Spatial distribution of benthic macroorganisms on reef flats at Porto de Galinhas Beach (northeastern Brazil), with special focus on corals and calcified hydroids

Despite their ecological and social-economic importance, coral reefs are under constant threat and thus require proper management practices. Data on the spatial structure of these ecosystems are essential for good quality conservation projects in such areas. This study aimed to quantitatively analyz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Biotemas Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 61 - 67
Main Authors:	Juliana Imenis Barradas, Fernanda Duarte Amaral, Malva Isabel Medina Hernández, Manuel Jesus Flores-Montes, Andrea Quirino Steiner
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 01-06-2010
Subjects:	Brazil corals Porto de Galinhas Beach reef environments spatial distribution
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Despite their ecological and social-economic importance, coral reefs are under constant threat and thus require proper management practices. Data on the spatial structure of these ecosystems are essential for good quality conservation projects in such areas. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze the spatial distribution of benthic macroorganisms from the reef environment of Porto de Galinhas Beach, with special focus on its corals and calcified hydroids. Reef flats of the area were surveyed by scuba diving, using 10m line transects. A high cover of macroalgae was verified, averaging 53% of the observations. Zoanthids were the second most representative group (11%). A total of 173 colonies of corals and calcified hydroids were observed and 40% of these colonies were partially or totally bleached.
ISSN:	0103-1643