Potential dispersal vector: Occurrence of sun coral on the sculptured mitten lobster.

The sun coral Tubastraea spp. is rapidly spreading worldwide. We report for the first time the occurrence of sun coral on the sculptured mitten lobster Parribacus antarcticus, a highly mobile species.

The role of habitat heterogeneity and timescales on the recovery of reef epifaunal communities affected by a massive oil spill in the tropics.

From August 2019 to January 2020 the Brazilian Coast was impacted by the largest oil spill in the Tropical oceans ever since. Paiva Beach, one of the most preserved sandy beaches in the northeast tropical Brazilian coast, was among the most affected regions by the oil spill in October 2019. This area has important reef systems that harbor abundant macroalgal assemblages with very diverse epifaunal communities.

Tar balls as a floating substrate for long-distance species dispersal.

Recent arrivals of tar balls have been observed in several tropical beaches associated with the oceanic circulation that flows to the Brazilian continental shelf. Between August and September 2022, tar balls were collected in the northeastern coast of Brazil and analyzed. Nearly 90 % of the oils were colonized by barnacles, polychaetes, decapods, and algae.

Effects of contact with crude oil and its ingestion by the symbiotic polychaete Branchiosyllis living in sponges (Cinachyrella sp.) following the 2019 oil spill on the tropical coast of Brazil.

In August 2019, thousands of tons of crude oil from an unidentified source began washing up on the Brazilian coast, causing the most severe environmental disaster that has ever impacted the South Atlantic Ocean. Paiva beach, which has some of the best-preserved tropical coral reefs on the Brazilian coast, was one of the coastal environments most severely affected by this oil. We report on the impact of the disaster on the local population of the symbiotic polychaete Branchiosyllis spp.

Immediate effects of the 2019 oil spill on the macrobenthic fauna associated with macroalgae on the tropical coast of Brazil.

The 2019-2020 Brazil oil spill disaster affected several ecosystems and species-rich areas. The shallow-water reefs of Paiva beach are among the best-preserved coastal environments in the State of Pernambuco (NE Brazil), but were severely affected by oil arrival at the end of 2019. The reefs are densely covered by macroalgae as important biogenic substrates for benthic fauna.