BMAR - Artigos em revistas internacionais
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- Behavioural indicators of welfare in farmed fishPublication . Martins, Catarina I. M.; Galhardo, Leonor; Noble, Chris; Damsgard, Børge; Spedicato, Maria T.; Zupa, Walter; Beauchaud, Marilyn; Kulczykowska, Ewa; Massabuau, Jean-Charles; Carter, Toby; Planellas, Sonia Rey; Kristiansen, ToreBehaviour represents a reaction to the environment as fish perceive it and is therefore a key element of fish welfare. This review summarises the main findings on how behavioural changes have been used to assess welfare in farmed fish, using both functional and feeling-based approaches. Changes in foraging behaviour, ventilatory activity, aggression, individual and group swimming behaviour, stereotypic and abnormal behaviour have been linked with acute and chronic stressors in aquaculture and can therefore be regarded as likely indicators of poor welfare. On the contrary, measurements of exploratory behaviour, feed anticipatory activity and rewardrelated operant behaviour are beginning to be considered as indicators of positive emotions and welfare in fish. Despite the lack of scientific agreement about the existence of sentience in fish, the possibility that they are capable of both positive and negative emotions may contribute to the development of new strategies (e.g. environmental enrichment) to promote good welfare. Numerous studies that use behavioural indicators of welfare show that behavioural changes can be interpreted as either good or poor welfare depending on the fish species. It is therefore essential to understand the species-specific biology before drawing any conclusions in relation to welfare. In addition, different individuals within the same species may exhibit divergent coping strategies towards stressors, and what is tolerated by some individuals may be detrimental to others. Therefore, the assessment of welfare in a few individuals may not represent the average welfare of a group and vice versa. This underlines the need to develop on-farm, operational behavioural welfare indicators that can be easily used to assess not only the individual welfare but also the welfare of the whole group (e.g. spatial distribution). With the ongoing development of video technology and image processing, the on-farm surveillance of behaviour may in the near future represent a low-cost, noninvasive tool to assess the welfare of farmed fish.
- Cognitive appraisal of environmental stimuli induces emotion-like states in fishPublication . Cerqueira, Marco; Millot, Sandie; Castanheira, Maria Filipa; Félix, A. S.; Oliveira, Gonçalo A.; Oliveira, C. C.; Martins, C. I.; Oliveira, Rui FilipeThe occurrence of emotions in non-human animals has been the focus of debate over the years. Recently, an interest in expanding this debate to non-tetrapod vertebrates and to invertebrates has emerged. Within vertebrates, the study of emotion in teleosts is particularly interesting since they represent a divergent evolutionary radiation from that of tetrapods, and thus they provide an insight into the evolution of the biological mechanisms of emotion. We report that Sea Bream exposed to stimuli that vary according to valence (positive, negative) and salience (predictable, unpredictable) exhibit different behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular states. Since according to the dimensional theory of emotion valence and salience define a two-dimensional affective space, our data can be interpreted as evidence for the occurrence of distinctive affective states in fish corresponding to each the four quadrants of the core affective space. Moreover, the fact that the same stimuli presented in a predictable vs. unpredictable way elicited different behavioural, physiological and neuromolecular states, suggests that stimulus appraisal by the individual, rather than an intrinsic characteristic of the stimulus, has triggered the observed responses. Therefore, our data supports the occurrence of emotion-like states in fish that are regulated by the individual’s perception of environmental stimuli.
