Brazilian Rhodolith Beds Oasis of Marine Biodiversity to Be Protected

About this book

Rhodolith beds form biogenic reefs, oases of high biodiversity in sedimentary seabed environments. Rhodoliths, which are composed of bottom-dwelling marine red algae that resemble coral, are foundation species that provide shelter and substrate for important and abundant benthic communities. Currently, they have been recognised as an important player in the carbon balance, contributing to planetary climatic equilibrium. In Brazil, these environments are frequent and abundant and can be major carbonate 'factories' with a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon in the South Atlantic Ocean. However, these organisms and environments are under threat from climate change, particularly ocean acidification and global warming, as well as local stressors such as fishing impacts and coastal run-off. In this book, written by dozens of researchers from different regions and expertise, the reader will dive more deeply into these and many other subjects related to these wonderful and vulnerable pink and dynamic underwater ecosystems.

Contents

Chapter 1. Coralline red algae and rhodolith beds - a world natural heritage in the Southwestern Atlantic
Chapter 2. A Historical Perspective of the Brazilian Rhodolith Beds: Discovering a Hidden Ecosystem
Chapter 3. Rhodolith beds: occurrence, diversity, and evolution
Chapter 4. Biodiversity associated with rhodolith beds in Brazil
Chapter 5. Molluscs associated with rhodolith beds from the Southwestern Atlantic
Chapter 6. Fossil and recent coralline algal bioconstructions and rhodoliths in the Brazilian shelf
Chapter 7. Rhodolith beds mapping along Brazilian Continental Shelf
Chapter 8. Major Threats to Rhodolith Beds - Ocean Acidification, Global Warming and Local Stressors
Chapter 9. Contributions of rhodolith beds to people
Chapter 10. The legacy of Gilberto M. Amado-Filho to South Atlantic Rhodolith Beds knowledge: memories of his students

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Biography

Paulo Antunes Horta - Graduated in Biological Sciences at the University of São Paulo (1996), PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of São Paulo (2000) and PostDoc in Marine Ecology at Plymouth University, UK (2013), and the University of Algarve (2018). He was a professor at the Federal University of Paraiba (2004), visiting professor at the University of Salento (2021), and since 2006, has been a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. He is interested in marine ecology, studying the impacts of climate change and local stressors on marine biodiversity.

Marina Nasri Sissini - Graduated as a biologist at Federal University of Santa Catarina (2011), PhD in Ecology at the same university. She is particularly interested in the Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation of rhodolith beds in the South Atlantic.