By-catch species susceptibilities and potential for survival in Algarve (southern Portugal) deep-water crustacean trawl fishery

Bottom trawling for crustaceans in Portuguese coastal waters is an important fishery in terms of revenue, despite its negative impacts on deep-sea ecosystems. This fishery catches large amounts of unwanted species that were discarded for various reasons before the introduction of the Landing Obligation, which banned the discarding of regulated species. However, where it can be demonstrated that a species has an acceptably high likelihood of survival, exemptions to this ban may be granted. In this study, time-to-mortality was used to estimate immediate mortality rates and identify important biological characteristics determining the susceptibility of 14 by-catch species. most with commercial interest (Conger conger, Galeus melastomus, Helicolenus dactylopterus, Lepidorhombus boscii, Lophius budegassa, Lophius piscatorius, Merluccius merluccius. Micromesistius poutassou, Mullus surmuletus, Phycis blennoides. Scyliorhinus canicula, Trigla lyra. Trachurus trachurus and Trachurus piciuratus). Species with potential to survive after the discarding process were identified and a short-term survival assessment of conger eel (Conger conger) was performed. The results suggest that species with scales, gas bladder and high metabolic rates have higher post-discard mortality. Size was a critical factor determining survival in some species, with smaller individuals dying faster. The short-term survival rate of conger eel was determined to be 84% (95% Cl: 75.5 to 93.3%). The methodology and results from this study can help identify species that may survive the discarding process and factors influencing their survival.MINOUW project - Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union - 634495info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SUBTIDAL MEIOFAUNA COMMUNITIES ALONG THE SALINITY GRADIENT IN TWO SOUTHERN EUROPEAN ESTUARIES

Meiobenthos is an important benthic component of marine and estuarine sediments. In estuarine sediments meiofauna facilitates biomineralization of organic matter, enhancing nutrient regeneration, serves as food for a variety of higher trophic levels and exhibits high sensitivity to environmental modification. Spatial (horizontal and vertical) variations, temporal changes, abundance, species composition and fluctuations of estuarine meiofauna communities are influenced by several biotic and abiotic factors such as trophic relationships, bioturbation, oxygen, salinity, temperature and sediment grain size characteristics. The objective of this study was to analyse and compare the spatial distribution of the density and composition of subtidal Meiofauna and Nematoda communities in two southern European estuaries, exposed to different degrees of anthropogenic stress, in Portugal: Mira, a relatively undisturbed estuary, and Mondego, a system under sever anthropogenic impacts. Samples were collected along the salinity gradient of the two estuaries, from freshwater (30psu). Data were analysed in a way to describe and compare the distribution patterns of composition and density of meiofauna taxa and Nematoda communities along the salinity gradients of both estuaries and to identify the specific environmental factors structuring that distribution. In what refers to the environmental parameters, the two estuaries were different, with the Mira estuary presenting higher proportions of silt + clay and organic matter content and the Mondego estuary presenting higher percentage of dissolved oxygen and phosphate concentration. In both estuaries, meiofauna communities were characterised by the dominance of thetaxa Nematoda, Copepoda and Polychaeta. The spatial patterns of density and composition of both meiofauna and Nematoda communities reflected the salinity gradient, being these assemblages structured and influenced by this natural stressor. Besides salinity, sediment properties also influenced the communities and the responses of the communities to both anthropogenic and natural stress could not be easily differentiated. Nevertheless, different patterns of the trophic nematode structure assemblages between Mira and Mondego overlapped the salinity effects and the feeding guilds and their response could detect the anthropogenical–induced stress in these estuarie

Role of estuarine nematode assemblages in ecological assessment in a southern European estuary (Mondego estuary, Portugal). Temporal and spatial patterns

