Dinâmica temporal da comunidade bentônica nos recifes de Rio do Fogo, RN, Brasil

Abstract

Benthic communities are diverse and influenced by biotic interactions and environmental conditions. Although, the response of each species to these factors varies, and it determines the community structure. Studies on temporal dynamics are fundamental to understand the dynamics and process in the ecosystem. This study aimed to make a temporal analyze and characterize the benthic community in the reefs of Rio do Fogo, Rio Grande do Norte. We used data from photoquadrats took between 2018 and 2022 in two locations. We found the cover of functional benthic groups are different between locations, and some of them varies among annual seasons and among years. Both locations present high cover of epilithic algal matrix (EAM) with 34.5% of cover, and zoanthids covering 21.9% of substrate. Besides some variations in the cover percentage, the community composition and structure did not change, which indicates an stability of the ecosystem. We did the first temporal analysis of benthic community in Rio do Fogo, RN, adding knowledge about the benthic community among different seasons and along years. It can help other future studies to understand how the benthic community respond to anthropogenic and natural variations, and how the natural variation of species reacts to possible phase shifts and loss of ecosystem services in response to climate change.