Benthic fauna along sandy beaches enriched by metals after mining disaster

Sabrina Brahim; Tathiana Guerra Sobrinho; Jacqueline Albino; Gean Zanetti; Vanessa Simão do Amaral; Maria Tereza W. D. Carneiro; Jefferson Rodrigues de Souza; Lucas Bermudes de Castro; Dieter Muehe; Brenda Silva de Souza; Geisamanda P. Brandão; Maiara Krause; Luiz Henrique Sielski de Oliveira; Uyara Pahins Coelho; Emanuely Ezidio da Silva; Isabela Jabour e Silva; Jacqueline de Almeida Neves; Denise Paiva-Tagliari; Karla Gonçalves da Costa

doi:10.3354/meps14480

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MEPS 726:181-196 (2024) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14480

Benthic fauna along sandy beaches enriched by metals after mining disaster

Sabrina Brahim^1,2, Tathiana Guerra Sobrinho³, Jacqueline Albino³, Gean Zanetti¹, Vanessa Simão do Amaral¹, Maria Tereza W. D. Carneiro⁴, Jefferson Rodrigues de Souza⁵, Lucas Bermudes de Castro⁴, Dieter Muehe⁴, Brenda Silva de Souza⁴, Geisamanda P. Brandão⁴, Maiara Krause⁴, Luiz Henrique Sielski de Oliveira⁴, Uyara Pahins Coelho⁴, Emanuely Ezidio da Silva¹, Isabela Jabour e Silva^1,3, Jacqueline de Almeida Neves¹, Denise Paiva-Tagliari⁴, Karla Gonçalves da Costa^1,*

¹Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo CEUNES, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo UFES, 29932540 São Mateus, Espírito Santo, Brazil
²Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia UFBA, 40170115 Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
³Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo UFES, 29075910 Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
⁴Laboratório de Geomorfologia e Sedimentologia Costeira, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo UFES, 29075910 Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil
⁵Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense UENF, 28013602 Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

*Corresponding author: karlacostabio@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: In 2015, 60 million tons of ore tailings from the Fundão dam failure entered the Doce River basin, Brazil, and reached surrounding sandy beaches. This study evaluated the influence of sedimentology and morphology of beaches that received mining tailings on chemical element concentrations and consequent benthic community responses. We collected sediments for physical (granulometry, heavy mineral, and calcium carbonate content) and geochemical (chemical elements) analyses and biological diversity parameters (benthic macro- and meiofauna density, richness, and composition) on 8 beaches with different morphodynamic types. Beaches with more dissipative characteristics retained the highest contents of mud, As, Fe, Mn, V, and heavy minerals, present in the tailings. We also recorded the lowest density and richness of macrofauna on these beaches, compared to more reflective beaches. These results contradict the global trend, suggesting that anthropic disturbances outweigh the effects of morphodynamics in structuring the benthic fauna community, mainly in dissipative sandy beaches.

KEY WORDS: Doce River · Mining tailings · Fluvial cargo · Chemical elements · Meiofauna · Macrofauna · Brazil

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Cite this article as: Brahim S, Sobrinho TG, Albino J, Zanetti G and others (2024) Benthic fauna along sandy beaches enriched by metals after mining disaster. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 726:181-196. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14480

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