Benthic communities of shallow-water reefs of Abrolhos, Brazil

Villaça, Roberto; Pitombo, Fábio B.

doi:10.1590/S1413-77391997000100004

Abstracts

The benthic communities of fringing and mushroom-shaped shallow-water reefs of the Abrolhos region (southern coast of Bahia) were surveyed. Line transects were used to estimate coral and algal percentage cover. Mussismilia braziliensis is the most conspicuous coral species in the majority of the communities surveyed, but turf algal make up the dominant cover in all but one studied reef. In general, communities on mushroom-shaped reefs have higher diversity and higher coral cover than on fringing reefs. For both reef morphologies, the coral to alga cover ratio does. not show marked differences between annual surveys, despite the high productivity characteristic of the dominant algal species.

Benthic communities; Coral reefs; Abrolhos; Brazil

Foram estudadas comunidades bentônicas de pouca profundidade nos recifes em franja e chapeirões da região de Abrolhos (costa sul da Bahia). A cobertura das espécies foi estimada pelo método de transect de linha. Mussismilia braziliensis é a espécie de coral mais importante na maioria das comunidades estudadas, porém as algas em tufo são os organismos dominantes em todos os recifes estudados à exceção de apenas um. Em geral, as comunidades nos chapeirões têm maior diversidade e maior cobertura de coral do que as dos recifes em franja. Nos dois tipos de recife, a relação de cobertura coral-alga não apresenta diferença significativa no tempo, apesar da alta produtividade característica do tipo de alga dominante.

Comunidades bentônicas; Recifes de coral; Abrolhos; Brasil

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Benthic communities of shallow-water reefs of Abrolhos, Brazil

Roberto Villaça^I; Fábio B. Pitombo^II

^IInstituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal Fluminense Departamento de Biologia Marinha (Caixa Postal 100644, 24001-970 Niterói, RJ, Brazil)

^IIInstituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (23851-970 Seropédica, RJ, Brazil)

ABSTRACT

The benthic communities of fringing and mushroom-shaped shallow-water reefs of the Abrolhos region (southern coast of Bahia) were surveyed. Line transects were used to estimate coral and algal percentage cover. Mussismilia braziliensis is the most conspicuous coral species in the majority of the communities surveyed, but turf algal make up the dominant cover in all but one studied reef. In general, communities on mushroom-shaped reefs have higher diversity and higher coral cover than on fringing reefs. For both reef morphologies, the coral to alga cover ratio does. not show marked differences between annual surveys, despite the high productivity characteristic of the dominant algal species.

Descriptors: Benthic communities, Coral reefs, Abrolhos, Brazil.

RESUMO

Foram estudadas comunidades bentônicas de pouca profundidade nos recifes em franja e chapeirões da região de Abrolhos (costa sul da Bahia). A cobertura das espécies foi estimada pelo método de transect de linha. Mussismilia braziliensis é a espécie de coral mais importante na maioria das comunidades estudadas, porém as algas em tufo são os organismos dominantes em todos os recifes estudados à exceção de apenas um. Em geral, as comunidades nos chapeirões têm maior diversidade e maior cobertura de coral do que as dos recifes em franja. Nos dois tipos de recife, a relação de cobertura coral-alga não apresenta diferença significativa no tempo, apesar da alta produtividade característica do tipo de alga dominante.

Descritores: Comunidades bentônicas, Recifes de coral, Abrolhos, Brasil.

Full text available only in PDF format.

Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the staff of the Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos (MNA-IBAMA) that gave us funds and field facilities.

(Manuscript received 11 Apri11997; revised 12 February 1997; accepted 12 March 1997)

