Rainfall Influences the Patterns of Diversity and Species Distribution in Sandy Beaches of the Amazon Coast

Helio H. Checon, Hugo H. R. Costa, Guilherme N. Corte, Fernanda M. Souza and Maíra Pombo ()
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Helio H. Checon: Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo 13083-970, SP, Brazil
Hugo H. R. Costa: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, AP, Brazil
Guilherme N. Corte: College of Science and Mathematics, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, VI 00802, USA
Fernanda M. Souza: Instituto Estadual de Pesquisa do Amapá, Macapá 68906-440, AP, Brazil
Maíra Pombo: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá 68903-419, AP, Brazil

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: The Amazon region is one of the Earth’s hotspots of biodiversity and has a pivotal role in climate regulation. Yet, little is known about its coastal biodiversity. Here, we performed the first assessment of macrobenthic diversity and ecological patterns of sandy beaches north of the Amazon River delta, the world’s largest freshwater input into the oceans. By assessing spatial and temporal changes in the soft-bottom biodiversity and environmental variables of three beaches (Goiabal, Nazaré, and Sumaúma) in the northernmost stretch of the Brazilian coast, we found low richness (14 taxa, overall; Goiabal: 3.27 ± 1.78; Nazaré: 2.34 ± 1.29; Sumaúma: 2 ± 0.67) and diversity (Goiabal: 0.72 ± 0.52; Nazaré: 0.62 ± 0.46; Sumaúma: 0.55 ± 0.39) across 2949 individuals with great dominance of estuarine species (notably Nephthys fluviatis and Sphaeromopsis mourei ). Abundance was higher during rainy periods, and the same pattern was observed for richness and diversity in comparison to transitional periods, at least on Nazaré Beach. Environmental heterogeneity was reduced during rainy periods, resulting in a higher abundance of dominant species and lower beta diversity. Most species presented aggregated distribution at the upper intertidal zone, and changes in macrobenthic assemblages were linked to variations in rainfall and organic matter content in the sediment. Given the ecological uniqueness and the severe erosional process affecting the northern coast of the Amazon region, our results provide essential baseline knowledge to better understand the patterns and processes influencing its understudied biodiversity. We advocate that further studies expand our findings to support the conservation of this region.

Keywords: macrobenthic fauna; Amazon coast; beta diversity; habitat heterogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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