Environmental Influences on the Demersal Fish Assemblages in the Sepetiba Bay, Brazil

The structure of the demersal fish assemblage in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil (22°54′-23°04′S, 43°34′-44°10′W) was described and related to environmental variables. A 3-yr long trawl survey (from July 1993 to June 1996) was conducted using a stratified random sampling strategy at 158 stations. One...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Estuaries 2002-06, Vol.25 (3), p.441-450
Main Authors: Araújo, Francisco Gerson, Márcia Cristina Costa de Azevedo, Márcio de Araújo Silva, André Luiz Machado Pessanha, Gomes, Iracema David, da Cruz-Filho, Antônio Gomes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal populations
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Aquatic ecosystems
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Brazil, Sepetiba Bay
Estuaries
Fish
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lean fishes
Marine ecology
Marine fishes
Pisces
Salinity
Sea water ecosystems
Species
Summer
Synecology
Tropical fishes
Winter
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The structure of the demersal fish assemblage in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil (22°54′-23°04′S, 43°34′-44°10′W) was described and related to environmental variables. A 3-yr long trawl survey (from July 1993 to June 1996) was conducted using a stratified random sampling strategy at 158 stations. One hundred and seven species of fishes in 80 genera and 44 families were identified. Gerreidae and Ariidae made up 30.5% and 28.6%, and 19.8% and 28.1% of the total number and weight, respectively. Sciaenidae, Engraulididae, Sparidae, and Carangidae were other prominent families. Three assemblages existed in the bay: one inhabited shallow, less saline and less transparent water in the inner zone (depth < 5 m, transparency < 2 m, salinity < 30 psu, and slightly higher temperature); another in the outer zone with the opposite situation (depth > 10 m, transparency > 3 m, salinity > 30 psu, and slightly lower temperature); and a third assemblage in the middle zone likely to prefer average values or show no clear preferences. Most species decreased in abundance over the 3-yr period of study. No seasonal change was detected in the assemblage structure, but many species were rare, indicating high spatial and temporal patchiness. Canonical correlation analyses were used to describe and compare the fish assemblages in the three different habitats. The outer zone had the greatest number of species recorded, lowest abundance, highest diversity and evenness, and was comprised mainly by Cynossion leiarchus, Prionotus punctatus, Anchoa tricolor, Haemulon steindachneri, Diplectrum radiale, Etropus crossotus, and Sphoeroides greeleyi; the inner zone had the lowest number of species recorded but the greatest number of species per sample, highest abundance, lowest diversity and evenness, being comprised mainly by Diapterus rhombeus, Genidens genidens, Cathrops spixii, Chloroschombrus chrysurus, Sciadeichthyes luniscutis, Cetengraulis edentulus, and Archorsargus rhomboidalis; while the third group had the lowest number of species per sample, being comprised by species widely distributed as Gerres aprion, G. genidens, Gerres gula, and Micropogonias furnieri. Depth, followed by transparency and salinity, were the primary factors influencing assemblage distribution.
ISSN:0160-8347
1559-2723
1559-2758
1559-2731
DOI:10.1007/BF02695986