Bryozoans are Major Modern Builders of South Atlantic Oddly Shaped Reefs

摘要: In major modern reef regions, either in the Indo-Pacific or Caribbean, scleractinian corals are described as main framework builders, often associated with crustose coralline algae. We used underwater cores to investigate Late Holocene growth and characterise builders Abrolhos Shelf, largest richest tropical complex South Western Atlantic, a scientifically underexplored province. Rather than typical coralgal reef, our results show building system dominated by bryozoans. Bryozoans were components all age intervals (2,000 yrs BP), accounting for up 44% of framework, while algae coral accounted less 28 23%, respectively. Reef accretion rates varied from 2.7 0.9 mm yr−1, which similar reefs. Bryozoan functional groups encompassed 20 taxa Celleporaria atlantica (Busk, 1884) at cores. While prevalent mesotrophic conditions may have driven suspension-feeders’ dominance over photoautotrophs mixotrophs, we propose that combination historical factors low storm-disturbance regime Atlantic also contributed region’s diversity, underlies unique mushroom shape pinnacles.