- Deliberate poisoning of Africa's vulturesPublication . Henriques, Mohamed; Buij, Ralph; Monteiro, Hamilton; Sá, Joãozinho; Gomes Wambar, Francisco; Tavares, José Pedro; Botha, Andre; Citegetse, Geoffroy; Lecoq, Miguel; Catry, Paulo; Ogada, DarcyNão consta
- DNA Metabarcoding as a Marine Conservation and Management Tool: A Circumpolar Examination of Fishery Discards in the Diet of Threatened AlbatrossesPublication . McInnes, Julie C.; Jarman, Simon Neil; Lea, Mary-Anne; Raymond, Ben; Deagle, Bruce E.; Phillips, Richard A.; Catry, Paulo; Stanworth, Andrew J.; Weimerskirch, Henri; Kusch, Alejandro; Gras, Michaël; Cherel, Yves; Maschette, Dale; Alderman, RachaelAlmost all of the world’s fisheries overlap spatially and temporally with foraging seabirds, with impacts that range from food supplementation (through scavenging behind vessels), to resource competition and incidental mortality. The nature and extent of interactions between seabirds and fisheries vary, as does the level and efficacy of management and mitigation. Seabird dietary studies provide information on prey diversity and often identify species that are also caught in fisheries, providing evidence of linkages which can be used to improve ecosystem based management of fisheries. However, species identification of fish can be difficult with conventional dietary techniques. The black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) has a circumpolar distribution and has suffered major population declines due primarily to incidental mortality in fisheries. We use DNA metabarcoding of black-browed albatross scats to investigate their fish prey during the breeding season at six sites across their range, over two seasons. We identify the spatial and temporal diversity of fish in their diets and overlaps with fisheries operating in adjacent waters. Across all sites, 51 fish species from 33 families were identified, with 23 species contributing >10% of the proportion of samples or sequences at any site. There was extensive geographic variation but little inter-annual variability in fish species consumed. Several fish species that are not easily accessible to albatross, but are commercially harvested or by-caught, were detected in the albatross diet during the breeding season. This was particularly evident at the Falkland Islands and Iles Kerguelen where higher fishery catch amounts (or discard amounts where known) corresponded to higher occurrence of these species in diet samples. This study indicates ongoing interactions with fisheries through consumption of fishery discards, increasing the risk of seabird mortality. Breeding success was higher at sites where fisheries discards were detected in the diet, highlighting the need to minimize discarding to reduce impacts on the ecosystem. DNA metabarcoding provides a valuable non-invasive tool for assessing the fish prey of seabirds across broad geographic ranges. This provides an avenue for fishery resource managers to assess compliance of fisheries with discard policies and the level of interaction with scavenging seabirds.
- Ecology and phytosociology of endangered psammophytic species of the Omphalodes genus in western EuropePublication . Neto, Carlos; Fonseca, João Paulo; Costa, José Carlos; Bioret, FrédéricOmphalodes kuzinskyanae Willk. is an endangered annual plant of the family Boraginaceae, endemic to a narrow coastal area in the Lisbon region (Portugal). Omphalodes littoralis Lehm. occurs in northwest Spain (subsp. gallaecica) and northwest France (subsp. littoralis). Three approaches were used to assess the ecological requirements of O. kuzinskyanae: (1) physical and chemical characterization of their habitat soil; (2) phytosociological analysis; (3) comparison of several life history parameters under different light conditions. Germination experiments were conducted to evaluate seed dormancy. The results show that O. kuzinskyanae occurs in thin sandy soil with a substantial amount of organic matter and clay, mostly over limestone pavements. Phytosociological analysis shows that O. kuzinskyanae occurs both in sciophytic and heliophytic communities. Life history comparisons demonstrated that this plant has a strong preference for sciophytic conditions: under strong shade, plants have a higher survival rate, attain a greater height and width, and produce approximately nine times more seeds than in sunny conditions. In contrast with O. kuzinskyanae, published data on O. littoralis indicate that this species occurs in heliophytic conditions. This group of Omphalodes is possibly limited both in geographical distribution and habitat by its vulnerability to hydric stress. Scenarios are discussed that can explain the extensive gap separating the present ranges of the two species and their ecological differences. We propose two new syntaxa: Linario arenariae-Omphalodetum littoralis, Geranio purpurei-Galietum minutuli omphalodetosum kuzinskyanae.
