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El Niño–Southern Oscillations and Pacific Decadal Oscillation as Drivers of the Decadal Dynamics of Benthic Macrofauna in Two Subtropical Estuaries (Southern Brazil)

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Abstract

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) are large-scale climatic phenomena affecting atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections, and thus triggering weather events at different temporal and spatial scales, both in tropical and extratropical areas. During 11 years (2007–2017), the influence of ENSO events (El Niño, La Niña and neutral), ENSO types (canonical and Modoki) and PDO phases (cold and warm) on meteorological conditions and macrobenthic invertebrates were analyzed in two distinct (tide-dominated and river-dominated) subtropical estuaries of Southern Brazil. The estuarine macrobenthic communities differed markedly, with higher species richness in the tide-dominated estuary (146 taxa) than river-dominated (44). We showed that long-term variability of benthic macrofauna in both estuaries was strongly influenced by the PDO and ENSO events. However, the signs of PDO and ENSO effects differed between the estuaries. While the main modulating force of the decadal variability of the macrofauna of the tide-dominated estuary was the PDO (19%), the river-dominated estuary was primarily influenced by the ENSO (9%). Besides, PDO and ENSO teleconnections have combined effects, with higher macrofauna dissimilarities during constructive periods (PDO Positive/EL Niño vs. PDO Negative/La Niña). Our findings indicate that: (1) The effects of the ENSO on coastal areas are dependent of the spatial scale and the intrinsic characteristics of each estuary; (2) Studies relating ENSO and biodiversity should consider the ENSO type (Modoki and canonical) and interdecadal modes, such as PDO, because the location of the warm pools and the intensity of induced heating affect the atmospheric teleconnections.

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Acknowledgements

This study was partially financed by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and Santa Catarina State Research Foundation (FAPESC). We are indebted to the Marine Science Laboratory/Unisul team, especially Aline Meurer. This would have been impossible without her dedication and knowledge. We deeply thank Acquaplan and their team for the field work along all these years. Dr. Tiago Pereira (University of California Riverside) and Dr. Angelo Bernardino (Federal University of Espírito Santo) are also thanked for valuable comments on the manuscript. We thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors for the constructive comments.

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  1. Marine Science Laboratory, University of Southern Santa Catarina, UNISUL, Av Acácio Moreira 787, Dehon, Tubarão, Santa Catarina, 88704-900, Brazil

    André Silva Francisco & Sérgio A. Netto

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  1. André Silva Francisco
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  2. Sérgio A. Netto
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Correspondence to Sérgio A. Netto.

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ASF and SAN designed the study, performed research and analyzed data. ASF wrote the manuscript with substantial contributions from SAN. All authors edited the manuscript.

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Francisco, A.S., Netto, S.A. El Niño–Southern Oscillations and Pacific Decadal Oscillation as Drivers of the Decadal Dynamics of Benthic Macrofauna in Two Subtropical Estuaries (Southern Brazil). Ecosystems 23, 1380–1394 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00475-6

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