MBON POLE TO POLE: ROCKYSHORE BIODIVERSITY OF COSTA DAS ALGAS, BRAZIL

Study Extent

The spatial coverage includes a unique locality and site as described before. Temporal coverage corresponds to a single field campaign conducted in October 2018.

Sampling

Field work sampling was carried out during low tide, usually in the morning, depending on weather and wave conditions at the site. Coverage and density measurements were made in situ using 0.25 m2 quadrats following transects from infra-littoral to supra-littoral zone. Data was recorded in a notebook, photos were taken with a digital camera and samples of some organisms were taken for further taxonomic identifications. In total 30 quadrats were sampled. MBON Pole to Pole protocol for rocky shore intertidal (2018) available at https://marinebon.github.io/p2p/methods_field_protocols.html.

Quality Control

Taxonomic validity was verified using the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS; www.marinespecies.org) and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS; https://obis.org/)

Method steps

1. Samples were processed following the rocky shore intertidal protocol developed during the Marine Biodiversity Workshop: from the Sea to the Cloud, at Praia do Segredo, São Sebastião, Brasil. August 6-10, 2018

This study was carried out at a marine protected area Área de Preservação Ambiental C in the Eastern Brazil Marine Ecoregion (Área de Proteção Costa das Algas, Bernardino et al., 2015). The coastal zone is characterized by dispersed intertidal lateritic reefs with abundant macroalgal and rhodolith beds. Coastal oceanographic conditions are typically influenced by E-NE winds from the South Atlantic high-pressure system, strong internal tidal currents, and E-SE wave swells (Pereira et al., 2005; Pianca et al. 2010). Meteorological cold fronts occur periodically and influence the vertical mixing of the water column and wave action on the coast (Pianca et al., 2010). Episodic upwelling events occur mostly during spring and summer (Pereira et al., 2005). This is a tropical region with an average air temperature of 25oC that have experienced significant warming trends in the last four decades (Bernardino et al., 2015; Bernardino et al., 2016). Three shallow reefs were chosen as study sites where benthic assemblages were sampled (Gramuté, Enseada das Garças, Costa Bela). These sites are similar in their presence of lateritic substrate, geographical orientation (i.e. E), moderate exposure to wave action, easiness of access (e.i. < 1 min walking distance), and anthropogenic pressure (i.e. located in small human settlements with no direct sewage disposal to the reef area). Cited References: Pereira AF, Belém AL, Castro BM, Geremias RG. 2005. Tide-topography interaction along the eastern Brazilian shelf. Continental Shelf Research 25, 1521–1539. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2005.04.008 Bernardino AF, Netto SA, Pagliosa PR, Barros F, Christofoletti RA, Rosa Filho JS, Colling A, Lana PC. 2015. Predicting ecological changes on benthic estuarine assemblages through decadal climate trends along Brazilian Marine Ecoregions. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 166, 74-82. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2015.05.021 Bernardino AF, Pagliosa PR, Christofoletti RA, Barros F, Netto SA, Muniz P, Lana PC. 2016. Benthic estuarine communities in Brazil: moving forward to long term studies to assess climate change impacts. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 64:83–97. DOI: 10.1590/S1679-875920160849064sp2  Pianca C, Mazzini PLF, Siegle E. 2010. Brazilian offshore wave cli- mate based on NWW3 reanalysis. Brazilian Journal of Oceanography 58(1), 53– 70. doi:10.1590/S1679-87592010000100006