DISTRIBUITION OF CRUSTOSE CORALLINE ALGAE (CORALLINALES, RHODOPHYTA) IN THE ABROLHOS REEFS, BAHIA, BRAZIL

Tâmega, Frederico Tapajós de Souza; Figueiredo, Marcia A. O.

doi:10.1590/2175-7860200758413

ABSTRACT

The crustose coralline algae have an important structural role in coral reef crests, as observed for some Atlantic reefs. In this work the distribution and abundance of crustose coralline algae and their relation to other benthic reef organisms were described for the Abrolhos Archipelago. The quantification of sessile organisms was made by SCUBA diving along replicated transect lines in different habitats and sites. Anovas were performed to test differences on algae abundance among sites and habitats. Coralline crusts did not show significant differences on abundance among sites (Anova, p>0,05), neither other benthic organisms (Anovas, p=0,634 invertebrates, p=0,767 filamentous algae, p=0,581 foliose algae, p=0,070 leathery algae and p=0,616 non calcareous crusts). Invertebrates and filamentous algae were the most abundant organisms on all sites and most habitats, contrasting with the low cover of coralline algae. In sheltered sites and on reef base it was observed a trend for an increase of fleshy foliose algae and leathery algae, contrasting with wave exposed sites. The distribution of coralline growth forms was characterized by a higher abundance of flat in relation to branched thalli. Branched coralline crusts are apparently more abundant within cryptic reef areas, not necessarily because of light limitation, but probably due to less herbivore pressure.

Keywords:
crustose coralline algae; distribution; reef habitats

RESUMO

As algas calcárias incrustantes possuem importante papel estrutural nas cristas recifais, como observado para alguns recifes do Atlântico. Neste trabalho, a distribuição e abundância das algas calcárias incrustantes em relação a outros organismos bênticos recifais foi descrita para o Arquipélago dos Abrolhos. A quantificação dos organismos sésseis foi por mergulho autônomo em transectos replicados em diferentes locais e habitats. Anovas foram usadas para testar diferenças na abundância das algas entre locais e habitats. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre locais nem na abundância de crostas calcárias (Anova, p>0,05) nem de outros organismos (Anovas, p=0,634 invertebrados, p=0,767 algas filamentosas, p=0,581 algas foliáceas, p=0,070 algas coriáceas). Invertebrados e algas filamentosas foram os organismos mais abundantes em todos os locais e maioria dos habitats, contrastando com a baixa cobertura de crostas calcárias. Nos locais abrigados e na base dos recifes, foi observada uma tendência para aumento de algas foliáceas pouco rígidas e algas coriáceas, contrastando com locais mais expostos às ondas. A distribuição dos morfótipos de crostas calcárias foi caracterizada pela alta abundância de talo plano em relação ao talo ramificado. As crostas calcárias ramificadas são aparentemente mais abundantes nas partes crípticas dos recifes, não necessariamente pela limitação da luz, mas provavelmente devido a uma menor pressão de herbivoria.

Palavras-chave:
algas calcárias incrustantes; distribuição; habitats recifais

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thanks the staff of the National Marine Park of Abrolhos who supported field work, Abrolhos Turismo for helping with boat transportation and the Brazilian Navy for their hospitality. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES has given a MSc scholarship to the first author and Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente - IBAMA issued a research the license for collecting samples. We are grateful to Andrea Franco de Oliveira at LAGIEF/IEF-RJ for help with the map.

