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Tidal pool fish community in a coastal tourism destination
  • Manuel Borges,
  • Lucas Faria,
  • Eduardo Bessa
Manuel Borges
Universidade de Brasilia Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Lucas Faria
Universidade Federal de Lavras
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Eduardo Bessa
Universidade de Brasilia Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias do Comportamento
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Abstract

This study assessed the impact of tourism on fish communities in similar tidal pools with varying intensities of tourist activities on two beaches in Ceará, Brazil: Iparana (less structured for tourism) and Flecheiras (more structured). Visual censuses were conducted on days with low visitation (LV, during the week) and high visitation (HV, weekend) in 28 pools each. The study compared the responses of fish communities between the beaches and the intensity of tourist visitation in terms of species richness, abundance, and Shannon’s diversity index. The similarity between tidal pool fish communities was also compared, assuming taxonomic and trophic functional groups. Tourism structure, visitation intensity, and their interaction significantly impacted species richness and the Shannon diversity index. Beaches, visitation intensity, and temperature affect community parameters and trophic functional composition of the tidal pools. Tourism structure visitation intensity mostly influenced species richness, abundance, and diversity. Omnivorous species were more prevalent in areas where tourists provided food, particularly in Flecheiras. The number of tourists significantly altered the composition of fish assemblages in tidal pools, indicating it is a crucial variable affecting the fish community.
05 Aug 2024Submitted to Marine Ecology
07 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
07 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
24 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned