Distribution,abundance, and movements of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Pelagos Sanctuary MPA (north‐west Mediterranean Sea)

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Use of near-infrared spectroscopy for fast fraud detection in seafood: application to the authentication of wild European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

The possibility of using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the authentication of wild European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) was investigated in this study. Three different chemometric techniques to process the NIR spectra were developed, and their ability to discriminate between wild and farmed sea bass samples was evaluated. One approach used spectral information to directly build the discrimination model in a latent variable space; the second approach first used wavelets to transform the spectral information and subsequently derived the discrimination model using the transformed spectra; in the third approach a cascaded arrangement was proposed whereby very limited chemical information was first estimated from spectra using a regression model, and this estimated information was then used to build the discrimination model in a latent variable space. All techniques showed that NIRS can be used to reliably discriminate between wild and farmed sea bass, achieving the same classification performance as classification methods that use chemical properties and morphometric traits. However, compared to methods based on chemical analysis, NIRS-based classification methods do not require reagents and are simpler, faster, more economical, and environmentally safer. All proposed techniques indicated that the most predictive spectral regions were those related to the absorbance of groups CH, CH(2), CH(3), and H(2)O, which are related to fat, fatty acids, and water content.     

Population genetic divergence of bonnethead sharks Sphyrna tiburo in the western North Atlantic: Implications for conservation

1. Sharks are a priority for conservation because numerous species, including small-sized coastal species, are being heavily exploited by commercial and recreational fisheries. Understanding the genetic population structure of sharks is key to effective management, maximizing their evolutionary potential in a rapidly changing environment and preventing population declines.
2. Limited dispersal is an important factor promoting population divergence for several coastal shark species. The genetic variation in 14 microsatellite loci and 21,006 single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped using restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing was analysed to assess the genetic structure of the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, in the western North Atlantic.
3. Genetic differences were identified among three well-defined regions: the western Florida coast, the south-eastern US Atlantic coast, and the southern Gulf of Mexico. Results support previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA sequences in defining differences among these regions and suggest limitations of bonnethead sharks in routinely performing long-distance migrations.
4. The limited connectivity among regions explains the pattern of genetic divergence but also reported divergence at the species/subspecies level. These genetically discrete bonnethead populations have independent evolutionary histories that may include local adaptations to specific areas.
5. Bonnethead sharks are currently managed as two stocks in the USA owing to recent genetic, tagging, and life history studies; however, no stock assessments or management plans exist for Mexico. These results not only serve to reinforce US management strategies and provide critical data about the extent of gene flow and sex dispersal among populations, but also begin the process of effective management in the waters of Mexico to ensure the long-term productivity and resilience of this species. With an absence of gene flow between populations from US waters and the southern Gulf of Mexico, there is a need for management plans based upon independent biological and population dynamics data since limited or no opportunities for populations to interchange individuals may occur to re-establish population viability.

     

Gas exchange, water relations and osmotic adjustment in Phillyrea latifolia grown at various salinity concentrations

Leaf gas exchange, water relations and osmotic adjustment were studied in hydroponically grown Phillyrea latifolia L. plants exposed to 5 weeks of salinity stress (0, 80, 160, 240 and 320 mM NaCl) followed by 5 weeks of treatment with half-strength Hoagland solution. Whole-plant relative growth rate and root/shoot and lateral/structural root ratios were also evaluated. Net CO2 assimilation rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were markedly decreased by all of the salt treatments. Growth was also strongly depressed by all salt treatments, especially lateral root growth. Leaf water potential decreased soon after salinity stress was imposed, whereas there was a lag of several weeks before leaf osmotic potential decreased in response to the salt treatments. After 5 weeks of salinization, leaf turgor of salt-treated plants was similar to that of controls. Although Na+ + Cl- contributed little to the salt-induced changes in osmotic potential at full turgor (Psi(piFT)), the contributions of K+, mannitol (Man) and glucose (Glc) to Psi(piFT) markedly increased as external salinity increased. Salt accumulation was negligible in the youngest leaves, which mostly accumulated soluble carbohydrates and K+; in contrast, old leaves served as storage sinks for Na+ and Cl-. Photosynthetic performance of salt-treated plants fully recovered once salt was leached from the root zone, with the recovery rate depending on the severity of the salt stress previously experienced by the plants. Recovery of gas exchange occurred even though the leaves still had a salt load similar to that detected in leaves at the end of the 5-week salinity period, and had markedly lower concentrations of K+ and soluble carbohydrates than control leaves. We conclude that salt-induced water stress primarily controlled gas exchange of salt-treated P. latifolia leaves, whereas the salt load in the leaves did not cause irreversible damage to the photosynthetic apparatus.     

