Ecologia de angiospermas marinhas brasileiras: o conhecimento atual é suficiente para tomar decisões soba tomar decisões sobre mitigação dos efeitos de mudança climática?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to synthesize published information about environmental in fl uences on seagrasses in Brazil, and to identify where further research is needed, particularly in the context of global climate change. Of the 84 articles published as of June 2013, only two used a climate change-related approach, as a result of joint efforts between national and international institutions. These studies indicated that climate change is the probable cause of the loss of seagrass populations in some areas of northeastern Brazil. The expansion of the species Halodule wrightii Ascherson into the Brazilian subtropical region may also have been a response to this phenomenon. Although data are available on the interactions of H. wrightii and Ruppia maritima L. with the environment, this knowledge is still preliminary. In general, knowledge of seagrasses on the Brazilian coast needs to be further developed, not only with respect to species ecology, but also within the context of climate change.