Integrated ecosystem assessment around islands of the tropical South Mid-Atlantic Ridge

The South Mid Atlantic Ridge comprises three main oceanic islands in the equatorial and tropical portions of the Atlantic Ocean. These islands are isolated from each other and equidistant from both the continental margins of South America and Africa, sharing common patterns but with different types of human use and pressures. Moreover, the areas beyond national jurisdiction between those islands are visited and exploited by distant fishing fleets and include large areas of shipping activity for commodities. Here, a pioneering integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA) process is constructed for the region among Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Archipelago (Brazil), Saint Helena Island and Ascension Island (UK overseas territories). For that, we used a qualitative assessment of risks arising from anthropogenic activities, representing a novel contribution to the field. The Options for Delivering Ecosystem-Based Marine Management (ODEMM) approach was applied to trace sector–pressure–component pathways. A ‘linkage framework’ was outlined including pressures affecting each ecosystem component, and supported a process of knowledge attributions that scored the impact risks. All results were validated with regional stakeholders through workshops, including local and international management bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and scientists. The approach focused on a significant area among encompassing the open ocean, shallow and deep-sea biomes, analyzing the main sectors and pressures affecting the ecological components. Our results identified 14 sectors and 16 key pressures associated with 23 ecosystem components, totaling 780 impact chains. Fishing, shipping, wastewater, and tourism/recreation appeared as the top impacting sectors. Fishing and shipping were the most connected with ecosystem components links. Litter, species extraction, contaminants, and bycatch were the pressures that had the highest risk of impact values. Lastly, demersal and pelagic fish and pelagic and demersal elasmobranchs were the groups with the highest risk related to overall impacts, which were supported by local and regional evidence from long term monitoring programs and local studies. Our study demonstrated that these seemingly pristine islands and oceanic waters are already experiencing human impacts that should be addressed by local both conservation measures and international agreements. We also highlight the pressures that should be prioritized for better monitoring and policy, as well as those linkage components that have been less investigated

The influence of species abundance, diet and phylogenetic affinity on the co-occurrence of butterflyfishes

Understanding “why species are where they are” at different scales is one of the main focuses of ecological and biogeographical studies. Although ecological features, such as trophic group and species abundance, are thought to be more important for driving co-occurrence patterns at the habitat scale, it is not yet known if phylogenetic constraints can also exert some influence. Here, we studied global co-occurrence patterns of butterflyfishes in relation to species abundance, trophic characteristics, and evolutionary histories, specifically examining two questions—Question (1): does phylogenetic affinity and/or abundance explain co-occurrence at the habitat scale? To answer this, we used abundance data from 23 global localities to evaluate whether phylogenetic affinity alone as well as after accounting for differences in diet among sympatric species explains co-occurrences at the habitat scale. Question (2): are the diets of sister species from the Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Pacific phylogenetically conserved? To examine this, we used a more detailed diet classification of species present within these realms. We found that phylogenetic distance per se fails to explain the co-occurrence of butterflyfish species pairs. Instead, species abundance exerted a major influence on interspecific co-occurrences. We also found no correlation between phylogenetic distance and diet similarities for Atlantic and East Pacific butterflyfishes; thus, in these regions, species' diets do not seem to be phylogenetically conserved. This suggests that evolutionary processes are not the main drivers of butterflyfish co-occurrence highlighting species' abundance and niche-related processes as the most important factors in determining whether species co-occur at the habitat scale

Number of sampled and missing species from phylogenetic reconstructions (Fig. 1) according to the total number of species in each subclade.

<p>Percentage of species not represented in the analyses due to missing genera and the percentage of species using Low-quality diet (LQD) in each subclade are also shown.</p

Mean evolutionary rate (MER), Yule process birth rate (Yule), coefficient of variance (CV) and mean covariance (MC) for each of the ultrametric trees reconstructed using BEAST.

<p>95% HPD  =  high-posterior density interval of 95% for each value estimated.</p

Individual net diversification rate (rG) of subclades <i>vs</i>. subclades ages.

<p>Black circles represent high-quality feeders, green circles represent low-quality feeders. Dashed line represents the r<b>G</b> value over which all clades showed significant higher than expected species richness. Crown ages are according to mean node ages in BEAST analysis. Circle sizes are proportional to the number of species in each clade.</p

Under pressure: an integrated assessment of human activities and their potential impact on the ecosystem components of the Southern Brazilian continental shelf

