UNVEILING THE BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE BIODIVERSITY IN THE GOLFÃO MARANHENSE THROUGH SECONDARY DATA
Description
The present study compiled and analyzed available data on benthic macrofaunal communities of the Golfão Maranhense, highlighting their ecological importance for estuarine functioning and their role as indicators of environmental change. Using secondary data selected through the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, we evaluated patterns of taxon occurrence and abundance in relation to data source type and sampled environments. A total of 24,364 records were compiled, representing 336 taxonomic groups across 13 phyla, derived from 28 studies on benthic macrofauna. Scientific articles and technical reports proved to be the most robust data sources, outperforming master’s dissertations and conference abstracts in both number of occurrence records and taxonomic coverage. Across all sources, the most diverse phyla were Annelida (432 occurrences), followed by Mollusca (246) and Arthropoda (135), which together accounted for approximately 95% of the recorded diversity. Sabellaria wilsoni (Lana & Gruet, 1989) was the most abundant taxon, with 5,161 individuals (21.3% of the total). Deepwater environments exhibited the highest taxonomic richness and abundance, harboring more than 60% of the exclusive taxa. Beaches showed high levels of exclusivity but relatively low abundance. Mangroves were characterized by lower richness combined with high abundance, whereas estuarine and tidal marsh environments presented the lowest values for both metrics. These patterns underscore the influence of environmental heterogeneity on biodiversity distribution and highlight the value of secondary data as a tool for the monitoring and conservation of estuarine ecosystems.