Rebuilding Mediterranean fisheries: a new paradigm for ecological sustainability

In Mediterranean European countries, 85% of the assessed stocks are currently overfished compared to a maximum sustainable yield reference value (MSY) while populations of many commercial species are characterized by truncated size‐ and age‐structures. Rebuilding the size‐ and age‐structure of exploited populations is a management objective that combines single species targets such as MSY with specific goals of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAF), preserving community size‐structure and the ecological role of different species. Here, we show that under the current fishing regime, stock productivity and fleet profitability are generally impaired by a combination of high fishing mortality and inadequate selectivity patterns. For most of the stocks analysed, a simple reduction in the current fishing mortality (F_cur) towards an MSY reference value (F_MSY), without any change in the fishing selectivity, will allow neither stock biomass nor fisheries yield and revenue to be maximized. On the contrary, management targets can be achieved only through a radical change in fisheries selectivity. Shifting the size of first capture towards the size at which fish cohorts achieve their maximum biomass, the so‐called optimal length, would produce on average between two and three times higher economic yields and much higher biomass at sea for the exploited stocks. Moreover, it would contribute to restore marine ecosystem structure and resilience to enhance ecosystem services such as reservoirs of biodiversity and functioning food webs.     

Further Investigation of the Mediterranean Sponge Axinella polypoides: Isolation of a New Cyclonucleoside and a New Betaine

An exhaustive exploration into the metabolic content of the Mediterranean sponge Axinella-polypoides resulted in the isolation of the new betaine 5 and the new cyclonucleoside 8. The structures of the new metabolites were elucidated by spectroscopic methods assisted by computational methods. The analysis also provided evidence that the sponge does not elaborate pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids (PIAs) but, interestingly, it was shown to contain two already known cyclodipeptides, compounds 9 (verpacamide A) and 10.     

Ocotea quixos Lam. essential oil: In vitro and in vivo investigation on its anti-inflammatory properties

Here we investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of Ocotea quixos essential oil and of its main components, trans-cinnamaldehyde and methyl cinnamate, in in vitro and in vivo models. Ocotea essential oil and trans-cinnamaldehyde but not methyl cinnamate significantly reduced LPS-induced NO release from J774 macrophages at non-toxic concentrations, inhibited LPS-induced COX-2 expression and increased forskolin-induced cAMP production. The essential oil (30–100 mg/kg os) and trans-cinnamaldehyde (10 mg/kg os) in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema showed anti-inflammatory effect without damaging gastric mucosa. In conclusion we provide the first evidence of a significant anti-inflammatory gastro-sparing activity of O.quixos essential oil.     

Abundance and distribution of the white shark in the Mediterranean Sea

Conservation of apex predators is a key challenge both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The white shark is a rare but persistent inhabitant of the Mediterranean Sea and it is currently assessed as “critically endangered” in the region. However, the population trends and dynamics of this species in the area are still unknown. Little is known about white shark distribution, habitat use and population abundance trends, aspects that are critical for conservation and management. In this study, we built the most comprehensive database of white shark occurrence records in the region. We collected 773 different records from different sources and used them to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of abundance of Mediterranean white sharks between 1860 and 2016. We analysed these data by using generalized additive models and used spatially disaggregated information on human population abundance as a proxy of observation effort. Our results suggest a complex trajectory of population change characterized by a historical increase and a more recent reduction (61%, range 58%–72%) since the second half of the 20th century. In particular, analyses reveal a 52% (range 37%–88%) to 96% (range 92%–100%) overall decline in different Mediterranean sectors and a contraction in spatial distribution. Here, we provide the first reconstruction of abundance trends and offer new hypotheses regarding the drivers of change of white sharks in the Mediterranean. Our approach can be broadly applied to data‐poor contexts to reconstruct change and inform the conservation of endangered top predators in the Mediterranean Sea and other intensely used marine regions.