DIEL CHANGES IN THE VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF DECAPODA LARVAE IN A TROPICAL ANTHROPIZED ESTUARY

Breno Arles da Silva Santos; Alejandro Esteweson Santos Faustino da Costa; Renata Polyana de Santana Campelo; Xiomara Franchesca García  Díaz; Jana Ribeiro de Santana

doi:10.18817/repesca.v17i1.4652

Autores

Breno Arles da Silva Santos UFSB https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9738-7392
Alejandro Esteweson Santos Faustino da Costa Department of Human Sciences and Technology (DCHT XXIV), State University of Bahia, Professor Carlos Santos Street, 601, City Center, Xique-Xique 47400-000, Bahia, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4117-1987
Renata Polyana de Santana Campelo Federal University of Pernambuco, Center for Technology and Geosciences, Oceanography Museum, Zooplankton Laboratory (Av. Arquitetura s/n, University City, 50740-550, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil). ORCID® 0000-0002-8605-1743. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8605-1743
Xiomara Franchesca García Díaz Institute of Socio-Environmental and Water Resources, Federal Rural University of the Amazon, 66077-830, Belém, Pará, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6140-5373
Jana Ribeiro de Santana Department of Human Sciences and Technology (DCHT XXIV), State University of Bahia, Professor Carlos Santos Street, 601, City Center, Xique-Xique 47400-000, Bahia, Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6484-9482

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18817/repesca.v17i1.4652

Palavras-chave:

Coastal connectivity; Eutrophication; Hydrodynamic transport; Marine intrusion; Nycthemeral cycle; Plankton ecology; Recruitment dynamics; Salinity gradient.

Resumo

Planktonic organisms, including decapod crustacean larvae, commonly exhibit diel vertical migration as a behavioral strategy in estuarine environments. This study investigated the vertical distribution, diel variability, and seasonal patterns of decapod larvae in a eutrophic and highly anthropized tropical estuary (Pina Estuary, northeastern Brazil). Larvae were sampled over a complete nycthemeral cycle during the rainy (2016) and dry (2017) seasons at surface and near-bottom layers. A significant interaction between time of day and depth was detected (ANOVA; p < 0.05). Larval densities at the surface were consistently low during daytime but increased markedly at night, whereas bottom layers showed no significant diel variation. Depth-related differences were observed only during the day, with higher larval densities near the bottom. No significant seasonal differences in larval abundance were detected. Larval density showed a positive correlation with salinity (r_s = 0.41; p = 0.01), indicating that marine intrusion and tidal dynamics play a key role in structuring larval distribution. These results confirm diel vertical migration as a dominant short-term behavioral process regulating the vertical distribution of decapod larvae, likely associated with predator avoidance and hydrodynamic transport. The persistence of larvae despite strong anthropogenic pressure suggests a degree of ecological resilience dependent on marine connectivity. This study highlights the relevance of larval dynamics as indicators of estuarine functioning and provides useful insights for the management of impacted tropical coastal ecosystems.

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