Effects of organic pollution on the initial development of fouling communities in a tropical bay, Brazil

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 46; no. 11; pp. 1495 - 1503
• Main Authors: Mayer-Pinto, M, Junqueira, A.O.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aetea lingulata; Amphipoda; Analysis of Variance; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Annelida; Applied ecology; Artificial habitats; Benthos; Bioindicators; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Brazil, Ilha Grande Bay; Cluster Analysis; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Ectoprocta; Environmental Monitoring; Eutrophication; Eutrophication - physiology; Field experiment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ilha Grande Bay; Invertebrates - physiology; Marine and brackish environment; Polychaeta; Population Dynamics; Seawater; Spionidae; Tropical Climate; Ulva; Ulva - physiology; South America; Brazil; America; Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Ilha Grande Bay; ASW, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Ilha Grande Bay; Artificial habitats; Benthos; Bioindicators; Ilha Grande Bay; Field experiment; Eutrophication; Organic matter; Algae; Bryozoa; Marine plant; Biological indicator; Ulva; Fouling organism; Lophophoria; Marine environment; Chlorophyta; Ulvophyceae; Development; Water pollution; Bay; Biological effect; Invertebrata; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00249-2

Transplantation of artificial panels between a polluted and an unpolluted site was used to evaluate eutrophication effects on the development of fouling communities in Ilha Grande Bay, SE Brazil. Organic pollution changed the relative dominance of species in the fouling communities of transplanted panels, although, their richness, evenness, and specific composition did not change. The chlorophyte Ulva sp. occurred only in the polluted site and in panels transplanted to it, whereas the bryozoan Aetea lingulata was found only in the unpolluted site and in panels transplanted to this site. These species are therefore good pollution indicators. The best pollution indicators, however, were amphipods and Spionidae polychaetes which formed mucous tubes. These groups had significantly higher values of percent cover ( p<0.0001) in the polluted site and in panels transferred to it. The dominance shift is the first evidence that more meaningful changes can occur in the structure of fouling communities on a long-term scale.