Estuarine environments are threatened by the synergistic effects of anthropogenic disturbance and bioinvasion. The construction of artificial structures (such as pilings and pontoons) provides a habitat resource in close proximity to vessel hulls that may be carrying a wide range of non-indigenous fouling species. In addition, the release and accumulation of toxicants from antifouling (AF) paints on vessel hulls creates a chemical disturbance that may reduce the invasion resistance of native communities. This thesis examines how shipping-related disturbances affect sessile communities, and in particular what role AF paints and artificial structures play in the invasion of estuaries. Using a series of field-based experiments, I found that copper and tributyltin have the potential to influence both the transport of species to a new region, via the application of AF paints on vessel hulls, and their subsequent establishment, via the accumulation of AF biocides in estuaries. Temperature, pH, salinity and turbidity were also related to species distributions. During subtidal surveys of artificial and natural structures I found more non-indigenous species (NIS) on pilings and pontoons than on rocky reef, and shallow floating structures were identified as hotspots for invaders. These findings suggest that artificial structures play an important role in the initial establishment of sessile non-indigenous species in new regions. A subset of NIS were also present on the reefs sampled during the survey and I conducted manipulative experiments to determine factors affecting the invasibility of turf and canopy-forming algal assemblages. The resident assemblage provided a barrier to most invaders, particularly when light and sedimentation levels were also high (i.e. on horizontal substrate). My results suggest that the areas of reef most susceptible to invasion are vertical rock walls and those subjected to disturbances that release space. In summary, this is the first study to relate copper and tributyltin contamination in the field to NIS distributions. My research has also highlighted the potential role of artificial structures in facilitating the establishment of NIS in estuaries and identified invasion threats to rock wall communities and disturbed reefs in estuarine systems.

No description available.

Poças de maré são depressões ou cavidades do substrato do entre-marés, formadas tanto em costões rochosos quanto em planícies de maré durante maré baixa. Estudos comparando a ictiofauna de poças arenosas de planícies de maré e de poças rochosas são inexistentes, sendo o presente estudo o primeiro a ser desenvolvido neste âmbito, a fim de colocar em pauta a relevância de poças arenosas para a ecologia e conservação de áreas costeiras. Nossos objetivos neste estudo foram (I) realizar o levantamento das espécies de peixes presentes em poças de maré arenosas e rochosas em uma enseada subtropical, a Baía do Araçá (São Paulo/Brasil); (II) comparar a composição e abundância da ictiofauna entre poças arenosas e rochosas; e (III) identificar quais e como os fatores ambientais estão relacionados à composição e abundância da ictiofauna dessas poças. A estrutura da ictiofauna (composição e abundância de espécies) e fatores ambientais (área, profundidade, salinidade, temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, porcentagem de cobertura algal e distância das poças até o canal) foram analisados a partir de quatro campanhas realizadas durante 2014. Nas poças arenosas, a ictiofauna foi amostrada utilizando redes de mão, solução de eugenol e picaré seguindo um protocolo de amostragem especialmente desenvolvido para essa categoria de poça; nas poças rochosas, utilizamos eugenol e redes de mão. Verificamos que as poças arenosas foram maiores, mais rasas e mais distantes do canal, sendo estes os fatores ambientais que mais distinguem os dois tipos de poça. A composição e abundância de espécies diferiram entre os tipos de poça e ao longo do ano, sendo em arenosas Gerreidae e Gobiidae as principais famílias e em rochosas Gobiidae e Blenniidae. Os fatores ambientais que estruturaram a ictiofauna em cada tipo de poça foram: nas arenosas, a área, profundidade, cobertura algal e distância até o canal; e nas rochosas, temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido e distância do canal. Além do enfoque que vem sendo dado à ictiofauna de poças rochosas, enfatizamos a importância de estudar aquela de poças arenosas por sua elevada riqueza e abundância em espécies, incluindo larvas de diversas famílias. / Tide pools are depressions or cavities of the intertidal substrate formed in both rocky shores and tidal flats during low tide. Studies on fish populations conducted at sandy pools in tidal flats and their comparison with rock pools do not exist. This study is the first one dealing with such questions, emphasizing the relevance of sandy pools for the ecology and conservation of coastal areas. The objectives of this study were (I) to carry out a survey of fish species in sandy and rocky tide pools in a subtropical bay, the Aracá Bay (São Paulo/Brazil); (II) to compare the composition and abundance of fish fauna between sandy and rocky pools; and (III) to investigate which and how environmental factors are related to the composition and distribution of fish fauna of these pools. The structure of fish populations (composition and abundance of species) and environmental factors (area, depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, algal coverage percentage and distance from the pools to the channel) were carried out in four campaigns during 2014. In sandy pools, the fish fauna was sampled using hand nets, eugenol and beach seine, following a sampling protocol specially developed for that purpose; in rocky pools, we used eugenol and hand nets. The sandy pools were larger, shallower and farther from the channel, than the rocky ones. The composition and abundance of fish species differed between the types of pools and throughout the year: Gerreidae and Gobiidae were the main families in the sandy pools and Gobiidae and Blenniidae in the rocky ones. The environmental factors that structured the fish fauna in each type of pool were: in sandy area, depth, algal coverage and distance to the channel; in rocky pools, temperature, dissolved oxygen and channel distance. In contrast to the focus that has been given for rocky pools, we emphasize the importance of sandy pools studies because its great richness and abundance of species, including larvae of many families.