To improve nematode’s knowledge in the Mondego estuary (Portugal), the temporal and spatial variations of subtidal free-living marine nematodes communities (density, diversity and trophic structure) along the entire estuarine gradient (freshwater to euhaline areas) were seasonally studied (2006 to 2009). Since 1980, the hydromorphological, physicochemical and ecological responses of the system to both natural and human induced pressures have been studied, providing a long term database on macrobenthic communities. Even though studies on meiobenthic communities in this system are still scarce, the meiobenthic communities can be valuable in marine pollution monitoring programs. The present study intends to answer two main questions: 1) Do responses in the density, composition and trophic structure of free-living nematode allow an effective evaluation of the systems ecological condition?; 2) Can free-living nematodes and macrofauna assemblages provide comparable ecological status assessment? A marked estuarine gradient was detected, with salinity, sediment grain size and nutrients as the most important factors structuring the meiofauna community. The community was dominated by nematodes in all seasons (between 88 and 96% of total meiofauna community). Temporal differences in nematodes density were detected (maximum in summer 2006 - 4275 ind 10cm-2 ; minimum in spring 2007 - 1277 ind 10cm-2) and a separation of salinity stretches based on nematodes diversity and density was possible: the downstream areas were mainly composed by the genera Daptonema, Sabatieria and Sphaerolaimus and the upstream area by the freshwater nematodes Mesodorylaimus and Mononchus. The response of nematode feeding guilds is able to reflect anthropogenic-induced stress and can be useful in assessing biological quality in transitional waters ecosystems. This study indicates that nematodes can be an important tool in assessing the ecological status of transitional waters

Estuaries from a meiofaunal perspective: biodiversity patterns of benthic nematodes

Estuarine meiofauna communities have been only recently considered to be good indicators of ecological quality status, in contrast with macrofauna which is widely used in the assessment and monitoring of aquatic systems. Meiofauna features, such as their small size, high abundance, rapid generation times and absence of a planktonic phase, make these assemblages potential target indicators. In estuaries, we must account not only for great natural variability (e.g. salinity, sediment type and dynamics, oxygen availability, temperature, flow speed) but also for the multiple anthropogenic pressures (high local population density, presence of harbours, dredging activities) that act upon the systems. The meiobenthic community of the Mondego estuary (Portugal) was analyzed, with especial emphasis on the spatial and temporal biodiversity patterns along the entire estuarine gradient. Both taxonomic and functional approaches (density, number of taxa, Margalef and Shannon-Wiener indices, Index of Trophic Diversity and Maturity Index) were applied to nematode communities in order to describe the community structure and to relate it to environmental parameters. The results showed that, at all sampling locations and times, salinity and grain size composition were the main abiotic factors controlling community distribution. Additionally, low temporal variability was observed, which may indicate that natural variability may be superimposed by the anthropogenic pressures present in some areas of the estuary. The integration of both taxonomic and functional attributes proved to be important in assessing the ecological status of estuaries, reinforcing the need to develop a nematode-based multimetric ind

Seasonal and spatial variability of nematodes and macrofauna assemblages in the Mondego estuary: can these communities provide comparable ecological assessment information?

With the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive there is the need to develop assessment tools based on biological data, which are adequate for all European aquatic systems. Macrofauna communities have traditionally been used to assess and evaluate ecological integrity. However, meiofauna communities can also suitably reflect the ecological conditions present in a particular system. Free-living nematodes are the dominant fraction of meiofauna communities. Their importance in the nutrients cycle is known and their use as biological indicators has been registered worldwide. Nevertheless, the outputs given by the study of nematodes communities in the assessment of quality in estuarine systems are poor, compared with those given by macrobenthic assemblages. The main objective of this study was to examine spatial and temporal variations of density and diversity of nematodes and macrofauna communities and to understand how diversity indices were influenced by season and by “target” community. The questions addressed in this study were 1) which environmental variables were the most important in influencing the distribution of the communities? and 2) did free-living nematodes and macrofauna assemblages provide comparable ecological assessment information? Differences between the ecological conditions were detected considering both communities, with nematodes assemblages presenting a higher quality status. Besides spatial variations, seasonal differences were also recorded for both communities. Probably, these seasonal changes could be related with recruitment events and other population processes, which in turn affected the diversity indices. Future research should focus on defining the best sampling period and exploring the reasons behind different ecological assessments provided by both communities (e.g. distinct response times)

Biological assemblages of three new mud volcanoes along deep-reaching transform faults in the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain (NE Atlantic)

