Sousa, I. (2005). Aspectos da variabilidade na abundância de juvenis de Mero (Epinephelus marginatus) (Lowe, 1834) (Pisces, Serranidae) na Costa Sul da Ilha Terceira, Açores [in Portuguese].

The juveniles Epinephelus marginatus depend on coastal areas and are therefore vulnerable to human influence. The aim of the present study is the obtaining of preliminary data on the state of the population of juveniles of this species in the south coast of Terceira Island in the Azores Archipelago. The variability of abundance associated to different environmental conditions was also evaluated, in abiotic terms and in terms of the community's composition. The procedure adopted involved the application of the visual census method in transects. In the exposed coast, the presence of juveniles of this species was not verified. The density of juvenile dusky groupers in the bay areas takes to consider that there is a healthy recruitment for the area’s stock. The abundance variations were associated with the degree of protection from the hydrodynamic forces provided at each place. It was also revealed the preference by complex bottoms with availability of shelters of the appropriate size, provided by the presence of medium and small irregular gravels. The degradation of the sea’s conditions seems to take the individuals to abandon the sampled shallow bay areas. The estimated similarities of Bray-Curtis of this species with the remaining ones revealed no high similarities. One of the behavioural aspects of the observed juveniles was the tolerance of the species in sharing the shelter with other cryptic predators and conspecifics.