Environmental factors have stronger effects than biotic processes in patterns of intertidal populations along the southeast coast of Brazil.

Rocky shore communities are shaped by complex interactions among environmental drivers and a range of biological processes. Here, we investigated the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on the population structure of key rocky intertidal species at 62 sites, spanning ∼50% of the Brazilian rocky shoreline (i.e., ∼500 km). Large-scale population patterns were generally explained by differences in ocean temperature and wave exposure. For the gastropod species Lottia subrugosa, differences at smaller scales (i.e., 0.1-1 km) were better explained by other abiotic influences such as freshwater discharge and substrate roughness. Based on the general population patterns of intertidal species identified, three main oceanographic groups were observed: a cold-oligotrophic grouping at northern sites (Lakes sub-region), a eutrophic group associated with large estuaries and urban zones (Santos and Guanabara bays); and a transitional warm-water group found between the two more productive areas. Larger individuals of Stramonita brasiliensis, L. subrugosa and Echinolittorina lineolata were generally found in the cold-oligotrophic system (i.e., upwelling region), while small suspension feeders dominate the warm-eutrophic systems. Evidence of bottom-up regulation was not observed, and top-down regulation effects were only observed between the whelk S. brasiliensis and its mussel prey Pernaperna. Environmental drivers as compared to biotic interactions, therefore, play a key role determining the population structure of multiple intertidal species, across a range of spatial scales along the SW Atlantic shores.

Vertical structure of reef fish assemblages and light penetration reveal new boundaries of mesophotic ecosystems in the subtropical Southwestern Atlantic.

In the Southwest Atlantic, fisheries and in situ observations suggest that mesophotic reefs occur further south than has been reported in the literature, and a description of these subtropical regions is still lacking. We used Baited Remote Underwater stereo-Videos to explore unrevealed patterns in the vertical structure of fish assemblages on subtropical Atlantic reefs, contrasting shallow and mesophotic habitats. Our data on species turnover and light penetration reveal that in the subtropical Atlantic, the boundaries between shallow and mesophotic habitats occur at depths of 18 m, which is shallower than most previous studies have shown. Generalized additive mixed models identified different environmental and management factors as important predictor variables that explain distribution of fish assemblages' attributes. Besides adding new evidence about mesophotic limits, we described variations in the vertical structure of fish assemblages, providing important information for the description and conservation of mesophotic environments in subtropical regions.

Macroecology of rocky intertidal benthic communities along the southwestern Atlantic: Patterns of spatial variation and associations with natural and anthropogenic variables.

Assessing spatial variability in biodiversity and its relationships with potential drivers is necessary for understanding and predicting changes in ecosystems. Here, we evaluated spatial patterns in sessile macrobenthic communities in rocky intertidal habitats along the southwestern Atlantic (SE Brazil), spanning over 500 km of coastline. We applied a rapid-survey approach focusing on the main space occupiers and habitat-forming taxa. We partitioned community variance into spatial scales ranging from metres to hundreds of kilometres and assessed whether community patterns were associated with variation in shore topography, nearshore ocean, and human influence. The communities from the mid-midlittoral level exhibited equivalent variation (31-35%) at the scales of quadrats (metres), sites (kilometres), and sub-regions (tens of kilometres). For the communities from the low-midlittoral and infralittoral fringe levels, most variability occurred at the scales of quadrats and sites (30-42%), followed by sub-regions (22%). Wave fetch, sea surface temperature (SST), and shore inclination were the variables that best explained community structure at the mid-midlittoral. At the low-midlittoral and infralittoral fringe, the most influential variables were related to oceanic forcing (SST, total suspended solids, particulate organic carbon, chlorophyll-a concentration) and human influence. Univariate analyses also revealed strong associations between the abundance of the main components of the communities and the predictor variables evaluated. Our results suggest that urbanised estuarine bays and coastal upwelling regimes have a strong influence on adjacent benthic communities, driving macroecological patterns in the study area. This study advances the knowledge in macroecology and biogeography of rocky shores in an understudied coastline and globally and provides valuable insights for future assessments of ecological changes resulting from unfolding human impacts.

Influence of environmental variables over multiple spatial scales on the population structure of a key marine invertebrate.

