Endemic fish species structuring oceanic intertidal reef assemblages.

ABSTRACT: Intertidal reef environments are facing a global crisis as climate changes are causing sea-level rise. Synergistically, other human-induced impacts (e.g., sewage, habitat loss) caused by concentration of human populations near the coast increase the natural vulnerability of intertidal ecosystems. However, the effect of these threats have long been neglected due, in part, to a limited knowledge of some aspects of intertidal fish ecology. We tested what are the main differences and drivers in fish assemblages structure between tidepools in three oceanic and three continental shelf (coastal) sites of the tropical southwestern Atlantic (Brazilian Province) using standardized sampling methods. Oceanic and coastal fish assemblages were distinctly structured at the trophic and composition levels.

SUBMITTER: Andrades R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6050318 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature