Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T13:54:43.581Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Rocky reef fish community structure in two Azorean islands (Portugal) central North Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2010

Áthila Andrade Bertoncini ,
Leonardo Francisco Machado ,
João Pedro Barreiros ,
Maurício Hostim-Silva  and
José Roberto Verani
Áthila Andrade Bertoncini*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de São Carlos—PPGERN—CxP.676São Carlos SP 13.565-905Brazil
Leonardo Francisco Machado
Affiliation:
Universidade dos Açores, Departamento Ciências Agrárias and ImarAçores 9701-851 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
João Pedro Barreiros
Affiliation:
Universidade dos Açores, Departamento Ciências Agrárias and ImarAçores 9701-851 Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal
Maurício Hostim-Silva
Affiliation:
Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo—CEUNES—UFES—Rodovia BR101 Norte, Km. 60, Bairro Litorâneo, São Mateus—ES 29.932-540Brazil
José Roberto Verani
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de São Carlos—PPGERN—CxP.676São Carlos SP 13.565-905Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Á.A. Bertoncini, Universidade Federal de São Carlos—PPGERN—CxP.676, São Carlos SP 13.565-905Brazil email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The community structure of shallow rocky reef fish fauna of the Azores Archipelago is described from underwater visual censuses carried out at eight areas (Terceira and Corvo Islands). A total of 52 fish species from 26 different families was observed, and the ten most abundant fish corresponded to 82.7% of all fish. Trophic categories are given for observed species with comments on distribution and densities along sampled depth strata. Mean densities along sampled strata were tested for significant differences. Sparidae, Labridae and Carangidae were the most speciose families being Diplodus sargus, Pagellus acarne, Coris julis, Thalassoma pavo and Tripterygion delaisi the most abundant species that consequently also accounted for the highest densities.