Abstract Economic activities in the South Brazilian Shelf (SBS) are concentrated on the coast, causing several impacts. To balance biodiversity and habitat conservation in coastal and marine areas with human activities relevant to society, it is important to identify and understand those sectors and pressures. We conducted an analysis to assess ecosystem risks from multiple drivers and pressures in the continental shelf that extends from the Southernmost point of Brazil (Chuí) to Cabo Frio cape, in Rio de Janeiro State. We used the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) methodology, a framework for implementing ecosystem-based management grounded on five steps: scoping, indicator development, ecosystem assessment, risk analysis, and management strategy evaluation. This work presents the scoping step consisting of a semi-quantitative assessment identifying sector–pressure–ecological component pressure pathways. Subsequently, these pathways were scored using expert judgment supported by literature and data, regarding their level of overlap with each ecosystem component, frequency of occurrence, and degree of impact, enabling estimation of the magnitude of impact risk arising from each one of the sectors and pressures. The assessment involved 20 experts from multiple disciplines and backgrounds. To validate the results, we conducted a thorough literature review and engaged in further discussions with relevant stakeholders. As a result, 16 sectors and 19 pressures were identified as impacting 18 ecological components. Fishing, land-based industry, tourism and recreation, wastewater, and coastal infrastructure represented the main economic sectors impacting the area. The major associated pressures were the incidental catch of species, the introduction of contaminants and organic matter into the water, and the generation of waste. The most affected ecosystem components were, in turn, those located on or close to the coast, such as mangroves, saltmarshes, and rocky reefs while the preeminent impacted taxonomic groups were elasmobranchs, seabirds, reptiles, mammals, and bony fish. The literature review supported the expert assessment, and the stakeholders’ workshop endorsed our findings. Additionally, this assessment highlights the need to implement public policies that focus on reducing the impact of the most influential sectors and pressures and the necessity of strengthening research and monitoring. Identifying these priorities for integrated coastal and marine management is crucial, and our research outcomes can be key in promoting regional ocean sustainability

Abundance, diet, foraging and nutritional condition of the banded butterflyfish (Chaetodon striatus) along the western Atlantic

The feeding behaviour and diet plasticity of a given species are usually shaped by the relationship between species physiology and the quality and availability of resources in the environment. As such, some species may achieve wide geographical distributions by utilizing multiple resources at different sites within their ranges. We studied the distribution and feeding of Chaetodon striatus, the most widespread butterflyfish in the Atlantic, by assessing its density and foraging rates in eight sites enclosing 44 degrees of latitude. We also evaluated the relationship between fish density and foraging rates with nutritional condition and diet across study sites, and the gut length relative to body size. Density and foraging rates did not differ among studied sites. In 169 stomachs analysed, we found 52 different items (12-23 per site). Polychaeta and Cnidaria were the most important items in seven study sites. Therefore, C. striatus may be considered as a non-coral generalist feeder, as it feeds on a wide variety of items and substrata along the studied range, with no consistent selectivity pattern for foraging substratum across sites. Individuals from all sites but Salvador (NE Brazil) had similar RNA/DNA ratios, suggesting that C. striatus nutritional condition is similar along its extensive distribution. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing different sites within the distribution range of generalist butterflyfishes, and different variables, to a better comprehension of the feeding ecology of these species

Diet and diversification in the evolution of coral reef fishes

The disparity in species richness among evolutionary lineages is one of the oldest and most intriguing issues in evolutionary biology. Although geographical factors have been traditionally thought to promote speciation, recent studies have underscored the importance of ecological interactions as one of the main drivers of diversification. Here, we test if differences in species richness of closely related lineages match predictions based on the concept of density-dependent diversification. As radiation progresses, ecological niche-space would become increasingly saturated, resulting in fewer opportunities for speciation. To assess this hypothesis, we tested whether reef fish niche shifts toward usage of low-quality food resources (i.e. relatively low energy/protein per unit mass), such as algae, detritus, sponges and corals are accompanied by rapid net diversification. Using available molecular information, we reconstructed phylogenies of four major reef fish clades (Acanthuroidei, Chaetodontidae, Labridae and Pomacentridae) to estimate the timing of radiations of their subclades. We found that the evolution of species-rich clades was associated with a switch to low quality food in three of the four clades analyzed, which is consistent with a density-dependent model of diversification. We suggest that ecological opportunity may play an important role in understanding the diversification of reef-fish lineages

Contribuições da Sociologia na América Latina à imaginação sociológica: análise, crítica e compromisso social Sociology's contribution in Latin America to sociological imagination: analysis, critique, and social commitment

O artigo aborda o papel desempenhado pela Sociologia na análise dos processos de transformação das sociedades latino-americanas, no acompanhamento do processo de construção do Estado e da Nação, na problematização das questões sociais na América Latina. São analisados seis períodos na Sociologia na América Latina e no Caribe: I) a herança intelectual da Sociologia ; II) a sociologia da cátedra; III) O período da "Sociologia Científica" e a configuração da "Sociologia Crítica"; IV) a crise institucional, a consolidação da "Sociologia Crítica" e a diversificação da sociologia; V) a sociologia do autoritarismo, da democracia e da exclusão; VI) a consolidação institucional e a mundialização da sociologia da América Latina (desde o ano de 2000), podendo-se afirmar que os traços distintivos do saber sociológico no continente foram: o internacionalismo, o hibridismo, a abordagem crítica dos processos e conflitos das sociedades latino-americanas e o compromisso social do sociólogo.<br>The article focuses on the role played by Sociology in the analysis of processes of change in Latin American societies, in the process of construction of Nation and State, in the debate of social issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Six periods in Sociology in Latin America and the Caribbean are examined: I) sociology's intellectual legacy; II) sociology as a cathedra; III) the period of "Scientific Sociology"; IV) the institutional crisis, the consolidation of "Critical Sociology", and the diversifying of sociology; V) sociology of authoritarianism, democracy and exclusion; VI) institutional consolidation and globalization of Latin American sociology (since 2000). It may be said that the distinctive features of sociological knowledge in the continent were: internationalism, hybridism, the critical approach to processes and conflicts of Latin American societies, and the sociologist social commitment