MBON POLE TO POLE: ROCKY SHORE BIODIVERSITY OF ARRAIAL DO CABO - BRAZIL

Study Extent

This study was done in three sites (Fortaleza, Atalaia and Prainha) of one location (Arraial do Cabo) on three events in the period between November 2018 and June 2019 with around three months interval between sampling events.

Sampling

Sampling is organized following a stratified design, which includes LOCATIONS, SITES, and STRATA. Note that LOCATIONS are separated by 30 – 100’s of kilometers. For each LOCATION on this case it was only one. Those SITES will be separated by units of kilometers (maximum 5 km). The selected site was divided in THREE STRATA (tidal levels) parallel to the coastline using the almost universal biologically-based characteristics of rocky shores of high-, mid- and low zones. In each stratum 10 QUADRATS were sampled, pictures from relevant animals were taken and animals and macroalgae samples were considered for further taxonomic identifications. In the 10 QUADRATS within each stratum (tidal level), slow moving animals are counted and the percentage cover of space occupied by invertebrates and algae. The latter includes those organisms that cover a considerable fraction of the rock surface and that are too many to be counted or cannot be easily separated into individuals; e.g., barnacles, mussels, some colonial invertebrates, including zoanthids and ascidians, algal turfs or macroalgae. Organisms adhering directly to the rock surface and moving across it are considered the “primary layer”. If canopy-forming organisms such as macroalgae are present, then these are moved aside for counts, cover and photographs in order to effectively quantify the primary layer. The composition of the canopy- the secondary layer- should also be conducted.

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.

1. Amphiroa sp.
   rank: genus
2. Asteronema breviarticulatum
   rank: species
3. Bunodosoma caissarum
   rank: species
4. Centroceras clavulatum
   rank: species
5. Ceramiaceae
   rank: family
6. Chaetomorpha antennina
   rank: species
7. Chthamalus bisinuatus
   rank: species
8. Colpomenia sinuosa
   rank: species
9. Cyanophyceae
   rank: family
10. Echinolittorina lineolata
    rank: species
11. Echinometra lucunter
    rank: species
12. Eriphia gonagra
    rank: species
13. Fissurella rosea
    rank: species
14. Gelidium pusillum
    rank: species
15. Isognomon bicolor
    rank: species
16. Jania sp.
    rank: genus
17. Laurencia obtusa
    rank: species
18. Lithophyllum sp.
    rank: genus
19. Lottia subrugosa
    rank: species
20. Mytilaster solisianus
    rank: species
21. Perna perna
    rank: species
22. Petaloconchus varians
    rank: species
23. Peyssonnelia sp.
    rank: genus
24. Phragmatopoma caudata
    rank: species
25. Sargassum vulgare
    rank: species
26. Spyridia filamentosa
    rank: species
27. Stramonita haemastoma
    rank: species
28. Tetraclita stalactifera
    rank: species
29. Ulva lactuca
    rank: species
30. Willeella brachyclados
    rank: species

Rocky shores of Arraial do Cabo