A new paper from LECAR Lab is online in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. In this publication, we investigated
possible nursery habitats for reef fish in shallow reefscapes in South Bahia state, Brazil. Fish surveys were
performed in back and fore reef habitats, and in Sargassum-dominated seaweed and seagrass beds. Significantly
more juveniles were found in seaweed beds compared to all other habitats, with abundance positively correlated to
canopy height. Very few juveniles were recorded in the surveyed seagrass beds, contrary to what usually is the case
in tropical seascapes. Our results highlight the importance of Sargassum- dominated seaweed beds for juvenile
reef fish, and that they are an important component of the coastal reef systems.

Graphical abstract of the article

Eggertsen L, Ferreira CEL, Fountoura L, Kautsky N, Gullstrom M, Berkstrom C. 2017. Seaweed beds support more
juvenile reef fish than seagrass beds in a south-western Atlantic tropical seascape. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf
Science 196: 97-108. PDF

Written by: Linda Eggertsen 09/2017