Quantifying scale-dependent patterns and linking ecological to environmental variation is required to understand mechanisms regulating biodiversity. We conducted a large-scale survey in rocky shores along the SE Brazilian coast to examine spatial variability in body size and density of an intertidal barnacle (Chthamalus bisinuatus) and its relationships with benthic and oceanographic predictors. Both the size and density of barnacles showed most variation at the smallest spatial scales. On average, barnacle body size was larger on shores located in areas characterised by higher chlorophyll levels, colder waters, low wave action and low influence of freshwater. Barnacles were more abundant at wave-exposed shores. We identified critical scales of spatial variation of an important species and linked population patterns to essential environmental predictors. Our results show that populations of this barnacle are coupled to scale-dependent oceanographic variation. This study offers insights into the mechanisms regulating coastal populations along a little studied coastline.

Taxonomic Variability in the Electron Requirement for Carbon Fixation Across Marine Phytoplankton.

Fast Repetition Rate fluorometry (FRRf) has been increasingly used to measure marine primary productivity by oceanographers to understand how carbon (C) uptake patterns vary over space and time in the global ocean. As FRRf measures electron transport rates through photosystem II (ETRPSII ), a critical, but difficult to predict conversion factor termed the "electron requirement for carbon fixation" (Φe,C ) is needed to scale ETRPSII to C-fixation rates. Recent studies have generally focused on understanding environmental regulation of Φe,C , while taxonomic control has been explored by only a handful of laboratory studies encompassing a limited diversity of phytoplankton species. We therefore assessed Φe,C for a wide range of marine phytoplankton (n = 17 strains) spanning multiple taxonomic and size classes. Data mined from previous studies were further considered to determine whether Φe,C variability could be explained by taxonomy versus other phenotypic traits influencing growth and physiological performance (e.g., cell size). We found that Φe,C exhibited considerable variability (~4-10 mol e-  · [mol C]-1 ) and was negatively correlated with growth rate (R2  = 0.7, P < 0.01). Diatoms exhibited a lower Φe,C compared to chlorophytes during steady-state, nutrient-replete growth. Inclusion of meta-analysis data did not find significant relationships between Φe,C and class, or growth rate, although confounding factors inherent to methodological inconsistencies between studies likely contributed to this. Knowledge of empirical relationships between Φe,C and growth rate coupled with recent improvements in quantifying phytoplankton growth rates in situ, facilitate up-scaling of FRRf campaigns to routinely derive Φe,C needed to assess ocean C-cycling.

Experimental strategies to assess the biological ramifications of multiple drivers of global ocean change-A review.

Marine life is controlled by multiple physical and chemical drivers and by diverse ecological processes. Many of these oceanic properties are being altered by climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. Hence, identifying the influences of multifaceted ocean change, from local to global scales, is a complex task. To guide policy-making and make projections of the future of the marine biosphere, it is essential to understand biological responses at physiological, evolutionary and ecological levels. Here, we contrast and compare different approaches to multiple driver experiments that aim to elucidate biological responses to a complex matrix of ocean global change. We present the benefits and the challenges of each approach with a focus on marine research, and guidelines to navigate through these different categories to help identify strategies that might best address research questions in fundamental physiology, experimental evolutionary biology and community ecology. Our review reveals that the field of multiple driver research is being pulled in complementary directions: the need for reductionist approaches to obtain process-oriented, mechanistic understanding and a requirement to quantify responses to projected future scenarios of ocean change. We conclude the review with recommendations on how best to align different experimental approaches to contribute fundamental information needed for science-based policy formulation.

Abundance of biofilm on intertidal rocky shores: can trampling by humans be a negative influence?

Trampling by human visitors to rocky shores is a known stressor on macroorganisms. However, the effects of trampling on rocky intertidal biofilm, a complex association of microorganisms of ecological importance in coastal communities, have not been quantified. We evaluated the impact of trampling frequency and intensity on total biomass of epilithic microalgae on intertidal rocky shores in the southeast of Brazil. There was a trend of increase in the variability of biomass of biofilm in function of intensity of trampling, but no significant effects emerged among trampling treatments. The low influence of trampling on biofilm might be a result of the small dimensions of the organisms coupled with their natural resilience and roughness of the substrate; the former preventing the removal of biofilm layers by shoes and facilitating their quick recovery. Our results provide insights for management and conservation of coastal ecosystems revealing a weaker impact of trampling on biofilm than that reported on macroorganisms.