gDefrag: A graph-based tool to help defragmenting landscapes divided by linear infrastructures

Habitat fragmentation is a major biodiversity threat. Linear infrastructures (e.g. roads) hamper the movement of individuals and cause non-natural mortality. Roadkill hotspots have been used to define priority areas for road effect mitigation, but data availability and reliability is an issue, particularly on wide spatial scales. Additionally, mitigating the whole infrastructure network is unfeasible. Expedite methods are required to address such challenges. We present the gDefrag package, a graph-based approach that builds on habitat value and accessibility after simplifying the landscape as a graph. Its advantages include not requiring roadkill or movement data, and providing effective methods to deliver reliable information, allowing landscape managers to address landscape fragmentation overall. gDefrag prioritizes roads which should be targeted first to defragment the landscape. The software includes a user-friendly manual and currently implements four prioritization criteria: habitat quality, maximum number of inter-habitat paths, overall landscape connectivity, and simultaneously larger and higher-quality habitats

Environmental Risks, Challenges and Opportunities Along the African Belt and Road Initiative

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is playing a central role in the infrastructure development of Africa, with investments centered in the transportation and energy sectors, aiming to promote the long-desired growth of trade routes between and within African regions and the world. The expansion of transportation infrastructures, seaports and airports, as well of power-lines and other linear infrastructures, is expected to foster the development of industries and economy, by improving the connectivity between human settlements and main trade hubs. However, despite the expected benefits for human well-being, the feedback of development boosted by the BRI may come with a high toll for the environment in Africa. I briefly discuss how this major development driver may threaten Africa’s unique biodiversity. Also, I highlight some unpredicted costs of infrastructures that may jeopardize the economic growth and prosperity and identify big challenges for the pacific implementation of the BRI, namely the lack of environmental commitment by Chinese companies abroad, and the poor governance in African countries. I also identify great opportunities to be pursued for sustainable coexistence between development and conservation, including broadening education to more populations, and increasing food production.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Nephtyidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from southern Europe

Eighteen nephtyid species belonging to four different genera are known from southern Europe. In this study we revise the nephtyids from this area and provide descriptions of all the known species. Geographical and bathymetrical distributions are given, together with ecological notes. Inermonephtys foretmontardoi, new species, is described, Micronephthys maryae is newly synonymized with M. stammeri and Aglaophamus rubellus with A. agilis. New diagnoses are provided for southern European genera and a key to all species from the region is included.FCT - SFRH/BD/16563/2004EC FP6 - GOCE-CT-2005-511234 HERMESEC FP7 - PROJ 226354 HERMIONEVR, dnr 2009-512

Cork extractives exhibit thermo-oxidative protection properties in polypropylene-cork composites and as direct additives for polypropylene

The thermo-oxidative stability of polypropylene (PP) in composites containing 15 wt.% of cork and the performance of selected cork extracts as stabilizing additives for PP was evaluated by Oxidation Induction Time (OIT) and by Oxidation Onset Temperature (OOT). The results showed that cork increases the OIT of PP in the composite and it was identified that the cork extractives fraction is responsible for such behavior. Selected cork extracts with high antioxidant capacity (determined by dpph radical scavenging and oxygen reactive absorbance capacity assays) were compounded by extrusion with PP in 0.5 and 1.5 wt.%. It was found that the ethanol extract is the most effective as thermo-oxidative stabilizer for PP. At the loading level of 1.5%, the OIT increases from 3.8 (neat PP) to 29.7 min at 200 Â°C and from 1.2 (neat PP) to 9.0 min at 220 Â°C. The OOT also increases from 216 Â°C (neat PP) to 247 Â°C. Mechanical tests, performed on PP loaded with the cork extracts, showed that the presence of these extracts has no significant effect on the polymer mechanical performance. The results demonstrate the suitability of cork as a source of thermo-oxidative stabilizing additives for the formulation of polyolefins, and enable the exploitation of new routes of cork valorization.The authors are grateful to Amorim Cork Composites for providing the cork powder raw material. Ivo Aroso and Emanuel Fernandes are grateful for financial support of FCT through grants SFRH/BD/42273/2007 and SFRH/BPD/96197/2013, respectively. Funding was also granted from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and from Project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches (Ref.: RL1-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016)" co-financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Functionalized cork-polymer composites (CPC) by reactive extrusion using suberin and lignin from cork as coupling agents

