Mesophotic ecosystems: coral and fish assemblages in a tropical marginal reef (northeastern Brazil)

• Published in: Marine biodiversity 2018-09, Vol.48 (3), p.1631-1636
• Main Authors: de Oliveira Soares, Marcelo, Davis, Marcus, de Paiva, Carolina Cerqueira, de Macêdo Carneiro, Pedro Bastos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coral reefs; Corals; Data collection; Depth; Ecosystems; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Life Sciences; Marine ecosystems; Marine invertebrates; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Reefs; Refuges; Refugia; Resuspension; Scuba & skin diving; Scuba diving; Sediments; Shallow water; Short Communication
• ISSN: 1867-1616; 1867-1624
• DOI: 10.1007/s12526-016-0615-x

Mesophotic reefs (30–150 m depths) have recently become recognized as species-rich marine ecosystems, even in areas showing suboptimal conditions, like turbid water with sediment resuspension. The present study reports a qualitative survey focused on scleractinian coral and fish assemblages in a marginal reef (northeastern Brazil, southwestern Atlantic) at lower mesophotic depth. Data collection was conducted in the summer of 2016 by scuba diving at 35–37 m depths. The occurrence of scleractinian reef corals Siderastrea stellata and Montastraea cavernosa suggests that these two species can be important reef-builders in mesophotic ecosystems in northeastern Brazil. The fish assemblage was characterized by 33 observed species, representing a large variety of trophic categories. The compositions of coral and fish species showed similarities with those of shallow-water reefs in the area. This may become relevant in understanding the connectivity between shallow and deep populations in the light of mesophotic reefs serving as refugia.