Influence of wind events on the transport of early stages of Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) to a subtropical estuary

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Abstract

As all coastal environments, the Patos Lagoon Estuary (PLE) is an important habitat for the early stages of the life cycle of many marine organisms. Little is known, however, about how larvae respond to the estuarine dynamics because this study is complex. An actual way to investigate fish eggs and larvae dispersion is to use "Individual-Based Models" (IBM). Here, an IBM is used to study the wind influence on the transport of fish eggs and larvae of Micropogonias furnieri in the PLE. Circulation patterns were generated and extracted from TELEMAC-3D hydrodynamic model and simulated in an IBM. Results demonstrated that the transport of M. furnieri larvae to the PLE is maximized during periods of southerly winds. During northerly winds, on the other hand, larvae are advected off the estuary. This study revealed that the wind-driven estuarine dynamics mainly modulate the transport variability of eggs and larvae and it could have consequences for M. furnieri’s recruitment.

Franzen, M., Muelbert, J., & Fernandes, E. (2019). Influence of wind events on the transport of early stages of Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823) to a subtropical estuary. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 47(3), 536-546. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3856/vol47-issue3-fulltext-15

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