High density polyethylene (HDPE) and cork powder were compounded in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder to obtain cork-polymer composites (CPC) with improved properties. Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was used as initiator agent, and suberin or lignin isolated from cork enhanced filler-matrix bonding and promoted mechanical reinforcement with environmental benefits. The novel composites were characterised in terms of dimensional stability, evolution of morphology, thermal and mechanical properties and their performance was compared with that of composites containing polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MA) as coupling agent. As expected, composites with coupling agent present higher mechanical properties, lower water uptake and thickness swelling variation. Suberin acts as plasticizer with antioxidant benefits, while lignin works as a coupling agent, improving tensile modulus and maximum strength. Increasing lignin content does not improve the mechanical properties but improves thermal stability.The work was performed within the project of Corticeira Amorim S.G.P.S. on the development of new products based in/with cork. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support, through the COMPETE/QREN/EU funding program in the project with acronym NovelComp (QREN FCOMP-01-0202-FEDER-003107). The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and POPH/FSE for the doctoral Grants to E.M.F. (SFRH/BD/71561/2010) and I.M.A. (SFRH/BD/42273/2007)

Monitoring Hg and Cd contamination using red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii): implications for wetland food chain contamination

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious causes of degradation of Mediterranean wetlands. Mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) are of particular concern due to biomagnification. Here, we used red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to monitor the spatial and temporal patterns of these two metals in a Portuguese rice field system. We sampled the crayfish in three different sites and three different time periods in the Sado River Basin (Portugal). We measured temperature, pH, total dissolved solids and conductivity in the water. Hg and Cd were measured in the crayfish abdominal muscle tissue and exoskeleton. In muscle, a spatial pattern was found for the accumulation of Cd while for Hg, only a temporal pattern emerged. The spatial pattern for Cd seemed to reflect the mining history of the sites, whereas the temporal pattern for Hg seemed related to the flooding of rice fields. We suggest that this flooding process increases Hg bioavailability

The Current State of Eunicida (Annelida) Systematics and Biodiversity

In this study, we analyze the current state of knowledge on extant Eunicida systematics, morphology, feeding, life history, habitat, ecology, distribution patterns, local diversity and exploitation. Eunicida is an order of Errantia annelids characterized by the presence of ventral mandibles and dorsal maxillae in a ventral muscularized pharynx. The origin of Eunicida dates back to the late Cambrian, and the peaks of jaw morphology diversity and number of families are in the Ordovician. Species richness is heterogeneous among the seven recent families, with more than half of the valid species belonging to the Eunicidae + Onuphidae clade, one of the latest clades to diverge. Eunicidans inhabit soft and hard substrates from intertidal to deep waters in all oceans. The few freshwater species are restricted to Histriobdellidae, a family exclusively commensal/parasite of crustaceans. The reproductive biology, development and ecology of most families are poorly known and the information available suggests low dispersal ability. However, all families have records of widely distributed species. Scrutiny of these wide distributions has often revealed the presence of exotic species or more than one species. The exploration of the deep-sea and of new habitats has led to recent descriptions of new species. Furthermore, the revision of type specimens, the examination of new morphological features and the use of molecular data have revealed hidden biodiversity under unjustified synonyms, poor understanding of morphological features and incomplete descriptions. Molecular studies are still very few or nonexistent for the families Histriobdellidae, Hartmaniellidae, Lumbrineridae and Oenonidae. The integration of new methodologies for morphological and molecular study, along with information on biological and ecological traits appears to be the path to improve the knowledge on the diversity of Eunicida.publishedVersio

Water and carbon dioxide: green solvents for the extraction of collagen/gelatin from marine sponges

"Publication Date (Web): December 23, 2014"Marine sponges are extremely rich in natural products and are considered a promising biological resource. The major objective of this work is to couple a green extraction process with a natural origin raw material to obtain sponge origin collagen/gelatin for biomedical applications. Marine sponge collagen has unique physicochemical properties, but its application is hindered by the lack of availability due to inefficient extraction methodologies. Traditional extraction methods are time consuming as they involve several operating steps and large amounts of solvents. In this work, we propose a new extraction methodology under mild operating conditions in which water is acidified with carbon dioxide (CO2) to promote the extraction of collagen/gelatin from different marine sponge species. An extraction yield of approximately 50% of collagen/gelatin was achieved. The results of Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), circular dichroism (CD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra suggest a mixture of collagen/gelatin with high purity, and the analysis of the amino acid composition has shown similarities with collagen from other marine sources. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity studies did not demonstrate any toxicity effects for three of the extracts.The authors are grateful for financial support of FCT through Grant EXP/QEQ:EPS/0745/2012, SWIMS (Subcritical Water Isolation of compounds from Marine Sponges). The funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement numbers REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and KBBE-2010-266033 (project SPECIAL), as well as from ERDF under the project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches" RLI-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016), cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2,O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) are also gratefully ackowledged. The authors are also truly thankfull to Prof. Micha flan (Tel Aviv University, Israel), Dr. Ronald Osinga (Porifarma, The Netherlands), Dr. Antonio Sara and Dr. Martina Milanese (Studio Associato GAIA, Italy), and Dr. Joana Xavier (University of Azores) for the kind offer of marine sponges samples

Surface modification of silica-based marine sponge bioceramics induce hydroxyapatite formation

Marine biomaterials are a new emerging area of research with significant applications. Recently, researchers are dedicating considerable attention to marine-sponge biomaterials for various applications. We have focused on the potential of biosilica from Petrosia ficidormis for novel biomedical/industrial applications. A bioceramic structure from this sponge was obtained after calcination at 750ºC for 6 hours in a furnace. The morphological characteristics of the 3D architecture were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography revealing a highly porous and interconnected structure. The skeleton of Petrosia ficidormis is a siliceous matrix composed of SiO2, which does not present inherent bioactivity. Induction of bioactivity was attained by subjecting the bioceramics structure to an alkaline treatment (KOH 2M) and acidic treatment (HCl 2M) for 1 and 3 hours. In vitro bioactivity of the bioceramics structure was evaluated in simulated body fluid (SBF), after 7 and 14 days. Observation of the structures by SEM, coupled with spectroscopic elemental analysis (EDS), has shown that the surface morphology presented a calcium-phosphate CaP coating, similar to hydroxyapatite (HA). The determination of the Ca/P ratio, together with the evaluation of the characteristic peaks of HA by infra-red spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, have proven the existence of HA. In vitro biological performance of the structures was evaluated using an osteoblast cell line andthe acidic treatment has shown to be the most effective treatment. Cells were seeded on the bioceramics structures and their morphology, viability and growth was evaluated by SEM, MTS assay and DNA quantification, respectively, demonstrating that cells are able to grow and colonize the bioceramic structures.Alexandre Barros is grateful for financial support of FCT through Grant EXP/QEQ-EPS/0745/2012, SWIMS - Subcritical Water Isolation of compounds from Marine Sponges. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and under Grant no KBBE-2010-266033 (project SPECIAL). Funding from the project "Novel smart and biomimetic materials for innovative regenerative medicine approaches" RL1-ABMR-NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000016) cofinanced by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) is also acknowledged

Distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberian Peninsula

We present a dataset that assembles occurrence records of alien tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in the Iberian Peninsula, a coherent biogeographically unit where introductions of alien species have occurred for millennia. These data have important potential applications for ecological research and management, including the assessment of invasion risks, formulation of preventive and management plans, and research at the biological community level on alien species. This dataset summarizes inventories and data sources on the taxonomy and distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberia Peninsula, comprising known locations from published literature, expert knowledge and citizen science platforms. An expert-based assessment process allowed the identification of unreliable records (misclassification or natural dispersion from native range), and the classification of species according to their status of reproduction in the wild. Distributional data was harmonized into a common area unit, the 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system (n = 6,152 cells). The year of observation and/or year of publication were also assigned to the records. In total, we assembled 35,940 unique distribution records (UTM × species × Year) for 253 species (6 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 218 birds and 13 mammals), spanning between 1912 and 2020. The species with highest number of distribution records were the Mediterranean painted frog Discoglossus pictus (n = 59 UTM), the pond slider Trachemys scripta (n = 471), the common waxbill Estrilda astrild (n = 1,275) and the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 4,043), for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, respectively. Most alien species recorded are native to Africa (33%), followed by South America (21%), Asia (19%), North America (12%) and Oceania (10%). Thirty-six species are classified by IUCN as threatened in their native range, namely 2 Critically Endangered (CR), 6 Endangered (EN), 8 Vulnerable (VU), and 20 species Near Threatened (NT). Species maps are provided in DataSet1, as well R code and GIS layers to update them as new records are obtained