Spatial distribution of the most abundant sea urchin populations on the southeast coast of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The spatial variability of Echinometra lucunter, Lytechinus variegatus and Arbacia lixula was studied in relation to four spatial scales (105, 104, 103 and 102 m) and two depths (0–3 and 3–8 m), along 100 km of the São Paulo coastline (August to October 1996). Echinometra lucunter was the most abundant species, with preference for shallow substrates subject to wave action. An abundance gradient was identified, increasing from southwest to northeast. Arbacia lixula showed the same pattern of spatial variation, but was more abundant in the deeper areas. Both species showed significant differences on a spatial scale of hundreds of meters, and E. lucunter also on a scale of kilometers. Lytechinus variegates presented a patchy distribution, being more abundant at certain sites. Variations in the water quality and natural heterogeneity of the habitat may explain the spatial distribution of these populations.
Downloads
Article Details
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, which allows you to share and adapt the work, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Figures, tables and other elements in the article are included in the article’s CC BY 4.0 license, unless otherwise indicated. The journal title is protected by copyrights and not subject to this license. Full license deed can be viewed here.