Diversidade de peixes recifais na praia de Barra de Tabatinga, Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Shallow reefs are usually under heavy anthropogenic pressure, due to the easy of accessibility. The aim of this study was to compare the diversity, communitystructure, and trophic organization in three sectors of shallow reefs in Barra de Tabatinga, Nísia Floresta, Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil from December 2011 to March 2012. We also evaluated the influence of environmental variables on those parameters using a visual census. We found 47 reef fish species. Most of the species fed on invertebrates, a similar pattern observed in other regions of Northeastern Brazil. The Shannon index of Sector 1 was different from the others, which could be due to the degree of connectivity with its surroundings during low tide and the proximity with a mangrove. Additionally, there were no significant differences in fish communities between sectors, suggesting that the area seems to function as a single community. However, it is important to highlight that even small differences in the composition and abundance of fish increase the diversity of the area. Thus, all sectors are important to the conservation of the area. Our results could be useful for future work on zoning and monitoring