Browsing by Author "Garrido, Susana"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Diet and trophic position of two mackerel species in the archipelago of Madeira, PortugalPublication . Romero, Joana; Vieira, Carolina; Garrido, Susana; Hermida, Margarida; Catry, Paulo; Faria, Graça; Granadeiro, J. P.The Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias and the Blue jack mackerel Trachurus picturatus are two abundant species in the Macaronesia region which include the archipelago of Madeira, Portugal. Both are key species in the trophic web, being important prey for several local top predators, such as seabirds and marine mammals. However, little is known about their feeding ecology in oceanic environments. In this study, we describe the seasonal variation of the diet of S. colias and T. picturatus in the oceanic region of Madeira throughout a year. Visual inspection of stomach contents revealed that S. colias fed on a broader range of prey groups than T. picturatus, but for both species, zooplankton (particularly calanoid copepods) and fish were the most important food items. The diet of S. colias included a higher proportion of fish, namely Atlantic saury Scomberesox saurus and S. colias, than that of T. picturatus, that included mostly the Longspine snipefish Macroramphosus scolopax. Trachurus picturatus consumed a higher proportion of decapods and other copepods. Seasonal variation was found in the diet of both species, with zooplanktonic species being more important in colder months (February to April) for S. colias and during warm months (May to October) for T. picturatus. Their diet in other seasons were dominated by fish. Despite consuming similar prey, Carbon and Nitrogen stable isotope analysis of muscle of S. colias and T. picturatus showed little overlap in their diets, and T. picturatus showed higher δ15 N and a narrower isotopic niche.
- Forecasting shifts in habitat suitability across the distribution range of a temperate small pelagic fish under different scenarios of climate changePublication . Lima, André R.A.; Baltazar-Soares, Miguel; Garrido, Susana; Riveiro, I. (Isabel); Carrera, Pablo; Piecho-Santos, A. Miguel; Peck, Myron; Silva, GonçaloClimate change often leads to shifts in the distribution of small pelagic fish, likely by changing the matchmismatch dynamics between these sensitive species within their environmental optima. Using present-day habitat suitability, we projected how different scenarios of climate change (IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) may alter the large scale distribution of European sardine Sardina pilchardus (a model species) by 2050 and 2100. We evaluated the variability of species-specific environmental optima allowing a comparison between present-day and future scenarios. Regardless of the scenario, sea surface temperature and salinity and the interaction between current velocity and distance to the nearest coast were the main descriptors responsible for the main effects on sardine's distribution. Present-day and future potential “hotspots” for sardine were neritic zones (<250 km) withwater currents <0.4ms−1, where SST was between 10 and 22 °C and SSS>20 (PSU), on average.Most variability in projected shifts among climatic scenarioswas in habitats with moderate to low suitability. By the end of this century, habitat suitability was projected to increase in the Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula, central North Sea, northern Mediterranean, and eastern Black Sea and to decrease in the Atlantic African coast, southwest Mediterranean, English Channel, northern North Sea and Western U.K. A gradual poleward-eastward shift in sardine distribution was also projected among scenarios. This shift was most pronounced in 2100 under RCP 8.5. In that scenario, sardines had a 9.6% range expansion which included waters along the entire coast of Norway up and into the White Sea. As habitat suitability is mediated by the synergic effects of climate variability and change on species fitness, it is critical to apply models with robust underlying species-habitat data that integrate knowledge on the full range of processes shaping species productivity and distribution.
- Ontogeny of swimming capacity in plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) larvaePublication . Silva, Luis; Moyano, Marta; Illing, Björn; Faria, Ana Margarida; Garrido, Susana; Peck, Myron A.Little is known regarding the swimming ability of the larvae of European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) in relation to changes in total length (TL), dry weight (DW) and developmental stage, which is surprising given the importance of transport processes to the recruitment dynamics of this species in the North Sea and elsewhere. We investigated ontogenetic changes in the critical swimming speed (Ucrit) of plaice from hatching to the onset of metamorphosis (50 days post-hatch, dph) at 8 °C. The mean (±SD) TL and DW growth rates were 1.59 ± 0.81 and 7.7 ± 0.35 % d−1, respectively. Larvae were unable to swim at against a minimum current speed of <0.5 cm s−1 until 10 dph (7 mm TL), after which Ucrit significantly increased with increasing TL until the onset of metamorphosis and subsequent settlement. Mean (±SD) Ucrit was 0.38(0.35), 1.59(0.54), 2.27(0.49) and 2.99(0.37) cm s−1 for stage I (6.61 ± 2.64 mm TL), stage II (7.75 ± 0.60 mm TL), stage III (9.10 ± 1.00 mm TL) and stage IV (11.59 ± 0.85 mm TL) larvae, respectively. Larval TL, DW, DNA content, RNA content and Ucrit significantly increased, whereas sRD significantly declined as larvae developed from stage I to V. Although inter-individual differences in Ucrit (coefficient of variation, CV = 33 %) were as large as those in biochemical and morphological condition (CV’s of 21–42 %), differences in Ucrit were not significantly related to those in nutritional condition and larvae with lower DNA/DW had also better swimming abilities. These estimates should be useful to ongoing efforts to create individual- based models of the transport, foraging and growth of plaice larvae in the North Sea.
- Seasonal approach to forecast the suitability of spawning habitats of a temperate small pelagic fish under a high-emission climate change scenarioPublication . Lima, André R.A.; Garrido, Susana; Riveiro, I.; Rodrigues, Diana; Angélico, Maria M. P.; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Peck, Myron A.; Silva, GonçaloABSTRACT: Spawning habitats of cold-water, European small pelagic fishes have shifted poleward in the last three decades coincident with gradual ocean warming. We predicted present-day, season-specific habitat suitability for spawning by European sardine Sardina pichardus in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean and Black Seas, and projected climate-driven changes in suitable areas from 2050-2099 under the IPCC – RCP 8.5 scenario. Sea surface temperature and distance to the coast had the greater influences in spawning habitats, reflecting the temperature- and coastal-dependent spawning of sardines. Chlorophyll-a was the third most important explanatory variable for spawning in winter to summer. Winds were predominantly important during autumn, whilst sea surface salinity was an important driver during spring and summer. Presentday, “hotspots” for spawning were identified in regions of highly productive, salty waters, where SST was between 6 and 18°C from autumn to spring or 16 and 25°C during summer and favourable winds occurred that would retain eggs and larvae closer to the coast (< 250 km). For future scenarios, forecasts indicate that environmental optima for spawning is projected to be in regions where SST varies between 11°C and 18°C from autumn to spring; and between 18°C and 24°C during summer. However, a negative relationship between phytoplankton productivity and habitat suitability induced by warming is likely to occur in the future. Projections suggest that suitable spawning habitats in all seasons will shift to higher latitudes, with a prominent range expansion along the coast of Norway during winter and autumn (> 83%). The total spawning area, however, was projected to contract in the future during spring (-10.5%) and autumn (-4.1%) due to losses of currently suitable areas along the Atlantic African Coast and Mediterranean Sea. Such regions currently support the greatest sardine stocks but climate-driven warming and decreased plankton productivity are projected to make these areas unsuitable for spawning and likely also for sardine fisheries in future.
- The impact of climate change on the ecology and dynamics of change of small pelagic fishPublication . Silva, G.; Faria, Ana Margarida; Vinagre, C.; Ramos, A.; Novais, Sara C.; Lemos, Marco F. L.; Santos, Antonio Manuel; Gonçalves, Emanuel João; Pousão, P.; Garrido, Susana