Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pjpqr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T12:02:31.975Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Scleractinian corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from reef ecosystems on the Alagoas coast, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2010

Monica Dorigo Correia
Monica Dorigo Correia*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Setor de Comunidades Bentônicas (UFAL/ICBS), Rua Aristeu de Andrade, 452–2 andar, Farol, Maceió, Alagoas, Brasil, Cep: 57021090
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: M.D. Correia, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Setor de Comunidades Bentônicas (UFAL/ICBS), Rua Aristeu de Andrade, 452–2 andar, Farol, Maceió, Alagoas, Brasil, Cep: 57021090 email: monicadorigocorreia@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The distribution and ecology of scleractinian corals on reef ecosystems along the coast of the State of Alagoas, north-east Brazil, were characterized. The scleractinians comprised 13 species in nine families, with five endemic corals, on the Alagoas coast. All of these species were found on reef ecosystems of two distinct geological origins. Coral reefs are predominant on the northern and central coast with banks near the beach line and distributed along the coast line, with many platform surfaces emerging during low tide. Sandstone reefs are more common along the south coast of Maceió city and the southern coast of Alagoas. These reefs were formed by old sand banks solidified through sedimentation starting from chemical reactions with calcium carbonate or iron oxide from the Quaternary period, and are generally in rows parallel to the coastline and near the outlets of rivers and estuaries. A few species including Favia gravida and Siderastrea stellata were found in the intertidal zone on top of the reef platform of both types of reefs. The other scleractinian species were observed on the reef borders where there were some inlets and channels. A larger number of coral species occur on the northern coast where the seawater is clearer throughout the year.

Keywords

Brazilian reefcoral reefdistributionendemic coralstaxonomic
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 3 , May 2011 , pp. 659 - 668
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

Amaral, F., Hudson, M.M., Steiner, A.Q. and Ramos, C.A.C. (2007) Corals and calcified hydroids of Manuel Luiz Marine Park (State of Maranhão, North-east Brazil). Biota Neotropica 7, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barbosa, L.M. (1985) Quaternário costeiro no Estado de Alagoas: influências das variações do nível do mar. MSc thesis. Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brasil.Google Scholar
Belém, M.J.C., Rohlfs, C., Pires, D.O., Castro, C.B. and Young, P.S. (1986) S.O.S. Corais. Ciência Hoje 5, 34–42.Google Scholar
Castro, C.B. and Pires, D.O. (2001) Brazilian coral reefs: what we already know and what is still missing. Bulletin of Marine Science 69, 357–371.Google Scholar
Castro, C.B., Amorim, L.C., Calderon, E.N. and Segal, B. (2006) Cobertura e recrutamento de corais recifais (Cnidaria: Scleractinia e Milleporidae) nos recifes de Itacolomis, Brasil. Arquivos Museu Nacional 64, 29–40.Google Scholar
Cedro, V.R., Hajdu, E., Sovierzoski, H.H. and Correia, M.D. (2007) Demospongiae (Porifera) of the shallow coral reefs of Maceió, Alagoas State, Brazil. In Custódio, M.R., Lobo-Hajdu, G., Hajdu, E. and Muricy, G. (eds) Porifera research: biodiversity, innovation and sustainability. Rio de Janeiro: IMOS, pp. 233–237.Google Scholar
Correia, M.D. and Sovierzoski, H.H. (2009) Ecossistemas costeiros de Alagoas—Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Technical Books Press.Google Scholar
Hetzel, B. and Castro, C.B. (1994) Corais do Sul da Bahia. Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira Press.Google Scholar
Laborel, J. (1965) On Brazilian coral reefs. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 37, 1–258.Google Scholar
Laborel, J. (1969a) Madreporaires et hydrocoralliaires récifaux des côtes brésiliennes. Systématique, écologie, répartition verticale et géographique. Annales Institute Océanografique 47, 171–229.Google Scholar
Laborel, J. (1969b) Les Peuplements de Madréporaires des Côtes Tropicales du Brésil. Annales Universidad Abidjan 2, 1–261.Google Scholar
Laborel, J. (1970) Madréporaires et hydrocoralliaires récifaux des côtes brésiliennes. Résultats Scientifique des Campagnes de la ‘Calypso‘ 9, 171–229.Google Scholar
Neves, E.G., Silveira, F.L., Johnsson, R. and Longo, L.L. (2002) Shallow-water scleractinian corals and zoanthids from reefs of Coroa Grande, Pernambuco State, Brazil. Biociências 10, 127–145.Google Scholar
Nunes, F., Fukami, S.V., Norris, R.D. and Knowlton, N. (2008) Re-evaluation of the systematics of the endemic corals of Brazil by molecular data. Coral Reefs 27, 423–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pires, D.O., Castro, C.B. and Ratto, C.C. (1999) Reef coral reproduction in the Abrolhos reef complex, Brazil: the endemic genus Mussismilia. Marine Biology 135, 463–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sarmento, F.J.Q. and Correia, M.D. (2002) Descrição de parâmetros ecológicos e morfológicos externos dos poríferos no recife de coral da Ponta Verde, Maceió, Alagoas, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoociências 4, 12–23.Google Scholar
Sovierzoski, H.H. and Correia, M.D. (1995) Fauna marinha e estuarina. In Salles, V. (ed.) Guia do Meio Ambiente—Litoral. 3rd edition. Maceió: IMA/GTZ/FAPEAL, pp. 74–109.Google Scholar
Veron, J.E.N. (1995) Corals in space and time: the biogeography and evolution of the scleractinia. New York: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Vieira, L.M., Gordon, D.P. and Correia, M.D. (2007) First record of a living ditaxiporine catenicellid in the Atlantic, with a description of Vasignyella ovicellata n. sp. (Bryozoa). Zootaxa 1582, 49–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, E.M. (1983) Corals of the world. Neptune City, NJ: T.F.H. Publications.Google Scholar