ReefSYN | Standardized datasets of Brazilian reef diversity in space and time - Dataset X: Alcatrazes monitoring

Study Extent

Sampling sites were Saco do Funil, Jardim dos Corais, and ESEC which are separated by at least 1,600 m. Fish surveys were conducted once in each year, from 2015 do 2022, but not every year.

Sampling

For fish sampling, 15 underwater visual censuses (UVCs) were conducted for each combination of factors (i.e., both years, in the three sites, and in the two depth strata - below and above the thermocline; Table S1). These censuses were conducted along 40 m2 (20 x 2 m) random belt transects (Floeter et al. 2007). From the reef bottom to 2 m up in the water column, fish were identified, counted and their size (total body length in cm) was estimated. Floeter SR, Krohling W, Gasparini JL, Ferreira CEL, Zalmon IR (2007) Reef fish community structure on coastal islands of the southeastern Brazil: The influence of exposure and benthic cover. Environ Biol Fishes 78:147–160.

Quality Control

The name of all taxa was checked against the WoRMS database (World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS, 2022)), using the R package “worrms” (Chamberlain 2020). Thus, valid scientific names were called “scientificNameAccepted” following the DCS standard. The last checking was done on 23 October 2023, using the version 0.4.2 of ‘worrms’ R package., with some taxonomic updates were made by hand.

Method steps

1. Transects were surveyed twice. Large and medium individuals with high mobility were recorded first, and bottom-dwelling small (< 10 cm) cryptobenthic and territorial individuals with low mobility were counted while swimming on the way back. Fish were pooled in size and trophic groups based on body size and diet categories. Size categories followed modal components of the whole fish sample: smaller than 15 cm, from 15 to 23 cm, from 24 to 35 cm, and larger than 35 cm.

1. Abudefduf saxatilis
2. Acanthostracion polygonium
3. Acanthurus bahianus
4. Acanthurus chirurgus
5. Aetobatus narinari
6. Anisotremus surinamensis
7. Anisotremus virginicus
8. Apogon americanus
9. Azurina multilineata
10. Bathygobius soporator
11. Bodianus pulchellus
12. Bodianus rufus
13. Bothus lunatus
14. Bothus ocellatus
15. Calamus penna
16. Callionymus bairdi
17. Cantherhines macrocerus
18. Cantherhines pullus
19. Canthidermis sufflamen
20. Canthigaster figueiredoi
21. Caranx crysos
22. Caranx latus
23. Caranx lugubris
24. Chaetodipterus faber
25. Chaetodon striatus
26. Chromis jubauna
27. Chromis limbata
28. Clepticus brasiliensis
29. Coryphopterus
30. Coryphopterus dicrus
31. Coryphopterus glaucofraenum
32. Cryptotomus roseus
33. Ctenogobius saepepallens
34. Decapterus macarellus
35. Diplectrum formosum
36. Diplectrum radiale
37. Diplodus argenteus
38. Elacatinus figaro
39. Emblemariopsis signifer
40. Epinephelus marginatus
41. Equetus lanceolatus
42. Gnatholepis thompsoni
43. Gobioclinus kalisherae
44. Gymnothorax mordax
45. Gymnothorax vicinus
46. Gymnura altavela
47. Haemulon atlanticus
48. Haemulon aurolineatum
49. Haemulon parra
50. Haemulon plumierii
51. Halichoeres bivittatus
52. Halichoeres brasiliensis
53. Halichoeres dimidiatus
54. Halichoeres poeyi
55. Halichoeres sazimai
56. Harengula clupeola
57. Holacanthus ciliaris
58. Holacanthus tricolor
59. Holocentrus adscensionis
60. Hypleurochilus fissicornis
61. Kyphosus
62. Kyphosus sectatrix
63. Kyphosus vaigiensis
64. Labrisomus cricota
65. Labrisomus nuchipinnis
66. Lutjanus analis
67. Malacanthus plumieri
68. Malacoctenus delalandii
69. Malacoctenus zaluari
70. Mugil curema
71. Mycteroperca acutirostris
72. Mycteroperca bonaci
73. Myrichthys ocellatus
74. Myripristis jacobus
75. Ocyurus chrysurus
76. Odontoscion dentex
77. Ogcocephalus vespertilio
78. Orthopristis ruber
79. Parablennius marmoreus
80. Parablennius pilicornis
81. Paraclinus spectator
82. Pareques acuminatus
83. Pempheris schomburgkii
84. Pomacanthus paru
85. Pomatomus saltatrix
86. Pseudocaranx dentex
87. Pseudupeneus maculatus
88. Rhomboplites aurorubens
89. Rypticus
90. Rypticus saponaceus
91. Sardinella brasiliensis
92. Scartella cristata
93. Scarus zelindae
94. Seriola lalandi
95. Seriola rivoliana
96. Serranus baldwini
97. Sparisoma
98. Sparisoma amplum
99. Sparisoma axillare
100. Sparisoma frondosum
101. Sparisoma radians
102. Sparisoma tuiupiranga
103. Sphoeroides camila
104. Sphoeroides testudineus
105. Sphyraena guachancho
106. Starksia brasiliensis
107. Stegastes fuscus
108. Stegastes pictus
109. Stegastes variabilis
110. Synodus intermedius
111. Synodus synodus
112. Thalassoma noronhanum
113. Xyrichtys novacula

The study was conducted in the Alcatrazes Archipelago, located in Southeastern Brazil, 36 km from the mainland (Fig. 2), within a wide transition zone under the influence of the Brazilian Current (warm with low concentrations of nutrients), the Falklands Current, and the South Atlantic Central Water (cold and nutrient-rich) (Ciotti et al. 2018). This archipelago is formed by the main island and 13 other rocky outcrops, and included within two no-take areas: the Refúgio da Vida Silvestre do Arquipélago de Alcatrazes, which covers a no-take area of 24.63 km2 (Motta et al. 2021) (Brazil 2016), and the Estação Ecológica Tupinambás (Brazil 1987), restricted to reef habitats that presently sustain one of the largest concentrations of shallow-water reef fish biomass along the Brazilian Province (Morais et al. 2017).