Long-term monitoring projects of Brazilian marine and coastal ecosystems.

Biodiversity assessment is a mandatory task for sustainable and adaptive management for the next decade, and long-term ecological monitoring programs are a cornerstone for understanding changes in ecosystems. The Brazilian Long-Term Ecological Research Program (PELD) is an integrated effort model supported by public funds that finance ecological studies at 34 locations. By interviewing and compiling data from project coordinators, we assessed monitoring efforts, targeting biological groups and scientific production from nine PELD projects encompassing coastal lagoons to mesophotic reefs and oceanic islands. Reef environments and fish groups were the most often studied within the long-term projects. PELD projects covered priority areas for conservation but missed sensitive areas close to large cities, as well as underrepresenting ecosystems on the North and Northeast Brazilian coast. Long-term monitoring projects in marine and coastal environments in Brazil are recent (<5 years), not yet integrated as a network, but scientifically productive with considerable relevance for academic and human resources training. Scientific production increased exponentially with project age, despite interruption and shortage of funding during their history. From our diagnosis, we recommend some actions to fill in observed gaps, such as: enhancing projects' collaboration and integration; focusing on priority regions for new projects; broadening the scope of monitored variables; and, maintenance of funding for existing projects.

Niche availability and habitat affinities of the red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus, 1758): An important ecological player on the world's largest rhodolith beds.

The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) is a carnivore bottom dweller sparid, inhabiting flat sandy bottoms, rhodolith and seagrass beds of the Mediterranean Sea, the Western Atlantic (from Florida to Argentina) and the Eastern Atlantic (from Britain to Gabon). Along its native range, the red porgy is highly targeted by commercial and artisanal fisheries. In the past 40 years, the population decline of the species has been widely reported. In many locations, such as the Brazilian coast, stocks have collapsed. The central portion of the Brazilian coast harbours the largest rhodolith beds in the world and the highest levels of nektonic and benthic biodiversity. Along the rhodolith megahabitat, P. pagrus density is disproportionately higher (by 480%) than that of conspicuous benthic fishes inhabiting the same environment. Despite the ecological and economic importance of such an important species along its native range, little is known regarding its habitat use, niche availability and population responses to global warming. Here we present habitat affinities based on data sampled using baited remote stereo-video systems, and modelled niche availability and global warming populational responses. Our findings reveal that the red porgy is a species highly associated with rhodolith beds along the central portion of the Brazilian coast. The presence of a disproportional density and biomass of the red porgy, compared to other marine fish species, indicates that the species plays a key ecological role as a carnivore, mesoconsumer and prey/predator tolerant species, maintaining essential ecological functions in the habitat. In a global warming scenario, the model predicted populational niche shifts poleward and a severe niche erosion at lower latitudes as expected. Conservation initiatives (implementation of Maine Protected Areas, trawling exclusion zones, mining exclusion zones, fisheries management policies) are urgent to secure future stocks of the red porgy and also preserve the fragile rhodolith beds they inhabit.