Estrutura da comunidade macrobentônica intertidal em praias invadidas pelo bivalve Isognomon bicolor (C.B. Adams, 1845) (Mollusca: Pteriidae) no Nordeste brasileiro

Abstract

The invasive bivalve Isognomon bicolor is native to the Caribbean Sea and today is among the key invasive marine species in coastal habitats of the Brazilian coast. Before this problem, this study aims to characterize the structure of the macrobenthic community on beaches in the presence Isognomon bicolor and assess whether their presence may be influencing or being influenced by the distribution and density of native species. The study was conducted in the rocky beaches of Carapibus and Jacumã, Paraíba state (NE Brazil). On Carapibus beach were recorded the highest densities of the invasive I. bicolor (300 ind/m 2 ) and native benthic species (11,372.22 ind/m²). Density of I. bicolor was highest in the mesolittoral zone (347.68 ind/m²) in the rainy season (158.56 ind/m²). However, there was no difference in benthic communities of these beaches between the dry and rainy periods (p = 0.054), but beaches (p = 0.001) and mesolittoral zones (p = 0.005) were significantly different. In characterizing the distribution and zoning of the benthic community, it was observed that in the upper mesolittoral zone these two beaches, the dominant species was the bivalve Brachidontes exustus and the microgastropod Echinolittorina lineolata, and the barnacle Chthamalus sp. In the lower mesolitoral zone, B. exustus, Chthamalus sp., and I. bicolor were the main differentiating factors of the observed zonation. It was also a positive correlation between the density of I. bicolor and some native species. With the results obtained, it can be concluded that certain benthic macroinvetebrates, structural characteristics and benthic cover of the studied beaches are influencing the density and distribution of I. bicolor.