‘Solo datasets’: unexpected behavioural patterns uncovered by acoustic monitoring of single individuals

A holistic understanding of the life-history strategies of marine populations is often hindered by complex population dynamics, exacerbated by an intricate movement ecology across their life history (Nathan et al. 2008; Parsons et al. 2008; Jeltsch et al. 2013). Movement patterns and spatial ecology can vary spatially and temporally for different reasons, mainly related to the organism’s life history and environmental variability (Abecasis et al. 2009, 2013; Afonso et al. 2009). Changes in spatial use and movement can occur daily when visiting feeding grounds or avoiding predators, or seasonally, when sexually mature individuals migrate to spawning/breeding grounds (Kozakiewicz 1995; Sundström et al. 2001). However, observed shifts in spatial use and movement patterns, as a result of behavioural plasticity, may also vary greatly from one individual to another of the same species and/or population (Afonso et al. 2009). Further, ontogeny can also play an important role and explain a possible change in individual spatial variation. Noticeable differences in the behaviour and movements of mature and immature individuals have been documented in various marine organisms (Lowe et al. 1996; Lecchini and Galzin 2005). Permanent habitat shifts have been associated with ontogenesis in pigeye sharks (Carcharhinus amboinensis), moving from inshore to offshore areas after reaching maturity (Knip et al. 2011).This research was partially funded by the EU LIFE-BIOMARES Project (LIFE06 NAT/P/000192).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Charles M. Breder, Jr.: Atlantis Expedition, 1934

Dr. Charles M. Breder participated on the 1934 expedition of the Atlantis from Woods Hole, Massachusetts to Panama and back and kept a field diary of daily activities. The Atlantis expedition of 1934, led by Prof. A. E. Parr, was a milestone in the history of scientific discovery in the Sargasso Sea and the West Indies. Although naturalists had visited the Sargasso Sea for many years, the Atlantis voyage was the first attempt to investigate in detailed quantitative manner biological problems about this varying, intermittent ‘false’ bottom of living, floating plants and associated fauna. In addition to Dr. Breder, the party also consisted of Dr. Alexander Forbes, Harvard University and Trustee of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI); T. S. Greenwood, WHOI hydrographer; M. D. Burkenroad, Yale University’s Bingham Laboratory, carcinology and Sargasso epizoa; M. Bishop, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Zoology Dept., collections and preparations and H. Sears, WHOI ichthyologist. The itinerary included the following waypoints: Woods Hole, the Bermudas, Turks Islands, Kingston, Colon, along the Mosquito Bank off of Nicaragua, off the north coast of Jamaica, along the south coast of Cuba, Bartlett Deep, to off the Isle of Pines, through the Yucatan Channel, off Havana, off Key West, to Miami, to New York City, and then the return to Woods Hole. During the expedition, Breder collected rare and little-known flying fish species and developed a method for hatching and growing flying fish larvae. (PDF contains 48 pages

Effects of the implementation of the MPAs from the Alentejo coast on local fish communities and on some species with commercial/conservation interest