Cantera, J. R 1983. Distribution des peuplements de scléractiniaires sur un récifftangeant de l'íle de Gorgona (cote Pacifique de Colombie). Téthys, 11 :24-31.
Coutinho, R; Villaça, R; Magalhães, C. A; Guimaraens, M. A.; Apolinario, M. & Murici, G. 1993. Influência antrópica nos ecossistemas coralinos da região da Abrolhos, Bahia, Brasil. Acta Biol. Leopoldensia, 15:133-144.
Gonchorosky, 1.; Sales, G.; Belém, M. J. C. & Castro, C. B. 1989. Importance, establishment and management plan of the "Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos", Brazil. In: Neves, C. ed. Coastlines of Brazil. Part of a series of volumes on Coastlines of the World. New York, American Society of Civil Engineers. p.185-194.
Hatcher, B.G. 1990. Coral reef productivity: A hierarchy of pattern and process. Trends Ecol. Evolution,5:149-155.
Hatcher, B. G. & Larkum, A. W. D. 1983. Ao experimental analysis of factors controlling the standing crop of the epilithic algal community on a coral reef. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 69:61-84.
Huston, M. 1985. Patterns of species diversity in relation to depth at Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Bull. mar. Sci., 37:928-935.
Klumpp, D. W. & McKinnon, A. D. 1992. Community structure, biomass and productivity of epilithic algal communities on the Great Barrier Reef: dynamics at different spatial scales. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 86:77-89.
Leão, Z. M. A. N; Araújo, T. N. F. & Nolasco, M. C. 1988. The coral reefs off the coast of eastern Brazil. In: Choat, J. H. et aI. eds Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, 3:339-347.
Leão, Z. M. A. N; Bittencourt, A. C. S. P; Dominguez, J. M. L; Nolasco M. C. & Martin, L. 1985. The effects of Holocene sea level fluctuations on the morphology of the Brazilian coral reefs. Rev. bras. Geoc., 15:154-157.
Laborel, J. 1969a. Madréporaires et H)'drocoraliaires récifaux des cotes Brésiliennes. Systématique, écologie, répartition verticale et géographique. Anols Inst. oceanogr., 47:171-229.
Laborel, 1.1969b. Les peuplements de madreporaires des cotes tropicales du BrĂŠsil. Ano Univ Abidjan, ser. E, Ecologie, 2:1-261.
Legendre, L.& Legendre, P. 1979. Ecologie numerique. Tomme 2. La structure des donnes ecologiques. Paris, Mason. 254p.
Liddell, W. D. & Ohlhorst, S. L. 1987. Patterns of reef community structure, north Jamaica. Bull. mar. Sci., 40:311-329.
Littler, M. M.; Littler, D. S. & Taylor, P. R 1983. Evolutionary strategies in a tropical barrier reef system: functional-form groups of marine macroalgae. 1. Phycol., 19:229-237.
Littler, M. M. & Littler, D. S. 1984. Models of tropical reef biogenesis: The contribution of algae. In: Round, F. E. & Chapman, D. J. eds Progress in Phycological Research. Amsterdam, EIsevier Biomedical Press. v. 3, p. 323-364.
Loya, Y. 1972. Community structure and species diversity of hermatypic corais at Eilat, Red Sea. Mar. Biol. 13:100-123.
Pitombo, F. B.; Ratto, C. C. & Belém, M. J. C. 1988. Species diversity and zonation pattern of hermatypic corais at two fringing reefs of Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil. In: Choat, J. H. et al. eds. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, 2:817-820.
Sheperd, G. J. 1994. FITOPAC 1. Manual do usuário. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Depto de Botânica.
Steneck, R S. 1988. Herbivory on coral reefs: a synthesis. In: Choat, J. H. et al. eds. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium,I:37-49.
Steneck, R S. & Dethier, M. N. 1994. A functional group approach to the structure of algal-dominated communities. Oikos, 69:476-498
Wiebe, W. J.; Johanes, R E. & Webb, K. L. 1975. Nitrogen fixation in a coral reef community. Science, 188:257-259.
Yoneshigue, Y. 1985. Taxonomie et ecologie des algues marines dans la region de Cabo Frio (Rio de Janeiro, Bresil). Ph.D. Thesis. Université d' Aix-Marseille, Faculte des Sciences de Luminy. 466p.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
22 Apr 2013
Date of issue
1997

History

Accepted
12 Mar 1997
Reviewed
12 Feb 1997
Received
11 Apr 1997

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Cantera, J. R 1983. Distribution des peuplements de scléractiniaires sur un récifftangeant de l'íle de Gorgona (cote Pacifique de Colombie). Téthys, 11 :24-31.

