Sessile and sedentary macrofauna from the Pirapama Shipwreck, Pernambuco, Brazil

Biota Neotrop., vol. 10, no. 4 Sessile and sedentary macrofauna from the Pirapama Shipwreck, Pernambuco, Brazil Simone Maria de Albuquerque Lira1,3, Cristiane Maria Rocha Farrapeira2, Fernanda Maria Duarte Amaral2 & Carla Alecrim Colaço Ramos2 1 Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco – UFPE, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, n. 1235, CEP 50670-901, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE, Brasil 2 Área de Zoologia, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco – UFRPE, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, CEP 52171-900, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, Brasil 3 Corresponding author: Simone Maria de Albuquerque Lira, e-mail: LIRA, S.M.A., FARRAPEIRA, C.M.R., AMARAL, F.M.D. & RAMOS, C.A.C. Sessile and sedentary macrofauna from the Pirapama Shipwreck, Pernambuco, Brazil. Biota Neotrop. 10(4): http://www. biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/en/abstract?article+bn03310042010. Abstract: Shipwrecks are considered artificial reef environments – structures immersed in aquatic environments (especially marine ones) that provide fauna with shelter, hard substrates, food and nursery areas. This study aimed to survey the benthic animal biodiversity of the Pirapama shipwreck, located 23 m deep and six miles off Recife harbor. From 2001 to 2007, species were observed, photographed and collected through scuba diving. The material was later sorted and identified in the laboratory. A total of 76 sessile and sedentary animal taxa were recorded belonging to the following phyla: Porifera (Demospongiae and Calcarea), Cnidaria (Hydrozoa and Anthozoa), Mollusca (Bivalvia and Gastropoda), Annelida (Polychaeta), Arthropoda (Cirripedia), Bryozoa (Gymnolaemata), Echinodermata (Asteroidea and Echinoidea), and Chordata (Ascidiacea). The greatest richness was for Porifera and Bryozoa – 13 listed species for each. Eleven new occurrences were recorded for the state of Pernambuco, the hydroid Halopteris polymorpha and ten bryozoan species, one of them being the first record for Brazil (Scrupocellaria curacaoensis). The Pirapama’s biodiversity was considered typical when compared to other shipwrecks that have been studied around the world. Keywords: artificial reefs, biofouling, benthic fauna inventory, marine invertebrates, biodiversity. LIRA, S.M.A., FARRAPEIRA, C.M.R., AMARAL, F.M.D. & RAMOS, C.A.C. Macrofauna séssil e sedentária do Naufrágio Pirapama, Pernambuco, Brasil. Biota Neotrop. 10(4): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/ pt/abstract?article+bn03310042010. Resumo: Naufrágios são classificados como ambientes recifais artificiais, estruturas imersas em ecossistemas aquáticos (principalmente marinhos) que fornecem abrigo, substratos consolidados, áreas de crescimento, alimentação e de berçário. Este estudo objetivou pesquisar a biodiversidade bentônica animal do Naufrágio Pirapama, localizado a 23 m de profundidade e a seis milhas do Porto de Recife. Entre 2001 e 2007 mergulhos autônomos foram realizados para coletar, observar e fotografar as espécies. No laboratório, o material foi posteriormente classificado e identificado. Um total de 76 táxons foi registrado para a fauna séssil e sedentária, pertencentes aos seguintes filos: Porifera (Demospongiae e Calcarea), Cnidaria (Hydrozoa e Anthozoa), Mollusca (Bivalvia e Gastropoda), Annelida (Polychaeta), Arthropoda (Cirripedia), Bryozoa (Gymnolaemata), Echinodermata (Asteroidea e Echinoidea), e Chordata (Ascidiacea). A maior quantidade de espécies foi de Porifera e Bryozoa, com 13 espécies listadas para cada um. Onze novas ocorrências foram registradas para o Estado de Pernambuco, o hidróide Halopteris polymorpha e dez espécies de briozoários, uma deles sendo o primeiro registro para o Brasil (Scrupocellaria curacaoensis). A biodiversidade do Pirapama foi considerada típica quando comparada com a de outros naufrágios que foram estudados no mundo. Palavras-chave: recifes artificiais, biofouling, inventário da fauna bentônica, invertebrados marinhos, biodiversidade. http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v10n4/en/abstract?article+bn03310042010 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br Biota Neotrop., vol. 10, no. 4 156 Lira, S.M.A. et al. Introduction The concept of “artificial reef” defines a group of activities that aim to remodel the marine ecosystem by offering new habitats (Seaman 2000). They are also commonly used in underwater leisure activities; the development of local marine life promoted by such submersed structures makes these environments favorable sites for recreational diving, for example (Dowling & Nichol 2001). Oceanic platforms, docks, dikes, jetties and sea walls are some of the environments that fit this definition and that essentially function as artificial rocky coasts (Pickering et al. 1998). Shipwrecks are also classified as artificial reefs and are structures that have been accidentally or deliberately sunk in aquatic environments, especially marine ones. Similarly to natural reef environments, they provide substrate for benthic fauna, shelter from predation and tidal currents, growth and food areas, nursery space for fauna, and recruitment habitats for individuals that would otherwise lose themselves from the rest of the population (Hixon & Beets 1989, Pickering & Whitmarsh 1997, Pickering et al. 1998, Amaral et al. 2006, Krohling et al. 2006, Walker et al. 2007). Additionally, there is high biodiversity and increased connectivity between natural and artificial reefs, the former which occupy less than 0.25% of the ocean (Knowlton 2008). In these areas the biological encrustations observed (referred to as “fouling”) include sessile fauna and flora communities that attach themselves to hard substrates (epifauna and epiflora), as well as boring species (infauna) or free-living species that hide in crevices (sedentary) (Whoi 1952, Floerl et al. 2004). The benthic fauna carries out an essential ecological role in aquatic ecosystems, since most of these organisms participate in organic matter decomposition and in cycling the substrate’s nutrients. Thus, such fauna occupies an important position within the food web and is the main food item of many nektonic animals (Nybakken 1993, Snelgrove 1998). Researches related to the benthic organisms found in different submerged artificial structures have been carried out in several regions of the world (Woodhead & Jacobson 1985, Wendt et al. 1989, Bull & Kendall 1994, Zintzen et al. 2006, 2008). In Brazil, pioneering studies with artificial reefs began in 1985, in Rio de Janeiro, as an attempt to prevent predatory fishing with bottom trawls used to capture shrimp (Santos & Passavante 2007). From the 1990’s on, other states initiated partnerships with universities and nongovernmental organizations in order to develop projects to implement artificial reefs on their continental platforms. The submerged structures used vary from tires to ship hulls and aim to act as biological fish attractors (Conceição et al. 1997). Presently other studies are being carried out to test different type (...truncated)