Research Article

Reef Flat Community Structure of Atol das Rocas, Northeast Brazil and Southwest Atlantic

Table 1

Mean cover of benthic species recorded in Atol das Rocas reef flat. The values correspond to the mean of the 10 sites sampled. Algae nomenclatures are in accordance with AlgaeBase (2009). Other species in accordance with Catalogue of Life (2009).

SpeciesMean cover (%) ± SD
Winter 1999Winter 2000Summer 2000Summer 2002

Bacteria
 Cyanophyceae (sp.1)5.7 ± 7.62.9 ± 4.18.2 ± 5.34.8 ± 7.8
Lyngbya confervoides 2.5 ± 5.810.5 ± 15.30.2 ± 0.67.6 ± 19.4
Plantae
Chlorophyta
Cladophoropsis membranacea 0.6 ± 1.90.2 ± 0.70.1 ± 0.41.5 ± 2.9
Phyllodictyon anastomosans 0.1 ± 0.2
Dictyosphaeria ocellata 21.1 ± 19.423.1 ± 17.329.0 ± 22.19.6 ± 11.2
Dictyosphaeria versluysii 0.1 ± 0.10.2 ± 0.30.3 ± 0.73.7 ± 7.0
Rhizoclonium sp.1.3 ± 2.20.1 ± 0.2
Rhodophyta
Digenea simplex 29.2 ± 34.028.5 ± 31.817.3 ± 24.929.3 ± 28.7
Herposiphonia secunda 1.1 ± 2.7
Gelidiella acerosa 14.1 ± 24.413.0 ± 22.79.1 ± 14.77.5 ± 20.0
Gelidiella setacea 2.5 ± 4.03.0 ± 7.31.3 ± 2.31.3 ± 2.3
 Corallinaceae (sp.1)0.2 ± 0.80.1 ± 0.20.1 ± 0.4
Hydrolithon pachydermum 15.1 ± 12.630.1 ± 21.327.7 ± 19.322.0 ± 15.9
Jania adhaerens 0.3 ± 0.12.4 ± 5.1
Phaeophyta
 sp. 1 (crustose form)5.9 ± 18.5
Animalia
Zoanthus sociatus 18.2 ± 28.317.9 ± 22.919.9 ± 27.418.0 ± 28.5
Siderastrea stellata 0.1 ± 0.1
Dendropoma sp.2.1 ± 4.60.2 ± 0.65.8 ± 9.4
Plakortis sp0.3 ± 0.61.2 ± 1.9
 Polychaeta (sp.1—encrusting tube worm)12.1 ± 16.414.5 ± 21.30.2 ± 0.87.9 ± 13.5