Tendo em conta o seu sucesso, as Áreas Marinhas Protegidas (AMP) têm sido implementadas como ferramenta de gestão de recursos pesqueiros. Contudo, o uso desta ferramenta em portugal é ainda relativamente recente. Tendo em conta esta necessidade, em 2011 foi criado o Parque Marinho do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, que inclui várias AMPs. Duas destas estão localizadas na costa alentejana do referido parque. A eficiência destas ferramentas depende dum planeamento e gestão adequados. De facto, a dimensão duma AMP tem um papel importante na sua eficácia e no tempo necessário para que alterações nas suas comunidades piscícolas seja evidentes. AMPs de maior dimensão e mais antigas tendem a apresentar maiores densidades e exemplares de maior tamanho. Nesse sentido, o principal objectivo desta tese foi avaliar se a designação de pequenas AMPS podem causar impactos positivos a curto prazo em espécies de interesse comercial, nas suas comunidades piscícolas e nas actividades de pesca local. No caso da AMP da Ilha do Pessegueiro, esta provou ser importante e adequada para proteger algumas espécies de interesse comercial, como moreias, safios e sargos, que encontram na zona refúgio e alimento. As comunidades de peixes locais também foram positivamente impactadas, vendo um aumento significativo na sua abundância e diferenças na sua composição quando comparadas com áreas não protegidas. O efeito mais imediato destas medidas é a perda de área de pesca para a frota pesqueira. No entanto, a deslocalização da frota para áreas próximas resultou num aumento das descargas com o tempo. De um modo geral, este trabalho valida a implementação destas medidas como adequadas e eficazes para a proteção marinha e para a exploração sustentável dos recursos. Confirma também que pequenas AMPs podem ser eficazes a curto prazo. No entanto, uma monitorização contínua dos impactos é indispensável. Assim, é aconselhada a manutenção destas medidas de protecção na costa Alentejana; Summary: Effects of the implementation of the MPAs from the Alentejo Coast on local fish communities and on some species with commercial/conservation interest. Given their success, MPAs have been widely implemented as fisheries management tools. However, the use of MPAs as conservation and management tools in Portugal is recent. In 2011, the Costa Vicentina and Sudoeste Alentejano (PNSACV) Marine Park was implemented which included several no take MPAs. Two of these were in the Alentejo coast of the Park. MPA efficiency depends on adequate planning and an appropriate management. In fact, the size of the MPA plays an important role on how effective it can be, and how fast changes on fish assemblages may occur. Larger and older MPAs tend to present higher densities and larger specimens than younger or smaller MPAs. The main objective of this dissertation was to evaluate if the designation of small no take MPAs can cause positive impacts at a short term on commercially important fish species, local fish communities and local fisheries. The implementation of the Pessegueiro Island no take MPA proved to be important and adequate for protecting commercially important species, such as morays, congers and seabreams, who find in this area optimal feeding and sheltering areas. Local fish assemblages were also positively impacted by the designation of both no take MPAs, with a significant increase in fish abundance and significant differences in their structure between protected and neighbouring areas. The most immediate consequence of these protective measures was the loss of available fishing grounds, but fleet relocation resulted in the increase in fish landings over time. Overall, this work validates the implementation of these measures as adequate and effective protection tools for marine conservation and sustainable resource exploitation. It also confirms that small no take MPAs can be short term effective. However, continuous monitoring is of the uttermost importance to adapt protective measures. Given this, the continuity of the protective measures in place is advised

Fast exact Bayesian inference for high-dimensional models

In this text, we present the principles that allow the tractable implementation of exact inference processes concerning a group of widespread classes of Bayesian generative models, which have until recently been deemed as intractable whenever formulated using high-dimensional joint distributions. We will demonstrate the usefulness of such a principled approach with an example of real-time OpenCL implementation using GPUs of a full-fledged, computer vision-based model to estimate gaze direction in human-robot interaction (HRI)

Os impactos ecológicos e sociais da co-gestão das pescas : estudo de caso do Norte de Moçambique