- Effects of a dolphin interaction program on children with autism spectrum disorders – an exploratory researchPublication . Salgueiro, Emílio Eduardo Guerra; Nunes, Laura; Barros, Alexandra; Maroco, João; Salgueiro, Ana Isabel; Santos, Manuel Eduardo dosBackground: Interaction programs involving dolphins and patients with various pathologies or developmental disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, atopic dermatitis, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression) have stimulated interest in their beneficial effects and therapeutic potential. However, the true effects observed in different clinical and psycho-educational setups are still controversial. Results: An evaluation protocol consisting of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Theory of Mind Tasks (ToM Tasks) and a custom-made Interaction Evaluation Grid (IEG) to evaluate behavioural complexity during in-pool interactions was applied to 10 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The ATEC, ToM Tasks and CARS results show no benefits of the dolphin interaction program. Interestingly, the PEP-R suggests some statistically significant effects on ‘Overall development score’, as well as on their ‘Fine motor development’, ‘Cognitive performance’ and ‘Cognitive verbal development’. Also, a significant evolution in behavioural complexity was shown by the IEG. Conclusions: This study does not support significant developmental progress resulting from the dolphin
- Effects of gear modifications in a North Atlantic pelagic longline fishery: A multiyear studyPublication . Lima, Françoise; Parra, Hugo; Alves, Rita B.; Santos, Marco A. R.; Bjorndal, Karen; Bolten, Alan B.; Vandeperre, FredericThe threat of population declines caused by pelagic longline fisheries in the Atlantic has increased the concern to find strategies that minimize the bycatch and mortality of non-target marine animals. Gear modification, such as the use of circle hooks instead of conventional J-hooks, has been identified as an effective bycatch reduction strategy in different pelagic longline fisheries around the world. This study aimed to verify the effectiveness of the use of circle hooks by quantifying catch rates, relative size selectivity, and anatomical hooking position for the most common target species (swordfish, Xiphias gladius, and blue shark, Prionace glauca), and some bycatch species (loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, and shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus) caught by the Azorean longline fishing fleet. The trial was conducted for five consecutive years (2000–2004) using eight different types of hooks. In general, the blue shark catches using circle hooks were significantly higher compared to J (Mustad 9/0). The circle hooks also showed high probabilities of catching juvenile blue sharks. Conversely, the circle hooks were efficient in reducing the loggerhead sea turtle bycatch and were related to fewer catches of small sea turtle individuals. The use of circle hooks was also associated with reduced swordfish catches compared to J (Mustad 9/0), and the effect of hook types on length at capture was only significant for Circle (L. & P. 18/0 —CLP18) and Ringed Tuna (RT). No significant differences were observed comparing hook type to either catch rates or size selectivity for shortfin mako. Additionally, circle hooks were more likely to lodge in the mouth than in deeper anatomical positions, when compared to J (Mustad 9/0), for the four species analysed. The present study demonstrated that the use of circle hooks could mitigate the impact of the pelagic longline fisheries in the Azores by decreasing the bycatch of sea turtles and reducing animal injuries caused by deep hooking.
- Effects of high pCO2 on early life development of pelagic spawning marine fishPublication . Faria, Ana Margarida; Filipe, Soraia; Lopes, Ana F.; Oliveira, Ana P.; Gonçalves, Emanuel João; Ribeiro, LauraThe present study investigated the effect of elevated pCO2 on the development of early stages of the pelagic spawning marine fish Solea senegalensis, Diplodus sargus and Argyrosomus regius. Eggs and larvae were reared under control (pH 8.0, ,570 matm) and two elevated pCO2 conditions (pH 7.8, ,1100 matm; pH 7.6, ,1900 matm) until mouth opening (3 days post-hatching). Egg size did not change with exposure to elevated pCO2, but hatching rate was significantly reduced under high pCO2 for all three species. Survival rate was not affected by exposure to increased pCO2, but growth rate was differently affected across species, with A. regius growing faster in the mid-level pCO2 treatment compared with control conditions. S. senegalensis and A. regius hatched with smaller yolk sacs under increased pCO2 but endogenous reserves of D. sargus were not affected. Otoliths were consistently larger under elevated pCO2 conditions for all the three species. Differences among egg batches and a significant interaction between batch and pCO2 suggest that other factors, such as egg quality, can influence the response to increased pCO2. Overall, the results support the occurrence of a species-specific response to pCO2, but highlight the need for cautious analysis of potential sensitivity of species from unreplicated observations.
- Estimating the size of "Uca tanger" (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) without massive crab capturePublication . Lourenço, Rita; Paula, José R.; Henriques, MiguelUca tangeri (Eydoux, 1835) is the only species of fiddler crab that occurs in Portugal, where it mainly inhab-its salt marshes in the south and southwest coasts. Individuals spend most of their time on and around their galleries, bur-rowing structures which they typically create and maintain in muddy substrate. Capturing fiddler crabs in nature is extreme-ly difficult and can be destructive for their habitat. Once disturbed, U. tangeri tend to hide in their burrow, and their capture usually involves the destruction of the upper part of the burrow. In the present study, a method for estimating the carapace length of the fiddler indirectly, using the diameter of the burrow opening, is proposed. Significant sex-specific relationships between the diameter of the burrow opening and the occupant’s length were found. Although the mean length of the cara-pace was not significantly different between sexes,
- Ex situ reproduction of Portuguese endangered cyprinids in the context of their conservationPublication . Santos, Carla Sousa; Gil, Fátima; Almada, Vítor CarvalhoInexistente