Projeto de pesquisa

The lack of studies about rocky shore benthic communities in Brazil is a matter of great concern, considering the urgent need for basic research regarding species distribution, in order to generate data for monitoring initiatives and impact assessments. Processes that define species distribution operate at different spatial scales. For this reason, a multi-scale approach is needed to evaluate ecological patterns. The present study seeks to evaluate the spatial patterns of distribution of subtidal rocky shore assemblages of islands in Strict Nature Reserves, on the coast of the state of São Paulo (Ecoregion 180 - Southeastern Brazil, Spalding et al, 2007). This will be achieved by two approaches. The first one is to assess the variability of the assemblages distribution on the islands and among themselves by hierarchical analysis of variance (ANOVA), in order to test the null hypothesis that spatial distribution does not change across 4 different scales, islands being the larger one, followed by sectors nested in islands, zones nested in sectors and by sites nested in zones. Non-metric multidimentional scaling ordinations (nMDS) on the basis of Bray-Curtis dissimilarities will also be performed. The second approach is planned in order to evaluate, on a local scale, the patterns of distribution of subtidal benthic assemblages in two islands (Island of Alcatrazes - SP and Island Anchieta - SP) due to different wave-exposure and substratum roughness by Non-metric multidimentional scaling ordinations on the basis of Bray-Curtis dissimilarities. For both approaches, sampling will be done in the summer of 2013 and in the subsequent winter.