Brazilian Coral Reefs | A Multidisciplinary Approach

The Brazilian coral reefs form structures significantly different from the well-known reef models, as follows: they have a growth form of mushroom-shaped coral pinnacles called "chapeirões"; they are built by a low diversity coral fauna rich in endemic species, with most of them relic forms dating back to the Miocene; and the nearshore bank reefs are surrounded by siliciclastic sediments. The reefs are distributed into four major sectors along the Brazilian coast: the northern, the northeastern, and the eastern regions, and the oceanic islands, but certain isolated coral species can be found in warmer waters in the embayment of the southern region. There are different types of bank reefs, fringing reefs, isolated "chapeirões" and an atoll present along the Brazilian coast. Corals, milleporids, and coralline algae build the rigid frame of the reefs. The areas in which the major coral reefs occur correspond to regions in which nearby urban centers are experiencing accelerated growth, and tourism development is rapidly increasing. The major human effects on the reef ecosystem are mostly associated with the increased sedimentation due to the removal of the Atlantic rainforest and the disposal of industrial and urban effluents. Fishing resources are seriously declining due to pollution and overfishing, and this reduction impacts artisanal fishers, who are impoverished and face food security risks. The effects of warming oceanic waters that have been affecting several reef areas with high-intensity coral bleaching did not show until the 2010 event, episodes of coral mass mortality in Brazilian reefs. However, since 2016, bleaching has increased, as has the mortality of milleporids. There are opportunities to develop purposeful biotechnologies that can support coral reef restoration and conservation. Reciprocally, preserved coral reef ecosystems containing peculiar genetic resources allow biotechnological opportunities to provide products and processes for economically and ecologically prosperous societies.

RUY KENJI PAPA KIKUCHI – BSc in Geology at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and doctorate at Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), where he is currently a Full Professor. His primary interest is Coral Reef Geology and Ecology. He started to investigate Holocene reef growth during his Masters at Rocas Atoll and started to investigate reef ecology during his PhD. At the moment, he is developing reef assessment and monitoring, evaluating climate/oceanographic proxies within the coral skeletons, and using corals as sea-level indicators. He develops experimental, field, and lab projects, including the effects of acidification on coral growth and carbonate sedimentation. He is one of the PIs of the National Institute of Science and Technology for the Research of the Tropical Marine Environment (INCT AmbTropic) a network of institutions of the Tropical Brazilian region funded by the National Counsel for the Development of Science and Technology of Brazil (CNPq), coordinating the Reef Environment Working Group. This project is also dedicated to studying the impact of ocean acidification on reef-building organisms. The Tropical South Atlantic has been his study area.

ZELINDA MARGARIDA DE ANDRADE NERY LEÃO – Professor Emerita of the Institute of Geosciences of the Federal University of Bahia. BSc in Natural History at Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (1958); Specialization in Micropaleontology at the University of Paris, France (1963);  MSc in Earth Sciences, option Sedimentology, at Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (1971); Ph.D. in Marine Geology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Florida, USA (1982). She has published numerous papers in national and international scientific journals, chapters in books and presented papers in national and international congresses. She is associated to several national and international Scientific Societies, including: the Brazilian Society of Geology (SBG), Brazilian Society for the Study of Coral Reefs (CORALLUS), International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS), Brazilian Society of Oceanography. Representative of Brazil in the Tropical South America Coral Reef Program of the GCRMN, Member of the Brazilian Committee of SCOR (2006-2008) and is a former Member of the Ocean Science Committee of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) of Brazil. She teaches at the postgraduate course in Geology at UFBA since 1980, a visiting professor at the postgraduate course in Environmental Sciences from the University of Santa Ursula, Rio de Janeiro. Her main area of interest is the Geology of the reef areas: the natural processes involved and the environmental problems caused by natural process and the anthropogenic activity.

MARIA ELISABETH DE ARAUJO – Full Professor at the Department of Oceanography at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). Biologist, master in zoology and doctorate in genetics (UFRJ, 1997), worked with fishing and rural extension (SUDENE, 1982-1995), coordinated the Tropical Marine Ichthyology Group (IMAT/CNPq) and taught at the Department of Fisheries Engineering (UFC, 1995-2002). She trained more than 150 students (bachelor's and post-doctorate) and produced 80 scientific articles, three books, and 18 chapters. As a retired professor (2020), she seeks to apply her academic experience to provoke a more humanized interaction between people who experience ecological knowledge (scientific and popular) and desire nature conservation, including traditional communities.

TITO MONTEIRO DA CRUZ LOTUFO – Biologist with an MSc in Ecology and a PhD in Zoology and Habilitation in Biological Oceanography, all from the University of São Paulo. He was formerly a professor at the Fisheries Engineering Department and the Institute of Marine Sciences at the Federal University of Ceará. Currently is an Associate Professor at the Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, acting as the Head of the Biological Oceanography Department. He is also the Public Policies Coordinator of Projeto Coral Vivo, an NGO dedicated to the conservation of marine coralline environments. Prof. Lotufo serves as Associate Editor for the journals Biota Neotropica, Zookeys, Revista de Investigaciones Marinas (Cuba), and Frontiers in Marine Science