PELD - TAMS | Monitoring the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of zooplankton, considering the connectivity between the estuaries, bay and coastal reefs of Tamandaré Bay

Since September 2017, the TAMS LTER has been continuously monitoring zooplankton in the estuarine plume area of the Mamucabas and Ilhetas rivers, also covering Tamandaré Bay and the adjacent reefs. This research has generated robust data on the structure of the microzooplankton and mesozooplankton communities in the areas under study. Monitoring has been carried out by the Laboratório de Ecologia do Plâncton (LEPLANC/UFRPE), Laboratório de Zooplâncton (LabZoo/UFPE) and Laboratório de Fitoplâncton (LabFito/UFPE). The results obtained have been fundamental in elucidating the biogeochemical effects of the estuarine plume on reef ecosystems, showing changes in the trophic structure along the salinity gradient, from the estuarine plume zone to the coastal reefs. These data contribute significantly to understanding ecological interactions and the responses of zooplankton organisms to environmental variations induced by estuarine dynamics.