Previous work on the Gulf of Cadiz (S Iberian Margin) has revealed several mud volcanoes sitting on the accretionary wedge and aligned along west-east trending transform faults. The source of fluids in these mud volcanoes is several kilometres below the seafloor and their geochemical composition indicates that they are affected, in different degrees, by oceanic crust alteration, implying that there is active flow connecting the oceanic basement and the seafloor. To date, such kind of hydrothermal circulation is only known for relatively young oceanic crust (<60 Ma) and therefore the existence of a hydrological connection between old, sedimented oceanic crust and the seafloor is a phenomenon that may represent a (missing) link between hydrothermal vents at mid-ocean ridges and cold seeps at continental margins. During the research cruise M86/5 on board RV Meteor within the research program of SWIMGLO (PTDC/MAR/100522/2008), selected sites along the westward trending transform faults of the adjacent Horseshoe Abyssal Plain were investigated and three new mud volcanoes, Michael Ivanov, Abzu and Tiamat were discovered at ca. 4500m depths. Initial findings showed the occurrence of chemosymbiotic metazoan hosts (Acharax gadirae and several Frenulata species) and a high diversity in meiofauna and macrofauna. Nematodes were abundant followed by copepods and polychaetes but tanaids, amphipods, polychaetes and bivalves (Nuculanidae) were also well represented. An AUV survey further enabled to map the distribution of Frenulata fields, bivalve shells and disturbed sediment patches on the crater of Michael Ivanov MV. The results are discussed in relation to previous knowledge on the Gulf of Cadiz seeps

Lead availability in soils from Portugal's Centre Region with special reference to bioaccessibility

Previous environmental biomonitoring studies indicated higher environmental lead (Pb) pollution levels at the districts of Aveiro and Leiria (Portugal). In evaluating the risk for human health, which is associated with contaminated soils after oral uptake, total soil concentrations have generally been held against criteria established from toxicological studies based upon the assumption that the uptake of the contaminant is similar in the toxicological studies and from the soils assessed. This assumption is not always valid, as most toxicological studies are carried out with soluble forms of the contaminants, whereas many soil contaminants are or become embedded in the soil matrix and thus exhibit limited availability. This study intends to estimate the soluble fraction of Pb in the soils from central Portugal, and to assess the bioaccessibility of Pb and, hence, infer exposure and risk for human health. Yet, as the physical-chemical properties of the soil exert some control over the solubility of Pb in the surface environment, the relation between such soil properties and the estimated soluble and/or bioaccessible fractions of Pb is also investigated. Other objective, with a more practical nature, was to give some contribution to find a suitable in vitro mimetic of the gastrointestinal tract environment. The results indicate relatively low total metal concentrations in the soils, even if differences between regions were observed. The Aveiro district has the higher total Pb concentration and the metal is in more soluble forms, that is, geoavailable. Soils with higher concentrations of soluble Pb show higher estimates of bioaccessible Pb. Soil pH seems to influence human bioaccessibility of Pb.publishe

A standardised protocol for blood and cerebrospinal fluid collection and processing for biomarker research in ataxi

The European Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado-Joseph Disease Initiative (ESMI) is a consortium established with the ambition to set up the largest European longitudinal trial-ready cohort of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado-Joseph Disease (SCA3/MJD), the most common autosomal dominantly inherited ataxia worldwide. A major focus of ESMI has been the identification of SCA3/MJD biomarkers to enable future interventional studies. As biosample collection and processing variables significantly impact the outcomes of biomarkers studies, biosampling procedures standardisation was done previously to study visit initiation. Here, we describe the ESMI consensus biosampling protocol, developed within the scope of ESMI, that ultimately might be translated to other neurodegenerative disorders, particularly ataxias, being the first step to protocol harmonisation in the fieldFunding. This project was supported by the EU Joint Programme—Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) through the following funding organisations under the aegis of JPND: Portugal, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, grant number JPCOFUND/0001/2015)and Regional Fund for Science and Technology of the Azores;Germany, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF; funding codes 01ED1602A/B); Netherlands, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development; United Kingdom, Medical Research Council. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 643417. In addition, support has been received by the ERDF through the Regional Operational Program Center 2020, Competitiveness Factors Operational Program (COMPETE 2020, POCI) and National Funds through FCT [BrainHealth2020(CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000008), UID/NEU/04539/2019–2021,BD for MJD (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-181240), ViraVector (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-022095), Spread Silencing (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029716)], and by the National Ataxia Foundation (USA), the American Portuguese Biomedical Research Fund (APBRF) and the Richard Chin and Lily Lock Machado-Joseph Disease Research Fund.MR (CEECIND/03018/2018), AFF (SFRH/BD/121101/2016), LG(PD/BD/135497/2018) and PS (SFRH/BD/148451/2019) are supported by FCT. PG is supported by the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre UCLH. PG receives also support from the North Thames CRN.PG and HGM, work at University College London Hospitals/University College London, which receives a proportion of funding from the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre’s funding scheme. PG received funding from CureSCA3 in support of HGM work