Marine and estuarine crustacean diversity and assemblage structure in eastern Brazil three years after the Fundão mining dam failure

Abstract

The present study investigates the spatial and temporal patterns of species richness and assemblage structure of decapod and stomatopod crustaceans in the area impacted by the Fundão dam collapse (Rio Doce basin, Brazil) in November 2015. From October 2018 to September 2019, monthly bottom-trawl samples were collected in estuarine and marine waters of the Rio Doce (directly impacted area) and three other localities. Forty-one crustacean species were recorded, with the overall community structure dominated by six species. The seabob shrimp Xiphopenaeus kroyeri was the most common species, with the coastal marine area near to the Rio Doce mouth being an important fishery ground. Species composition changed significantly among localities, habitats, and seasons, with marine and estuarine assemblages shaped by freshwater discharge. Distribution patterns of species were significantly influenced by the environmental variables potentially altered by tailings, such as turbidity and pH. Species richness and abundance differed among localities; as expected, they were generally higher on the inner shelf than in estuaries and higher during the dry season than the rainy season. Due to the lack of information before the disaster, the low number of species found in the Rio Doce estuary cannot be solely attributed to the disaster but also its freshwater condition. This is the first broad study of the estuarine and coastal marine decapod and stomatopod crustaceans in the region, and we suggest the need for long-term monitoring considering that the effects of this disaster are not easy to detect and probably need multi-year study to be evidenced.