Since the industrial revolution, the human population has accelerated its magnitude of impact on the world’s oceans. The observed consequences of our rising population and globalization have expanded substantially and are expected to affect even the deepest ecosystems. The extensive rhodolith beds along the Brazilian coastline that are present from the shallows down to 133 m are predicted and already observed to suffer from the consequences of human interference. Rhodolith beds are predicted to experience a daunting diversity of anthropogenic threats, which act at different scales. Global stressors such as ocean acidification and global climate change are shown to affect fundamental metabolic processes, which over time are expected to jeopardize the integrity of these ecosystems. Local stressors such as nutrient runoff, pollution, oil/gas exploitation, predatory fishing as bottom trawling, and direct coralline mining are expected to interact with global stressors and, in multiple cases, exacerbate already negative prognosis.
Koerich G., Sissini M. N. & Horta P. A., 2024. Major threats to rhodolith beds: ocean acidification, global warming, and local stressors. In: Horta P. A. & Sissini M.N. (Eds.), Brazilian Rhodolith Beds, pp 163-184. Springer, Cham. Chapter (restricted access).
