The influence of seasonality on fish life stages and residence in surf zones: a case of study in a tropical region

Abstract

Abstract:Resident fishes and their seasonal use of a surf zone were characterized and identified in the Jaguaribe beach, located on the Island of Itamaracá, state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Monthly towings (March 2006 to February 2007 with a beach seine net (20 m long, 1.5 m high, 5 mm mesh size) in different moon phases and periods of the day (day and night) were conducted. A total of 6,407 specimens, 35 families and 90 species were recorded. Seven species were considered as annual residents (Anchoa tricolor, Anchoviella lepidentostole, Bairdiella ronchus, Larimus breviceps, Lycengraulis grossidens, Polydactylus virginicus and Pomadasys corvinaeformis), three resident throughout the dry season (Conodon nobilis, Lile piquitinga and Menticirrhus americanus) and two resident species in the rainy period (Cathorops spixii and Nicholsina usta). Among these 12 species, concerning their life cycle, three of them (A. tricolor, C. spixii and L. piquitinga ) showed only adult individuals, while B. ronchus, M. americanus and N. usta were the only species represented exclusively by juvenile in both seasons. The surf zone of Jaguaribe beach presents a considerable ecological importance as it encompasses a great diversity of fishes, including species considered rare for this ecosystem, as well as species which are resident annually or seasonally. The distribution pattern of species found in this study shows that the ichthyofauna of the surf zone in Jaguaribe beach is rich, mainly dominated by small-sized individuals including juveniles of several species, with the presence of some species most commonly found in neighboring environments, such as seagrass beds, estuaries and reefs. As an integrated component of interconnected environments in coastal areas of Pernambuco, and owing to its function in the life cycle of coastal fishes, the surf zone of Jaguartibe beach presents an apparently common ecological pattern for tropical sandy beaches. . americanus e N. usta foram as únicas representadas exclusivamente por jovens nas duas estações. A zona de arrebentação da Praia de Jaguaribe possui considerável importância ecológica, uma vez que engloba uma grande diversidade de peixes, incluindo espécies consideradas raras para este ecossistema, bem como espécies que são residentes anual ou sazonalmente. O padrão de distribuição das espécies registradas neste estudo demonstra que a ictiofauna da zona de arrebentação da praia de Jaguaribe é rica, dominada principalmente por indivíduos de pequeno tamanho, incluindo a fase juvenil de várias espécies, com a presença de algumas encontradas comumente em ambientes adjacentes, como banco de fanerógamas, estuários e recifes. Como um componente de ambientes interconectados em áreas costeiras de Pernambuco e por sua função no ciclo de vida de peixes costeiros, a zona de arrebentação da praia de Jaguaribe apresenta um padrão ecológico aparentemente comum em praias arenosas tropicais. Palavras-chave: ictiofauna, Itamaracá, praias arenosas, peixes juvenis.

Composition, density and biomass of fish community from the surf zone as a function of the lunar cycle at Miramar Beach in Cabedelo, Paraíba

“…It is very important mentioning that this species did not any information about lunar cycle and density in the surf zone in another study. Corroborating with the present study, A. tricolor, showing that it is a resident of the surf zone, similar to the study by Santana et al (2013), when it was captured in all samples, both in the dry season in the rainy season. A. tricolor was the most frequent in a study carried out at the surf zone in the Bay of Sepetiba area in Rio de Janeiro (Pessanha, Araújo, 2003).…”

“…Abiotic processes can result in stress to ichthyofauna to the point of causing leakage or substantial behavioral changes, especially in habitats where situations change during a short timescale (i.e during lunar cycles) (Lacerda et al, 2014). Seasonality in the marine environment may interfere with the pattern of the ichthyofaunistic community (Santana et al, 2013) and the bioecological processes of predation, competition, and recruitment may also determine the structure of these communities in the surf zones (Oliveira, Pessanha, 2014). This study aimed to describe and evaluate the composition, density and biomass of the ichthyofauna of the surf zone on a tropical beach on the shore of the Paraíba River mouth (Cabedelo city, Brazil), in relation to the different lunar phases and beach areas.…”

Feeding ecology of the beach silverside Atherinella blackburni (Atherinopsidae) in a tropical sandy beach, Southeastern Brazil

“…Although not conclusive since there is a low number of studies, the recruitment period of A. blackburni appears to occur during autumn. The effect of seasonality on existing fish stocks in the surf zone is a subject already addressed in different researches (FÉLIX et al, 2007;GOMES et al, 2003;SANTANA et al, 2013). However, these studies analysed only transient species of fish and related this effect to reproduction peaks of the species, without assessing the seasonal effect in populations that exhibit a lifecycle restricted to surf zone.…”

Metals and metalloid contamination and geochemical normalization factors in surface sediments from an important estuarine system in Southern Brazil

“…Estuaries comprise semi-enclosed coastal environments connected to the ocean, where marine water is mixed with freshwater (Day Jr et al, 2012;Pritchard, 1952). These areas are highly productive and sheltered environments, used by many coastal and marine species worldwide as reproduction and feeding areas, even though they display the potential to retain dissolved and particulate material and are highly exposed to anthropic activities (Santana et al, 2013;Yang et al, 2006).…”