REFERENCES

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______ 1975. The algal ridges and coral reefs of St. Croix, their structure and Holocene development. Atoll Reasearch Bulletin 187: 1-66.
______ & Vassar, J. M. 1975. Colonization, succession and growth rates of tropical crustose coralline algae (Rhodophyta, Cryptonemiales). Phycologia 14: 55-69.
Fabricius, K. & De'ath, G. 2001. Enviromental factors associated with the spatial distribution of crustose coralline algae on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 19: 303-309.
Figueiredo, M. A. O. 1997. Colonization and growth of crustose coralline algae in Abrolhos, Brazil. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 689-694.
______ 2000. Recifes de corais ou recifes de algas. Ciência Hoje 28(166): 74-76.
______ 2006. Diversity of macrophytes in the Abrolhos bank. In: Allen, G.; Dutra, G. F.; Werner, T. B. & Moura, R. L. (eds.). A biological assessment of the Abrolhos bank, Brazil. R.A.P. Bulletin Biological Assessment. Conservation International, Pp. 67-74.
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Gherardi, D. F. M. & Bosence, D. W. J. 2001. Composition and community structure of the coralline algal reefs from Atol das Rocas, South Atlantic, Brazil. Coral Reefs 19: 205-219.
Hurd, C. L. 2000. Water motion, marine macroalgal physiology, and production. Journal of Phycology 36: 453-472.
Kain, J. M. & Norton, T. A. 1990. Marine ecology. In: Cole, K. M. & Sheath, R. (eds.). The Biology of the Red Algae. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Pp. 377-422.
Kikuchi, R. K. P. & Leão, Z. M. A. N. 1997. Rocas (Southwestern Equatorial Atlantic, Brazil): an atol built primarily by coralline algae. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reefs Symposium 1: 731-736.
Leão Z. M. A. N., Dominguez J. M. L. 2000. Tropical coast of Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 41: 112-122.
______ & Kikuchi, R. K. P. 2001. The Abrolhos reefs of Brazil Ecological Studies 144: 83-96.
Littler M. M. 1973. The population and community structure of Hawaiian fringingreef crustose corallinaceae (Rhodophyta, Cryptonemiales). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 11: 103-120
______ & Littler, D. S 1980. The evolution of thallus form and survival strategies in benthic marine macroalgae: field and laboratory tests of a functional form model. The American Naturalist 116: 25-44.
______ & Littler, D. S. 1984. Relationships between macroalgal functional form groups and substrata stability in a subtropical rocky intertidal system. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 74: 13-34.
______; Littler D. S. & Taylor P. R. 1995. Selective herbivore increases biomass of its prey: a chiton-coralline reef-building association. Ecology 76(5): 1666-1681.
Macintyre, I. G. 1997. Reevaluating the role of crustose coralline algae in the construction of the coral reefs. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 725-730.
Muehe, D. 1988. O arquipélago dos Abrolhos: geomorfologia e aspectos gerais. Anuário do Instituto de Geociências. Pp. 90-100.
Norton, T. A. 1991. Conflicting constraints on the form of intertidal algae. British Phycological Journal 26: 203-218.
Steneck, R. S. 1986. The ecology of coralline algal crusts: convergent patterns and adaptive strategies. Annual Review of Ecological Systematics 17: 273-303.
______. 1997. Crustose corallines, other algal functional grups, herbivores and sediments: complex interactions along reef productivity gradients. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reefs Symposium 1: 695-700.
______ & Adey, W. H. 1976. The role of environment in control of morphology in Lithophyllum congestum, a Caribbean algal ridge builder. Botanica Marina 19: 197-215.
______ & Dethier, M. N. 1994. A functional group approach to the structure of algaldominated communities. Oikos 69:476-498.
Villaça, R. & Pitombo, F. B. 1997. Benthic communities of shallow-water reefs of Abrolhos, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Oceanografia 45 (1/2): 35-43.
Wanders, J. B. W. 1977. The role of benthic algae in the shallow reef of Curacao (Netherlands Antilles) III: The significance of grazing. Aquatic Botany 3: 357-390.
Woelkerling, W. J. 1988. The coralline red algae: an analysis of the genera and subfamilies of nongeniculate Corallinaceae. British Museum Natural History and Oxford University Press, London and Oxford, 268p.
Zar, J. H. 1984. Biostatiscal analysis. 2^nd ed. Prentice-Hall International, London, 718pp.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Oct-Dec 2007

History

Received
May 2007
Accepted
Oct 2007

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

[1] Adey, W. H. 1970. The effects of light and temperature on growth rates in boreal-subartic crustose coralline algae. Journal of Phycology 6: 269-276.

[2] ______ 1975. The algal ridges and coral reefs of St. Croix, their structure and Holocene development. Atoll Reasearch Bulletin 187: 1-66.

[3] ______ & Vassar, J. M. 1975. Colonization, succession and growth rates of tropical crustose coralline algae (Rhodophyta, Cryptonemiales). Phycologia 14: 55-69.

[4] Fabricius, K. & De'ath, G. 2001. Enviromental factors associated with the spatial distribution of crustose coralline algae on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 19: 303-309.

