Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2016-10-18T18:36:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Ivan Pierozzi Junior.pdf: 92591526 bytes, checksum: b6f151111ef71de5cd89f7d46f910fff (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-18T18:36:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Ivan Pierozzi Junior.pdf: 92591526 bytes, checksum: b6f151111ef71de5cd89f7d46f910fff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-27 / CAPES / Rhodolith bed has aroused growing interest of the scientific community, not being different to the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FNA). FNA rhodolith banks occur at depths of 10 to 100m and are peculiar habitat that increases structural complexity, providing increased associated diversity compared to unconsolidated substrates. The interaction between rhodoliths and sponges is the focus of this study. On the banks of AFN sponges play an important role in the stabilization mechanism of rhodoliths, accounting for coalescing neighbour nodules, which may point to an early stage of an on going process of stabilization in the form of a consolidated reef. The presence of reef-building corals in the adjacent rocky shore can also be related to the rhodolith banks as polyp?s skeletons were found nucleating rhodoliths. This study identified which organisms were agglutinating rhodolith nodules at Cabe?o da Sapata (45m deep) and if is there any relationship between physical characteristics of the bank and the occurrence of agglutinated complex. It was also described the physical structure and the frequency of occurrence of agglutinated rhodolith. Sponges was the main group of sessile fauna found coalescing rhodoliths and this process points to a relationship between size of the nodules and the variation in size between the nodes. The importance of sponges to the rhodoliths beds and potentially to the process of consolidated reefs formation is reinforced by this study. / Os bancos de rodolitos tem despertado interesse cada vez maior da comunidade cient?fica, n?o sendo diferente para o Arquip?lago de Fernando de Noronha (AFN). No AFN os bancos de rodolitos ocorrem em profundidades de 10 a 100m e s?o habitat peculiares que aumentam a complexidade estrutural, propiciando um aumento da diversidade associada quando comparados com substratos n?o consolidados. A intera??o entre os rodolitos e por?feros ? o foco desse estudo. Nos bancos do AFN as esponjas desempenham um importante papel no mecanismo de estabiliza??o dos rodolitos, sendo respons?veis por aglutinar n?dulos pr?ximos, o que pode apontar para um estagio inicial de um processo permanente de estabiliza??o, na forma de um recife consolidado. A presen?a de recifes coral?neos no cost?o rochoso adjacente tamb?m podem ter rela??o com os bancos de rodolitos j? que esqueletos de p?lipos foram encontrados nucleando rodolitos. Neste estudo foram identificados quais organismos foram respons?veis pela aglutina??o de n?dulos do banco de rodolitos do Cabe?o da Sapata (45m de profundidade) e se existe rela??o entre caracter?sticas f?sicas do banco e a ocorr?ncia de aglutinados. Tamb?m foi descrita a estrutura f?sica e a frequ?ncia de ocorr?ncia de aglutinados de rodolitos. Por?fero foi o principal grupo da fauna s?ssil encontrado aglutinando rodolitos e esse processo aponta para uma rela??o entre tamanho dos n?dulos e a varia??o de tamanho entre os n?dulos. A import?ncia das esponjas nos bancos de rodolitos, e potencialmente no processo de forma??o de recifes consolidados, ? refor?ada pelo presente estudo,