title: Habitat use by Centropomus undecimalis in a rocky area of estuarine beach in north-east Brazil.
abstract: The influence of habitat, diel period, tidal phase and moon phase on the spatial distribution of Centropomus undecimalis was investigated at the mouth of the Timbo estuary, north-east Brazil. Underwater visual censuses were conducted in three areas comprising a mix of mud, sand and beach rock substrata; with one of the areas having additional structural complexity in the form of unused wooden debris. The area with debris housed significantly higher densities of juvenile and adult C. undecimalis whereas sub-adults were more abundant in an area lacking the wooden debris. Juvenile abundance was greatest during the day, whereas sub-adult and adults were more abundant at night. There were significant interactions between habitat, diel period, tidal phase and moon phase for all ages of C. undecimalis. These results emphasize the need to account for a range of environmental factors when planning for the conservation of estuarine and coastal habitats.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Engenharia de Pesca, Centro de Educação Superior da Região Sul (CERES), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Av. Coronel Fernandes Martins, 270, Progresso, Laguna - SC, CEP: 88790-000, Brazil.|Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Ecosystems, Department of Oceanography, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Arquitetura s/n, Cidade Universitária, CEP, 50740-550, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Ecosystems, Department of Oceanography, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Arquitetura s/n, Cidade Universitária, CEP, 50740-550, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barletta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D017753:Ecosystem; D063366:Estuaries; D016081:Moon; D010473:Perciformes
keywords: South America; coastal waters; common snook; fish ecology; fish movement; underwater visual censuses