Keywords

shallow rocky reefsfish communitiestrophic structuretemperate reefsAzores
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 7 , November 2010 , pp. 1353 - 1362
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Afonso, P. (2002) Spatial patterns in the littoral fish community of the Azores. MSc thesis. University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 104 pp.Google Scholar
Afonso, P. (2007) Habitat use and movement patterns of three sympatric fishes with different life history strategies: implications for design of marine reserves. PhD thesis. University of Hawaii, USA, 202 pp.Google Scholar
Afonso, P., Fontes, J., Holland, K.N. and Santos, R.S. (2009) Multi-scale patterns of habitat use in a highly mobile reef fish, the white trevally Pseudocaranx dentex, and their implications for marine reserve design. Marine Ecology Progress Series 381, 273–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azevedo, J.M.N. (1995) Food web of the Azorean shallow water marine ichthyological communities: a guild approach. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal Supplement 4, 29–53.Google Scholar
Azevedo, J.M.N., Rodrigues, J.B., Mendizabal, M. and Arruda, L.M. (1995) Study of a sample of dusky groupers, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834), caught in a tide pool at Lajes do Pico, Azores. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal Supplement 4, 55–64.Google Scholar
Azevedo, J. (1997) Estrutura de uma comunidade ictiológica do litoral da Ilha de São Miguel (Açores): caracterização e variações espaço-temporais. PhD thesis. Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada.Google Scholar
Azevedo, J.M.N., Cepeda, H.I.R. and Rodrigues, J.B. (1999) Notes on the biology of Centrolabrus caeruleus Azevedo, 1999 (Teleostei: Labridae). Arquipélago Life and Marine Sciences 17, 27–36.Google Scholar
Barreiros, J.P. (1995) Aspectos do Comportamento e da Reprodução do Mero Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) nos Açores. Provas de Aptidão Pedagógica e Capacidade Científica, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade dos Açores, 95 pp.Google Scholar
Barreiros, J.P. and Santos, R.S. (1998) Notes on the food habits and predatory behaviour of the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) (Pisces: Serranidae) in the Azores. Arquipélago Life and Marine Sciences 16A, 29–35.Google Scholar
Barreiros, J.P., Santos, R.S. and Borba, E.A. (2002) Food habits, schooling and predatory behaviour of the yellowmouth barracuda, Sphyraena viridensis Cuvier, 1829 (Perciformes: Sphyraenidae) in the Azores. Cybium—International Journal of Ichthyology 26, 83–88.Google Scholar
Barreiros, J.P., Cardigos, F., Soares, M.S.C. and Machado, L.F. (2008) Juvenile Sphyraena viridensis, preyed by the lizard fish Synodus saurus, a new predatory association from the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean). Cybium—International Journal of Ichthyology 32, 273–274.Google Scholar
Bertoncini, A.A., Machado, L.F., Barreiros, J.P., Hostim-Silva, M. and Verani, J.R. (2009) Cleaning activity among Labridae in the Azores: the rainbow wrasse Coris julis and the Azorean blue wrasse Centrolabrus caeruleus. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 89, 859–861.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bortone, S.A., Van Tassell, J.L., Brito, A., Falcon, J.M., Menia, J. and Bundrick, C.M. (1994) Enhancement of the nearshore fish assemblage in the Canary Islands with artificial habitats. Bulletin of Marine Science 55, 602–608.Google Scholar
Brock, V.E. (1954) A preliminary report on a method of estimating reef fish populations. Journal of Wildlife Management 18, 297–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edgar, G.J., Barrett, N.S. and Morton, A.J. (2004) Biases associated with the use of underwater visual census techniques to quantify the density and size-structure of fish populations. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 308, 269–290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferreira, C.E.L., Floeter, S.R., Gasparini, J.L., Joyeux, J.C. and Ferreira, B.P. (2004) Trophic structure patterns of Brazilian reef fishes: a latitudinal comparison. Journal of Biogeography 31, 1093–1106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiredo, M., Morato, T., Barreiros, J.P., Afonso, P. and Santos, R.S. (2005) Feeding ecology of the white seabream, Diplodus sargus, and the ballan wrasse, Labrus bergylta, in the Azores. Fisheries Research 75, 107–119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
França, Z., Cruz, J.V., Nunes, J.C. and Forjaz, V.H. (2003) Geologia dos Açores: uma perspectiva actual. Açoreana 10, 11–140.Google Scholar
Froese, R. and Pauly, D. (2009) FishBase. Available online at: http://www.fishbase.org (Accessed: 13 August 2009.)Google Scholar
Hajagos, J.G. and Van Tassell, J.L. (2001) A visual survey of the inshore fish communities of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands). Arquipélago Life and Marine Sciences 18A, 97–106.Google Scholar
Harmelin-Vivien, M.L., Harmelin, J.-G., Chauvet, C., Duval, C., Galzin, R., Lejeune, P., Barnabe, G., Blanc, F., Chevalier, R., Duclerc, J. and Lasserre, G. (1985) Evaluation visuelle des peuplements et populations de poissons: méthodes et problèmes. Revue d'Ecologie (Terre Vie) 40, 467–539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harmelin-Vivien, M.L., Harmelin, J.-G. and Almeida, A.J. (2001) Structure of fish assemblages on coastal rocky shores of the Azores. Boletim do Museu Municipal do Funchal Supplement 6, 127–138.Google Scholar
Kochzius, M. (2002) Ecology, genetic population structure, and molecular phylogeny of fishes on coral reefs on the Gulf of Aqaba and northern Red Sea. PhD thesis. University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany, 156 pp.Google Scholar
Kulbicki, M. (1998) How the acquired behaviour of commercial reef fishes may influence the results obtained from visual censuses. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 222, 11–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magurran, A.E. (2004) Measuring biological diversity. Oxford: Blackwell Science, viii + 256 pp.Google Scholar
Morato, T., Santos, R.S. and Andrade, J.P. (2000) Feeding habits, seasonal and ontogenic shift of blacktail comber, Serranus atricauda (Pisces: Serranidae), from the Azores, north-eastern Atlantic. Fisheries Research 49, 51–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morato, T.P., Afonso, P., Lourinho, P., Barreiros, J.P., Santos, R.S. and Nash, R.D.M. (2001) Length–weight relationships for 21 coastal fish species of the Azores, north-eastern Atlantic. Fisheries Research 50, 297–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morton, B., Britton, J.C. and Martins, A.M.F. (1998) Costal ecology of the Azores. Ponta Delgada, Portugal: Sociedade Afonso Chaves, VIII + 249 pp.Google Scholar
Nash, R.D.M. and Santos, R.S. (1993) The occurrence of the lesser weever (Echiichthys vipera) (Cuvier 1829) in the Azores. Journal of Fish Biology 43, 317–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, J.S. (2006) Fishes of the world. 3rd edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 624 pp.Google Scholar
Patzner, R.A., Santos, R.S., Ré, P. and Nash, R.D.M. (1992) Littoral fishes of the Azores: an annotated checklist of fishes observed During the “Expedition Azores 1989”. Arquipélago Life and Earth Sciences 10, 101–111.Google Scholar
Patzner, R.A. and Santos, R.S. (1993) Ecology of littoral fishes of the Azores. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 159, 423–427.Google Scholar
Porteiro, F.M., Barreiros, J.P. and Santos, R.S. (1996) Wrasses (Teleostei: Labridae) of the Azores. Arquipélago—Life and Marine Sciences 14, 23–40.Google Scholar
Porteiro, F.M., Santos, R.S., Gonçalves, J.M., Menezes, G.M. and Fonseca, L.C. (1998) Ichthyofauna of lagoa de Santo Cristo—São Jorge Island, Azores. Açoreana 8, 447–456.Google Scholar
Ré, P. (1990) Ecologia dos peixes litorais. p. 129–150. In Expedição Açores 89: Ecologia e taxonomia do litoral marinho dos Açores. Relatório preliminar. Parte I, Vols. 1 e 2. DOP Technical Report, University of the Azores, Portugal, pp. 129–150.Google Scholar
Santos, R.S., Nash, R.D.M. and Hawkins, S.J. (1994) Fish assemblages on intertidal shores of the Island of Faial, Azores. Arquipélag—Life and Marine Sciences 12A, 87–100.Google Scholar
Santos, R.S. (1995) Allopaternal care in the redlip blenny. Journal of Fish Biology 47, 350–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, R.S., Hawkins, S., Monteiro, L.R., Alves, M. and Isidro, E.J. (1995) Marine research, resources and conservation in the Azores. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 5, 311–354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, R.S., Porteiro, F.M. and Barreiros, J.P. (1997) Marine fishes of the Azores: Annotated checklist and bibliography. Arquipélago—Life and Marine Sciences Supplement 1, XXII + 231 pp.Google Scholar
Soares, M.S.C., Barreiros, J.P., Sousa, L. and Santos, R.S. (2002) Agonistic and predatory behaviour of the lizardfish Synodus saurus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actinopterygii: Synodontidae) from the Azores. Aqua—Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 6, 53–60.Google Scholar
Sousa, L., Barreiros, J.P., Soares, M.S.C., Hostim-Silva, M. and Santos, R.S. (2003) Preliminary notes on the reproductive biology of the lizardfish, Synodus saurus (Actynopterygii: Synodontidae) in the Azores. Cybium—International Journal of Ichthyology 27, 41–45.Google Scholar
Zar, H.J. (1998) Biostatistical analysis. 4th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar