Influência dos habitats sobre as assembleias de peixes de áreas marinhas costeiras tropicais do Brasil

Abstract

On the tropical coast of Brazil, mosaics of estuarine and marine habitats interconnect to form highly biodiverse landscapes, influencing the fish fauna. Knowledge about the relationship between these landscapes and the composition of fish assemblages is an important tool for effective conservation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the composition of fish assemblages in different estuarine and marine habitats in two tropical locations in Brazil. Collections were carried out in the Lagoa do Jequiá Marine Extractive Reserve (RXJ), in Jequiá da Praia (AL) and in Porto Seguro (PTS) (BA). Remote underwater videos with bait were used to obtain data on fish assemblages. A total of 80 samples were taken (40 per location), distributed between mangrove, artificial estuarine, coastal sandstone reef and coral reef habitats. For RXJ, 21 Families, 40 taxa and 1180 individuals were recorded, while for PTS, 23 Families, 50 fish taxa and 938 individuals were recorded. Similarity was low between the sites (11%), but 29 species and 14 families were shared between RXJ and PTS, with no significant differences between the structures of the assemblages. RXJ had 18% similarity between its habitats, while PTS had 31%. Abiotic factors such as depth and habitat spatialization were important structuring agents between the fish assemblages for RXJ and PTS. Coral reefs stood out with the highest values of richness and abundance of fish species, as expected given the importance of these environments for marine biodiversity. In this context, these results are important for knowledge about the structure of the fish assemblages of RXJ and PTS, especially for their marine protected areas, and may contribute to the promotion of initiatives for the management of reef ichthyofauna in an unprecedented way.