Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf
Abstract The Amazon Continental Shelf (ACS) stretches for more than 2500 km along the coast of northern Brazil, where it is influenced directly by the discharge of the Amazon River, which deposits enormous quantities of organic matter at its mouth. Despite the extraordinary importance of this region...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11261-x |
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| author | Alex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau Ana Patricia Barros Cordeiro Rafael Anaisce das Chagas Wagner Cesar Rosa dos Santos Alexandre Pires Marceniuk Priscila Sousa Vilela da Nóbrega Jussara Moretto Martinelli-Lemos Israel Hidenburgo Aniceto Cintra Nathalia Santos Serrão de Castro Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho Bastos Flávio de Almeida Alves-Junior Larissa da Costa Pinheiro Bianca Bentes |
| author_facet | Alex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau Ana Patricia Barros Cordeiro Rafael Anaisce das Chagas Wagner Cesar Rosa dos Santos Alexandre Pires Marceniuk Priscila Sousa Vilela da Nóbrega Jussara Moretto Martinelli-Lemos Israel Hidenburgo Aniceto Cintra Nathalia Santos Serrão de Castro Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho Bastos Flávio de Almeida Alves-Junior Larissa da Costa Pinheiro Bianca Bentes |
| author_sort | Alex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Amazon Continental Shelf (ACS) stretches for more than 2500 km along the coast of northern Brazil, where it is influenced directly by the discharge of the Amazon River, which deposits enormous quantities of organic matter at its mouth. Despite the extraordinary importance of this region, it is still among the least-studied sectors of the Brazilian coast. The present study, which is based on the data generated by the continuous monitoring conducted by the National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR/ICMBio) and the systematic review of the databases of reference collections, provides the most comprehensive inventory of the marine biodiversity of the ACS compiled up to now. A total of 3286 species were identified, 1247 more than previous studies, including primarily bony fish (28%) microorganisms (15%) and molluscs (14%). Considering the conservation status of the species, 67 of which are threatened at some level according to the list of endangered species in Brazil, mainly cartilaginous fish (40%), bony fish (31%) and seabirds (11%). The results of the present study reveal hotspots of biodiversity, especially near offshore oilfields and fishing grounds, raising concerns about the potential impact of human activity in the region. These findings emphasize the need for systematic ecosystem management combined with continuous monitoring, to mitigate these threats to the biodiversity of the ACS, while also reinforcing the importance of integrating scientific and conservation efforts to protect this unique, but vulnerable biome. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d71447fa71047fbbb716400cdd294aa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d71447fa71047fbbb716400cdd294aa2025-08-20T03:04:38ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-11261-xBiodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelfAlex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau0Ana Patricia Barros Cordeiro1Rafael Anaisce das Chagas2Wagner Cesar Rosa dos Santos3Alexandre Pires Marceniuk4Priscila Sousa Vilela da Nóbrega5Jussara Moretto Martinelli-Lemos6Israel Hidenburgo Aniceto Cintra7Nathalia Santos Serrão de Castro8Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho Bastos9Flávio de Almeida Alves-Junior10Larissa da Costa Pinheiro11Bianca Bentes12Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio)/National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR)Federal Rural University of Amazon (UFRa)/Socio-Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ISARH)Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio)/National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR)Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio)/National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR)Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB)/Postgraduate Program in Biological SciencesFederal University of Pará (UFPa)/Postgraduate Program in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries (PPGEAP)Federal University of Pará (UFPa)/Postgraduate Program in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries (PPGEAP)Federal Rural University of Amazon (UFRa)/Socio-Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ISARH)Federal Rural University of Amazon (UFRa)/Socio-Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ISARH)Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio)/National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR)Federal Rural University of Amazon (UFRa)/Socio-Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ISARH)Federal University of Pará (UFPa)/Postgraduate Program in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries (PPGEAP)Federal University of Pará (UFPa)/Postgraduate Program in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries (PPGEAP)Abstract The Amazon Continental Shelf (ACS) stretches for more than 2500 km along the coast of northern Brazil, where it is influenced directly by the discharge of the Amazon River, which deposits enormous quantities of organic matter at its mouth. Despite the extraordinary importance of this region, it is still among the least-studied sectors of the Brazilian coast. The present study, which is based on the data generated by the continuous monitoring conducted by the National Center for Research and Conservation of the Marine Biodiversity of Northern Brazil (CEPNOR/ICMBio) and the systematic review of the databases of reference collections, provides the most comprehensive inventory of the marine biodiversity of the ACS compiled up to now. A total of 3286 species were identified, 1247 more than previous studies, including primarily bony fish (28%) microorganisms (15%) and molluscs (14%). Considering the conservation status of the species, 67 of which are threatened at some level according to the list of endangered species in Brazil, mainly cartilaginous fish (40%), bony fish (31%) and seabirds (11%). The results of the present study reveal hotspots of biodiversity, especially near offshore oilfields and fishing grounds, raising concerns about the potential impact of human activity in the region. These findings emphasize the need for systematic ecosystem management combined with continuous monitoring, to mitigate these threats to the biodiversity of the ACS, while also reinforcing the importance of integrating scientific and conservation efforts to protect this unique, but vulnerable biome.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11261-xAmazon continental shelfNorthern Brazil marine biodiversityBiodiversity monitoring |
| spellingShingle | Alex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau Ana Patricia Barros Cordeiro Rafael Anaisce das Chagas Wagner Cesar Rosa dos Santos Alexandre Pires Marceniuk Priscila Sousa Vilela da Nóbrega Jussara Moretto Martinelli-Lemos Israel Hidenburgo Aniceto Cintra Nathalia Santos Serrão de Castro Carlos Eduardo Matos Carvalho Bastos Flávio de Almeida Alves-Junior Larissa da Costa Pinheiro Bianca Bentes Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf Scientific Reports Amazon continental shelf Northern Brazil marine biodiversity Biodiversity monitoring |
| title | Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf |
| title_full | Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf |
| title_fullStr | Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf |
| title_short | Biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the Amazon continental shelf |
| title_sort | biodiversity hotspots and threatened species under human influence in the amazon continental shelf |
| topic | Amazon continental shelf Northern Brazil marine biodiversity Biodiversity monitoring |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11261-x |
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