Doutoramento em BiologiaCo-management, or participative management of fisheries, consists of returning or opening to the community the management of fisheries. This work, carried out in northern Mozambique, analyzed the ecological and social impacts of the implementation of co-management of fisheries. Firstly 198 species of fish were found and photographed and a guide to identification of species - essential to who works in the marine environment – was produced. Following, the spill-over effect was identified in a marine sanctuary. It occurred after 6 years and only for herbivore fishes and not to the carnivores. In order to evaluate co–management of fisheries effects, the captures of the entire province were analyzed. No differences were found in the diversity of the species caught, but an increase of the fish size was detected: this size was smaller in the fishing centers with no CCP (Community Fishing Councils), slightly bigger in the fishing centers with CCP and even bigger in the fishing centers with a more efficient management. At the same time it was observed that the size of the fish caught is bigger in the fishing centers further away from the markets. In addition to the ecological effects and the effects on fisheries, it was also analyzed the point of view of those who live the co-management. The socioeconomic factors that have a stronger influence in their perceptions are the age and the wealth. Finally and according to the CCP members, their main achievements are in the fisheries inspection and in the creation of conservation areas. Their main difficulties are the lack of means of transportation and the lack of recognition of the CCP's authority; both among the population and in the coordination with local authorities. This thesis pioneered in Mozambique in assessing the effects of Community sanctuaries and the effects of CCP on fisheries as well as by revealing the profile of the supporters of co-management and marine sanctuaries. Finally, an assessment of the matter of fact problems that the communities have to face when implementing co-management was also made.A co-gestão, ou gestão participativa das pescas, consiste em devolver, ou abrir, à comunidade a gestão das pescas. Este trabalho, realizado no norte de Moçambique, analisou os impactos ecológicos e sociais da implementação da co-gestão das pescas. Primeiro foram encontradas e fotografadas 198 espécies ictíicas e produzido um guia de identificação de peixes de cabo delgado, essencial para quem trabalha no meio marinho. De seguida, o efeito de transbordamento foi detectado num santuário comunitário, para peixes herbívoros mas não para carnívoros, ao fim de seis anos. Para avaliar os efeitos da co-gestão na pesca foram analisadas as capturas de toda a província, não foram encontradas diferenças na diversidade de espécies capturadas, mas foi detectado um aumento do tamanho dos peixes: mais pequeno nos centros de pesca sem CCP, (Conselhos comunitários de Pesca) maior nos centros de pesca com CCP e maior ainda nos centros de pesca com gestão mais eficiente. Ao mesmo tempo foram detectadas nas capturas tamanhos maiores nos centros de pesca mais longe dos mercados. Para além dos efeitos ecológicos e nas pescas, também foi analisado o ponto de vista de quem vive a co-gestão. Os factores socioeconómicos que mais influenciam as suas percepções são a idade e a riqueza. Por último, segundo os membros dos CCP´s, as principais realizações dos CCP são na área da fiscalização e na criação de áreas de conservação. As principais dificuldades são a falta de meios de transporte para a fiscalização e a falta de reconhecimento da autoridade dos CCP’s, tanto entre a população como na articulação com as autoridades locais. Esta tese foi pioneira em Moçambique, ao avaliar os efeitos dos santuários comunitários e os efeitos dos CCP nas pescarias, assim como ao revelar qual o perfil dos apoiantes da co-gestão e dos santuários marinhos. Finalmente, fez-se um levantamento dos problemas que efectivamente enfrentam as comunidades, no campo na implementação da co-gestã

Cultural consensus and intracultural diversity in ethnotaxonomy: lessons from a fishing community in Northeast Brazil

Background: Traditional fishing communities are strongholds of ethnobiological knowledge but establishing to what degree they harbor cultural consensus about different aspects of this knowledge has been a challenge in many ethnobiological studies. Methods: We conducted an ethnobiological study in an artisanal fishing community in northeast Brazil, where we interviewed 91 community members (49 men and 42 women) with different type of activities (fishers and non-fishers), in order to obtain free lists and salience indices of the fish they know. To establish whether there is cultural consensus in their traditional knowledge on fish, we engaged a smaller subset of 45 participants in triad tasks where they chose the most different fish out of 30 triads. We used the similarity matrices generated from the task results to detect if there is cultural consensus in the way fish were classified by them. Results: The findings show how large is the community’s knowledge of fish, with 197 ethnospecies registered, of which 33 species were detected as salient or important to the community. In general, men cited more fish than women. We also found that there was no cultural consensus in the ways fish were classified. Conclusions: Both free-listing and triad task methods revealed little cultural consensus in the way knowledge is structured and how fish were classified by community members. Our results suggest that it is prudent not to make assumptions that a given local community has a single cultural consensus model in classifying the organisms in their environment

Ciguatoxins

Ciguatoxins (CTXs), which are responsible for Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), are liposoluble toxins produced by microalgae of the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa. This book presents 18 scientific papers that offer new information and scientific evidence on: (i) CTX occurrence in aquatic environments, with an emphasis on edible aquatic organisms; (ii) analysis methods for the determination of CTXs; (iii) advances in research on CTX-producing organisms; (iv) environmental factors involved in the presence of CTXs; and (v) the assessment of public health risks related to the presence of CTXs, as well as risk management and mitigation strategies