Influence of environmental factors on a Halodule wrightii Ascherson meadow in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The influence of environmental factors on the shape, biomass and biometry of Halodule wrightii was determined throughout the year, in Goiabeiras Beach (Fortaleza-Ceará-Brazil), based on the measurement of meadow shape and employing non-parametric Spearman correlations, canonical correlation analyses and BIO-ENV. Biomass and biometry of H. wrightii were significantly greater in the rainy season in comparison to the dry season. These characters were also positively correlated to variables associated with rainfall. Considering the main environmental factors analyzed, meteorological factors exert a greater influence on a number of variables. Besides waves, strongly influenced by winds in this area, temperature and salinity had a significant role on the variance found in the H. wrightii meadow studied, which can be related to sporadic exposition. Thus, further studies should consider the specific influence of these variables, and also what are the specific influences on reproductive events in H. wrightii in the natural environment.