excavated, exposing its quartzose sand nature, with a high mollusk shell concentration and in situ echinoderms at –10 m depth. The possibility to access this area encouraged us to investigate the evolution of the coastal plain. A 7.84-m-long core
was recovered by percussion drilling. Stratigraphic, grain size, and geochemical analysis were undertaken. Three carbonate samples were dated by radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (14C AMS). The revised sea-level variation curve revealed that the last postglacial marine transgression reached the present mean sea-level at 7945–7500 cal BP. The sandy deposit bottom was an ancient shoreface, with in situ echinoderms buried at 7770–7540 cal BP by the Pleistocene inner barrier reworking due to the last marine transgression. The Holocene outer barrier-lagoon and its flood tidal delta were formed from 5440–5070 cal BP. Mid-Holocene marine regression allowed the outer barrier progradation and the lagoon shallowing/infill. This paper confirms prior models proposed by other researchers for the Rio de Janeiro central coast and shows its similarity with the New South Wales coast, Australia.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.