[2] Coutinho, R; Villaça, R; Magalhães, C. A; Guimaraens, M. A.; Apolinario, M. & Murici, G. 1993. Influência antrópica nos ecossistemas coralinos da região da Abrolhos, Bahia, Brasil. Acta Biol. Leopoldensia, 15:133-144.

[3] Gonchorosky, 1.; Sales, G.; Belém, M. J. C. & Castro, C. B. 1989. Importance, establishment and management plan of the "Parque Nacional Marinho dos Abrolhos", Brazil. In: Neves, C. ed. Coastlines of Brazil. Part of a series of volumes on Coastlines of the World. New York, American Society of Civil Engineers. p.185-194.

[4] Hatcher, B.G. 1990. Coral reef productivity: A hierarchy of pattern and process. Trends Ecol. Evolution,5:149-155.

[5] Hatcher, B. G. & Larkum, A. W. D. 1983. Ao experimental analysis of factors controlling the standing crop of the epilithic algal community on a coral reef. J. expl mar. Biol. Ecol., 69:61-84.

[6] Huston, M. 1985. Patterns of species diversity in relation to depth at Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Bull. mar. Sci., 37:928-935.

[7] Klumpp, D. W. & McKinnon, A. D. 1992. Community structure, biomass and productivity of epilithic algal communities on the Great Barrier Reef: dynamics at different spatial scales. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 86:77-89.

[8] Leão, Z. M. A. N; Araújo, T. N. F. & Nolasco, M. C. 1988. The coral reefs off the coast of eastern Brazil. In: Choat, J. H. et aI. eds Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, 3:339-347.

[9] Leão, Z. M. A. N; Bittencourt, A. C. S. P; Dominguez, J. M. L; Nolasco M. C. & Martin, L. 1985. The effects of Holocene sea level fluctuations on the morphology of the Brazilian coral reefs. Rev. bras. Geoc., 15:154-157.

[10] Laborel, J. 1969a. Madréporaires et H)'drocoraliaires récifaux des cotes Brésiliennes. Systématique, écologie, répartition verticale et géographique. Anols Inst. oceanogr., 47:171-229.

[11] Laborel, 1.1969b. Les peuplements de madreporaires des cotes tropicales du BrĂŠsil. Ano Univ Abidjan, ser. E, Ecologie, 2:1-261.

[12] Legendre, L.& Legendre, P. 1979. Ecologie numerique. Tomme 2. La structure des donnes ecologiques. Paris, Mason. 254p.

[13] Liddell, W. D. & Ohlhorst, S. L. 1987. Patterns of reef community structure, north Jamaica. Bull. mar. Sci., 40:311-329.

[14] Littler, M. M.; Littler, D. S. & Taylor, P. R 1983. Evolutionary strategies in a tropical barrier reef system: functional-form groups of marine macroalgae. 1. Phycol., 19:229-237.

[15] Littler, M. M. & Littler, D. S. 1984. Models of tropical reef biogenesis: The contribution of algae. In: Round, F. E. & Chapman, D. J. eds Progress in Phycological Research. Amsterdam, EIsevier Biomedical Press. v. 3, p. 323-364.

[16] Loya, Y. 1972. Community structure and species diversity of hermatypic corais at Eilat, Red Sea. Mar. Biol. 13:100-123.

[17] Pitombo, F. B.; Ratto, C. C. & Belém, M. J. C. 1988. Species diversity and zonation pattern of hermatypic corais at two fringing reefs of Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil. In: Choat, J. H. et al. eds. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium, 2:817-820.

[18] Sheperd, G. J. 1994. FITOPAC 1. Manual do usuário. Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Depto de Botânica.

[19] Steneck, R S. 1988. Herbivory on coral reefs: a synthesis. In: Choat, J. H. et al. eds. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium,I:37-49.

[20] Steneck, R S. & Dethier, M. N. 1994. A functional group approach to the structure of algal-dominated communities. Oikos, 69:476-498

[21] Wiebe, W. J.; Johanes, R E. & Webb, K. L. 1975. Nitrogen fixation in a coral reef community. Science, 188:257-259.

[22] Yoneshigue, Y. 1985. Taxonomie et ecologie des algues marines dans la region de Cabo Frio (Rio de Janeiro, Bresil). Ph.D. Thesis. Université d' Aix-Marseille, Faculte des Sciences de Luminy. 466p.