title: Seasonal and spatial ontogenetic movements of Gerreidae in a Brazilian tropical estuarine ecocline and its application for nursery habitat conservation.
abstract: The density and biomass of different ontogenetic phases (juvenile, sub-adult and adult) of the two most important sympatric Gerreidae species in the Goiana Estuary, north-east Brazil, are described in order to determine the patterns of estuarine habitat use and to identify nursery grounds. Eugerres brasilianus and Eucinostomus melanopterus were the most abundant gerreids in the main channel and adjacent estuarine beach habitats. Eugerres brasilianus is abundant in the main channel, whereas E. melanopterus is most common in the beach habitats. Significant interaction in density and biomass of juvenile and sub-adult size classes of E. brasilianus was found between season and area. In addition, E. brasilianus adults and E. melanopterus sub-adults differed significantly in density and biomass between areas of the estuary. Both the upper estuary, during the late dry season, and the middle estuary, during the early rainy season, functioned as nursery habitats for E. brasilianus. During the early rainy season and dry season, the beaches were a nursery for the E. melanopterus. The concentration of these ontogenetic phases was mainly related to the dissolved oxygen and salinity gradients of the estuary, which drive not only gerreid movement between estuarine habitats but also moves the habitats. This study reinforces the importance of conserving the habitats of the Goiana Estuary so that species such as gerreids can complete their life cycle in the face of pressure from anthropogenic activities, such as mangrove forest deforestation, overfishing, fish contamination by plastic ingestion and domestic effluent disposal.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia da Paraíba (IFPB)-Campus Cabedelo, Rua Santa de Cássia, s/n, Jardim Camboinha, Cabedelo, Paraíba, CEP 58103-772, Brazil.|Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.
authors.forename: J A A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barletta
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.|Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Centro de Educação Superior da Região Sul (CERES), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Rua Coronel Fernandes Martins, 270, Progresso, Laguna, Santa Catarina, 88790-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia e Gerenciamento de Ecossistemas Costeiros e Estuarinos, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, CEP 50740-550, Brazil.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018533:Biomass; D001938:Brazil; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D063366:Estuaries; D005399:Fishes; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D010473:Perciformes; D011156:Population Density; D011891:Rain; D054712:Salinity; D012621:Seasons; D061350:Sympatry; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: estuarine fish; fish habitats; fish movement; mojarras; pollution