Poças de maré são depressões ou cavidades do substrato do entre-marés, formadas tanto em costões rochosos quanto em planícies de maré durante maré baixa. Estudos comparando a ictiofauna de poças arenosas de planícies de maré e de poças rochosas são inexistentes, sendo o presente estudo o primeiro a ser desenvolvido neste âmbito, a fim de colocar em pauta a relevância de poças arenosas para a ecologia e conservação de áreas costeiras. Nossos objetivos neste estudo foram (I) realizar o levantamento das espécies de peixes presentes em poças de maré arenosas e rochosas em uma enseada subtropical, a Baía do Araçá (São Paulo/Brasil); (II) comparar a composição e abundância da ictiofauna entre poças arenosas e rochosas; e (III) identificar quais e como os fatores ambientais estão relacionados à composição e abundância da ictiofauna dessas poças. A estrutura da ictiofauna (composição e abundância de espécies) e fatores ambientais (área, profundidade, salinidade, temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, porcentagem de cobertura algal e distância das poças até o canal) foram analisados a partir de quatro campanhas realizadas durante 2014. Nas poças arenosas, a ictiofauna foi amostrada utilizando redes de mão, solução de eugenol e picaré seguindo um protocolo de amostragem especialmente desenvolvido para essa categoria de poça; nas poças rochosas, utilizamos eugenol e redes de mão. Verificamos que as poças arenosas foram maiores, mais rasas e mais distantes do canal, sendo estes os fatores ambientais que mais distinguem os dois tipos de poça. A composição e abundância de espécies diferiram entre os tipos de poça e ao longo do ano, sendo em arenosas Gerreidae e Gobiidae as principais famílias e em rochosas Gobiidae e Blenniidae. Os fatores ambientais que estruturaram a ictiofauna em cada tipo de poça foram: nas arenosas, a área, profundidade, cobertura algal e distância até o canal; e nas rochosas, temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido e distância do canal. Além do enfoque que vem sendo dado à ictiofauna de poças rochosas, enfatizamos a importância de estudar aquela de poças arenosas por sua elevada riqueza e abundância em espécies, incluindo larvas de diversas famílias. / Tide pools are depressions or cavities of the intertidal substrate formed in both rocky shores and tidal flats during low tide. Studies on fish populations conducted at sandy pools in tidal flats and their comparison with rock pools do not exist. This study is the first one dealing with such questions, emphasizing the relevance of sandy pools for the ecology and conservation of coastal areas. The objectives of this study were (I) to carry out a survey of fish species in sandy and rocky tide pools in a subtropical bay, the Aracá Bay (São Paulo/Brazil); (II) to compare the composition and abundance of fish fauna between sandy and rocky pools; and (III) to investigate which and how environmental factors are related to the composition and distribution of fish fauna of these pools. The structure of fish populations (composition and abundance of species) and environmental factors (area, depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, algal coverage percentage and distance from the pools to the channel) were carried out in four campaigns during 2014. In sandy pools, the fish fauna was sampled using hand nets, eugenol and beach seine, following a sampling protocol specially developed for that purpose; in rocky pools, we used eugenol and hand nets. The sandy pools were larger, shallower and farther from the channel, than the rocky ones. The composition and abundance of fish species differed between the types of pools and throughout the year: Gerreidae and Gobiidae were the main families in the sandy pools and Gobiidae and Blenniidae in the rocky ones. The environmental factors that structured the fish fauna in each type of pool were: in sandy area, depth, algal coverage and distance to the channel; in rocky pools, temperature, dissolved oxygen and channel distance. In contrast to the focus that has been given for rocky pools, we emphasize the importance of sandy pools studies because its great richness and abundance of species, including larvae of many families.

Contaminated sediments pose a direct risk to sediment fauna and have the potential to affect other benthic assemblages. Disturbances that resuspend and remobilise contaminants may impact on filter-feeding, hard-substrate organisms that live immediately above sediments. This thesis uses laboratory and field manipulations to examine the impact of metal-contaminated sediments on sediment fauna and hard-substrate fauna simultaneously. It also compares the response of assemblages to metal contamination in a temperate and polar ecosystem. Simulated resuspension exposures in the laboratory indicated that contaminated sediments have the potential to affect hard-substrate organisms. Spirorbid polychaetes responded to both aqueous metals and to resuspended, particulate-bound metals. Impacts on hard-substrate fauna were however, not observed in manipulative field experiments using metal-spiked sediments. The recruitment and cover of hard-substrate organisms were either not affected or enhanced above contaminated sediments. In contrast, metal contamination had direct negative effects on sediment fauna, with a reduction in the abundance of most taxa. Results suggest that sediment fauna may interact with hard-substrate fauna through physical and/or biological mechanisms. In a reciprocal transplant experiment, established Antarctic hard-substrate assemblages were also unaffected by contaminant concentrations at an impacted site. Overall, metal-contaminated sediments are unlikely to pose as serious a threat to hard-substrate fauna as they do to sediment fauna. Contaminated sediments are not restricted to industrialised regions, and human activities in Antarctica have resulted in localised contamination near research stations. Although Antarctic assemblages are thought to be more sensitive than temperate assemblages to contaminants, few studies have explicitly examined this. Little evidence was found to support the theory that Antarctic assemblages are more susceptible to contaminated sediments. The response of Antarctic and temperate assemblages in the field to metal-contaminated sediments over a 10-11 month period was comparable. Responses were of a similar magnitude, despite differences in the composition of assemblages. In 10-d toxicity tests, the mortality of a common Antarctic hard-substrate organism was relatively insensitive to aqueous Cu, Zn and Pb. These results suggest that using current sediment quality guidelines from Australia may be a useful screening tool to assess the risk associated with contaminated sediments in Antarctica.