Trampling on coral reefs: tourism effects on harpacticoid copepods

Human trampling is a common type of disturbance associated with outdoor recreational activities in coastal ecosystems. In this study, the effect of trampling on the meiofaunal harpacticoid copepod assemblage inhabiting turfs on a coral reef was investigated. In Porto de Galinhas, northeastern Brazil, reef formations near the beach are one of the main touristic destinations in the country. To assess trampling impact, two areas were compared: a protected area and an area subject to intensive tourism. Densities of total Harpacticoida and of the most abundant harpacticoid species showed strong reductions in the trampled area. An analysis of covariance revealed that the loss of phytal habitat was not the main source of density reductions, showing that trampling affected the animals directly. In addition, multivariate analysis demonstrated differences in the structure of harpacticoid assemblages between areas. Of the 43 species identified, 12 were detected by the Indicator Species Analyses as being indicators of the protected or trampled areas. Moreover, species richness was reduced in the area open to tourism. At least 25 harpacticoids are new species for science, of these, 20 were more abundant or occurred only in the protected area, while five were more abundant or occurred only in the trampled area; thus, our results highlight the possibility of local extinction of still-unknown species as one of the potential consequences of trampling on coral reefs.