The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches

High-density Diopatra populations were recorded in the South Brazilian Bight in the 1970s and 1980s. However, by the 1990s, intertidal populations had declined sharply. The decline and partial recovery raise questions about the factors driving long-term changes in abundance. To better understand the...

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Main Authors: Paulo Cesar Paiva, Antonia Cecilia Zacagnini Amaral, Victor Correa Seixas, Mônica Angélica Varella Petti, Tatiana Menchini Steiner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1547300/full
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author Paulo Cesar Paiva
Antonia Cecilia Zacagnini Amaral
Victor Correa Seixas
Mônica Angélica Varella Petti
Tatiana Menchini Steiner
author_facet Paulo Cesar Paiva
Antonia Cecilia Zacagnini Amaral
Victor Correa Seixas
Mônica Angélica Varella Petti
Tatiana Menchini Steiner
author_sort Paulo Cesar Paiva
collection DOAJ
description High-density Diopatra populations were recorded in the South Brazilian Bight in the 1970s and 1980s. However, by the 1990s, intertidal populations had declined sharply. The decline and partial recovery raise questions about the factors driving long-term changes in abundance. To better understand these shifts, patches of Diopatra species from Brazilian sandy beaches were followed for 50 years. Data were accessed from papers, gray literature, images, and collections to verify time changes in the South Brazilian Bight (SBB) from 1974 to 2023. We modeled maximum density over time at 15 beaches, observing very high densities (>100 ind.m−2) in 1974 followed by a decrease (~10 ind.m−2) of three species of Diopatra until 1995 and a strong decline (1996–2002) when populations were almost regionally extinct (0–2ind.m−2). A recovery (3–20 ind.m−2) occurred after 2006 for D. victoriae and D. marinae, the latter associated with warmer northern waters, suggesting a range shift. This pattern was associated with heatwaves linked to an El-Niño event (1988) and a gradual SST surface warming of ca. 1°C since 1974. The usage of Diopatra spp. as fishing bait could also be associated with such a reduction. After 2016, D. neapolitana, a likely alien species, was established in the SBB in high densities. Projections based on species distribution modeling (SDM) suggest a potential of invasion in the same range of the known species of D. cuprea complex along the Brazilian coast despite that there are no signs of competition between both species.
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spelling doaj-art-ba57fe74e309462db0ed4f4f742ed2702025-08-20T02:50:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2025-03-011310.3389/fevo.2025.15473001547300The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beachesPaulo Cesar Paiva0Antonia Cecilia Zacagnini Amaral1Victor Correa Seixas2Mônica Angélica Varella Petti3Tatiana Menchini Steiner4Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilInstituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, BrazilInstituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, BrazilInstituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilInstituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, BrazilHigh-density Diopatra populations were recorded in the South Brazilian Bight in the 1970s and 1980s. However, by the 1990s, intertidal populations had declined sharply. The decline and partial recovery raise questions about the factors driving long-term changes in abundance. To better understand these shifts, patches of Diopatra species from Brazilian sandy beaches were followed for 50 years. Data were accessed from papers, gray literature, images, and collections to verify time changes in the South Brazilian Bight (SBB) from 1974 to 2023. We modeled maximum density over time at 15 beaches, observing very high densities (>100 ind.m−2) in 1974 followed by a decrease (~10 ind.m−2) of three species of Diopatra until 1995 and a strong decline (1996–2002) when populations were almost regionally extinct (0–2ind.m−2). A recovery (3–20 ind.m−2) occurred after 2006 for D. victoriae and D. marinae, the latter associated with warmer northern waters, suggesting a range shift. This pattern was associated with heatwaves linked to an El-Niño event (1988) and a gradual SST surface warming of ca. 1°C since 1974. The usage of Diopatra spp. as fishing bait could also be associated with such a reduction. After 2016, D. neapolitana, a likely alien species, was established in the SBB in high densities. Projections based on species distribution modeling (SDM) suggest a potential of invasion in the same range of the known species of D. cuprea complex along the Brazilian coast despite that there are no signs of competition between both species.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1547300/fullSouth Brazilian Bightbiogeographyheatwavesglobal warmingrange-shiftsalien species
spellingShingle Paulo Cesar Paiva
Antonia Cecilia Zacagnini Amaral
Victor Correa Seixas
Mônica Angélica Varella Petti
Tatiana Menchini Steiner
The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
South Brazilian Bight
biogeography
heatwaves
global warming
range-shifts
alien species
title The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
title_full The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
title_fullStr The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
title_full_unstemmed The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
title_short The fall and rise of Diopatra in Southern Brazilian sandy beaches
title_sort fall and rise of diopatra in southern brazilian sandy beaches
topic South Brazilian Bight
biogeography
heatwaves
global warming
range-shifts
alien species
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1547300/full
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