Depth drive shifts in the fish and benthic assemblages of the South American Reef System.

ABSTRACT: The low-latitude habitats of the South American reef system have a high endemism and represent important stepping-stones due to the connectivity with Amazon and Caribbean reefs. We provide the first seabed mapping, and analyze the benthic cover and fish assemblages of these extreme reefs. Fleshy macroalgae (2-66% of cover), algal turfs (0-47%), and sponges (3-25%) are the dominant benthic groups. The main reef builders are crustose coralline algae (2-23%) and only four coral species (0 to 18%), mainly the weedy Siderastrea stellata. Cluster analysis distinguished two groups. The first group includes the shallowest reefs (~ 17 m deep) where fleshy macroalgae are abundant together with higher siltation on the reefs (~ 31% covered by sediments). The second group, by contrast, includes the dee

SUBMITTER: Costa RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11604755 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature