Full Length Research Paper
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between the spatiotemporal variation of the gastropod Tricolia affinis and the macroalgal community on the sandstone reef at Piedade beach on the southern coast of Pernambuco State (PE) during the rainy and dry seasons in 2009 and 2010. Five square plots were randomly sampled on each date on the reef flat and pool to sample the gastropod population and measure the biomass of the dominant algae. Abiotic parameters were measured near the sampling sites. Three macroalgal genera, the Rhodophyta Gracilaria and Hypnea and Chlorophyta Bryopsis, showed representative biomasses at the sampling sites and were found throughout the sampling period. The abundance of T. affinis on the reef flat was significantly lower during the rainy season; however, no significant difference in this gastropod’s abundance was found between the reef and tide pool. The density of T. affinis was significantly correlated with the biomass of Gracilaria, which showed the highest biomass and structural complexity in the studied area.
Key words: Sandstone reefs, benthic algae, Gracilaria, mollusca, seasonality.
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