Eventos
BIOTA Araçá: Modelo de Resumo
M3 – Sistema Bentônico
EFFECTS OF STORMS ON HABITAT HETEROGENEITY AND BETA DIVERSITY IN MARINE SOFT-SEDIMENTS
Guilherme N. Corte1,2; Antonia Cecília Z. Amaral2
1 - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, CP 6109, Universidade Estadual de Campinas – UNICAMP, 13.083-970, Campinas, SP; 2 - Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, CP 6109, Universidade Estadual de Campinas – UNICAMP, 13.083-970, Campinas, SP
Storms can result in strong modifications in coastal soft-sediments, with powerful waves increasing erosive processes and changing the habitat features. Climate change projections highlight that storms might have their frequency and intensity increased in the near future. Thus, it is necessary to understand ecological responses to severe storms in order to avoid or mitigate harmful effects on coastal ecosystems. Here, we combine hydrographic, sediment and biological data to test a set of hypothesis and predictions about the ecological impacts of storms on macrobenthic assemblages inhabiting intertidal soft-sediments of Araçá Bay, a sheltered tidal flat in Southeast Brazil. We found that storms reduced species richness, abundance and biomass of macrobenthic assemblages. We also found that β diversity is higher after storms; however, local contribution to β diversity is lower, indicating that areas within the bay are less unique in their biological composition. Overall, our results suggest that storms may affect biodiversity and ecosystem services of coastal soft-sediment ecosystems. Future studies should test our hypothesis and predictions in different areas in order to advance the knowledge of how future climate change will impact coastal ecosystems.
Apoio financeiro: FAPESP Proc. 2011/10130-3 - Programa BIOTA/FAPESP Proc. 2011/50317-5
Apoio Institucional: IB/UNICAMP; CEBIMar/USP; IO/USP