[5] Figueiredo, M. A. O. 1997. Colonization and growth of crustose coralline algae in Abrolhos, Brazil. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 689-694.

[6] ______ 2000. Recifes de corais ou recifes de algas. Ciência Hoje 28(166): 74-76.

[7] ______ 2006. Diversity of macrophytes in the Abrolhos bank. In: Allen, G.; Dutra, G. F.; Werner, T. B. & Moura, R. L. (eds.). A biological assessment of the Abrolhos bank, Brazil. R.A.P. Bulletin Biological Assessment. Conservation International, Pp. 67-74.

[8] ______ & Steneck, R. S. 2002. Floristic and ecological studies of crustose coralline algae on Brazil's Abrolhos reefs. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium. Pp. 493-498.

[9] Gherardi, D. F. M. & Bosence, D. W. J. 2001. Composition and community structure of the coralline algal reefs from Atol das Rocas, South Atlantic, Brazil. Coral Reefs 19: 205-219.

[10] Hurd, C. L. 2000. Water motion, marine macroalgal physiology, and production. Journal of Phycology 36: 453-472.

[11] Kain, J. M. & Norton, T. A. 1990. Marine ecology. In: Cole, K. M. & Sheath, R. (eds.). The Biology of the Red Algae. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Pp. 377-422.

[12] Kikuchi, R. K. P. & Leão, Z. M. A. N. 1997. Rocas (Southwestern Equatorial Atlantic, Brazil): an atol built primarily by coralline algae. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reefs Symposium 1: 731-736.

[13] Leão Z. M. A. N., Dominguez J. M. L. 2000. Tropical coast of Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 41: 112-122.

[14] ______ & Kikuchi, R. K. P. 2001. The Abrolhos reefs of Brazil Ecological Studies 144: 83-96.

[15] Littler M. M. 1973. The population and community structure of Hawaiian fringingreef crustose corallinaceae (Rhodophyta, Cryptonemiales). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 11: 103-120

[16] ______ & Littler, D. S 1980. The evolution of thallus form and survival strategies in benthic marine macroalgae: field and laboratory tests of a functional form model. The American Naturalist 116: 25-44.

[17] ______ & Littler, D. S. 1984. Relationships between macroalgal functional form groups and substrata stability in a subtropical rocky intertidal system. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 74: 13-34.

[18] ______; Littler D. S. & Taylor P. R. 1995. Selective herbivore increases biomass of its prey: a chiton-coralline reef-building association. Ecology 76(5): 1666-1681.

[19] Macintyre, I. G. 1997. Reevaluating the role of crustose coralline algae in the construction of the coral reefs. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium 1: 725-730.

[20] Muehe, D. 1988. O arquipélago dos Abrolhos: geomorfologia e aspectos gerais. Anuário do Instituto de Geociências. Pp. 90-100.

[21] Norton, T. A. 1991. Conflicting constraints on the form of intertidal algae. British Phycological Journal 26: 203-218.

[22] Steneck, R. S. 1986. The ecology of coralline algal crusts: convergent patterns and adaptive strategies. Annual Review of Ecological Systematics 17: 273-303.

[23] ______. 1997. Crustose corallines, other algal functional grups, herbivores and sediments: complex interactions along reef productivity gradients. Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reefs Symposium 1: 695-700.

[24] ______ & Adey, W. H. 1976. The role of environment in control of morphology in Lithophyllum congestum, a Caribbean algal ridge builder. Botanica Marina 19: 197-215.

[25] ______ & Dethier, M. N. 1994. A functional group approach to the structure of algaldominated communities. Oikos 69:476-498.

[26] Villaça, R. & Pitombo, F. B. 1997. Benthic communities of shallow-water reefs of Abrolhos, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Oceanografia 45 (1/2): 35-43.

[27] Wanders, J. B. W. 1977. The role of benthic algae in the shallow reef of Curacao (Netherlands Antilles) III: The significance of grazing. Aquatic Botany 3: 357-390.

[28] Woelkerling, W. J. 1988. The coralline red algae: an analysis of the genera and subfamilies of nongeniculate Corallinaceae. British Museum Natural History and Oxford University Press, London and Oxford, 268p.

[29] Zar, J. H. 1984. Biostatiscal analysis. 2^nd ed. Prentice-Hall International, London, 718pp.

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