Variação sazonal da fauna de crustáceos nos estratos subterrâneo e aéreo em uma pradaria de Halodule wrightii do nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The different microhabitats provided by seagrasses and the habit of the species determinate the vertical distribution of crustaceans. This study verifi ed the infl uence of the seasonality on the spatial distribution of the crustacean community associated with a Halodule wrightii meadow. From April 2006 to July 2007, we performed fi fteen samplings in Goiabeiras Beach, Ceará State, each with fi ve sectioned replicates in belowground and aboveground. Cumaceans and the amphipod Hyale media (Dana, 1853) had a higher frequency, density, and dominance than the other taxa, in both strata. The community exhibited gradual changes along the study, in both the belowground and aboveground strata, but the seagrass structure was not sufficient to explain the vertical distribution of the crustacean fauna along the time.