Polychaetes from the Guarajuba coral reefs, Bahia, Brazil

Composition, distribution and feeding groups of polychaetes from the coral reefs of Guarajuba beach (Eastern Brazil) were examined to investigate thei r relationship with the present condition of the reefs. The organisms were randomly sampled from three zones: (1) the landward border of the top of an emergent reef(landward emergent reef LER); (2) the seaward border of the s ame reef top (seaward emergent reef-SER); (3) the top of a submerged reef a t 5 to 6 m depth (submerged reef-SR). Fifteen replicates of reef blocks (av erage 680 cm(3) sample size) were collected from each zone, twice a year, m aking a total number of 90 samples. A total of 1754 individuals comprising 40 species were found. LER samples contained 405 individuals represented by 17 species. Perinereis elenacasoae was the dominant species (58%). SER sam ples consisted of 1184 specimens, and Eunice wasinensis (73%) was the most abundant of the 30 recorded species. The SR samples contained 165 individua ls represented by 22 species, and Lysidice ninetta (52%) was dominant. Subs urface deposit-feeders dominated (LER = 86%, SER = 92% and SR = 73%), while carnivores, filter-feeders, surface deposit-feeders, and omnivores varied between 0.3 and 11%. The dominance by subsurface deposit-feeders indicate t hat changes occurred in the structure and function of the polychaete fauna as the reefs changed from a condition of growth to one of decay and erosion .