Ictiotoxismo por consumo de barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) y morena manchada (Gymnothorax moringa) en la comunidad de pescadores artesanales de Tasajera, Caribe colombiano

An icthyotoxism event was studied in the Tasajera fishermen’s community, department of Magdalena. The ciguatera intoxication was diagnosed to 7 individuals whose ages were ranging between 17 and 53 years (63,4 %), with symptoms of vomit (100 %), muscular pain in low members (71,4 %), abdominal spasms (85,7 %), diarrhea (100 %), numbness and tingling of face, hands, feet (85,7 %), sickness (100 %), and cutaneous outbreak (14,2 %), the symptoms in the majority of the cases disappeared in a space from 8 to 12 days. The consumption of the barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) meat was determined as principal source of the ciguatera event.Se estudió un evento de ictiotoxismo en la comunidad de pescadores de la población de Tasajera, departamento del Magdalena. La intoxicación por ciguatera fue diagnosticada a 7 individuos cuyas edades oscilaban entre los 17 y 53 años (63,4% de rango de edades de los pescadores del sector), con síntomas de vómito (100%), dolor muscular en miembros inferiores (71,4%), espasmos abdominales (85,7%), diarrea (100%), entumecimiento y hormigueo de cara, manos, pies (85,7%), mareo (100%), y brote cutáneo (14,2%), los síntomas en la mayoría de los casos desaparecieron en un lapso de 8 a 12 días. Se determinó como causa principal del evento de ciguatera el consumo de carne de barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) y morena (Gymnothorax moringa). (Duazary 2007; 2: 160 - 167

Editorial: The adaptation and response of aquatic animals in the context of global climate change

Editorial on the Research Topic The adaptation and response of aquatic animals in the context of global climate change Anthropogenic climate change has brought on widespread changes in marine environments, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, the development and expansion of hypoxic zones. These environmental changes represent major threats to marine life, challenging the survival and adaptation of marine organisms. The adverse effects of these changes can interact in synergistic, additive or antagonistic ways (Huo et al., 2019a; Huo et al., 2019b; Small et al., 2020; Collins et al., 2021), evidencing different biological influence compared to their individual action (Huo et al., 2021a). Such influence can vary across populations and species as a consequence of differences in phenotypic plasticity and physiological tolerances shaped by their specific environmental and genetic backgrounds (Gaitán-Espitia et al., 2017a; Gaitán-Espitia et al., 2017b). These factors ultimately modulate the ecological response and evolutionary adaptation of marine organisms to climate change. From an ecological perspective, changes in the marine environment are likely to have significant negative phenotypic effects (e.g., physiology, behavior, gene/protein expression), across levels of biological organization (i.e., from individuals, populations, to species). These changes can alter the ingestion, digestion, respiration and growth of aquatic animals (Huo et al., 2018), potentially influencing demographic and genetic declines driven, for instance, by massive mortality (Huo et al., 2021b). From an adaptive evolution perspective, phenotypic plasticity appears to be a suitable strategy to cope with these changes, at least in the short-term, through behavioral, physiological, life-history and morphological adjustments (Gaitán-Espitia et al., 2017b). However, there are limits for plastic adjustments beyond which populations and species require genetic and cellular modifications to adapt to the unfavorable environmental conditions. These adaptive responses include microevolutionary changes of transcriptional, translational and post-translational mechanisms underpinning phenotypic responses (Huo et al., 2021b). Through the study of these mechanisms, we can gain better understanding of the costs and trade-offs of adaptive evolution in marine animals under climate change

Functional insights into the testis transcriptome of the edible sea urchin Loxechinus albus

© The Author(s) 2016. The edible sea urchin Loxechinus albus (Molina, 1782) is a keystone species in the littoral benthic systems of the Pacific coast of South America. The international demand for high-quality gonads of this echinoderm has led to an extensive exploitation and decline of its natural populations. Consequently, a more thorough understanding of L. albus gonad development and gametogenesis could provide valuable resources for aquaculture applications, management, conservation and studies about the evolution of functional and structural pathways that underlie the reproductive toolkit of marine invertebrates. Using a high-throughput sequencing technology, we explored the male gonad transcriptome of this highly fecund sea urchin. Through a de novo assembly approach we obtained 42,530 transcripts of which 15,544 (36.6%) had significant alignments to known proteins in public databases. From these transcripts, approximately 73% were functionally annotated allowing the identification of several candidate genes that are likely to play a central role in developmental processes, nutrient reservoir activity, s exual reproduction, gamete generation, meiosis, sex differentiation, sperm motility, male courtship behavior and fertilization. Additionally, comparisons with the male gonad transcriptomes of other echinoderms revealed several conserved orthologous genes, suggesting that similar functional and structural pathways underlie the reproductive development in this group and other marine invertebrates.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Mitogenomics of southern hemisphere blue mussels (Bivalvia: Pteriomorphia): Insights into the evolutionary characteristics of the Mytilus edulis complex

Marine blue mussels (Mytilus spp.) are widespread species that exhibit an antitropical distribution with five species occurring in the Northern Hemisphere (M. trossulus, M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, M. californianus and M. coruscus) and three in the Southern Hemisphere (M. galloprovincialis, M. chilensis and M. platensis). Species limits in this group remain controversial, in particular for those forms that live in South America. Here we investigated structural characteristics of marine mussels mitogenomes, based on published F mtDNA sequences of Northern Hemisphere species and two newly sequenced South American genomes, one from the Atlantic M. platensis and another fr om the Pacific M. chilensis. These mitogenomes exhibited similar architecture to those of other genomes of Mytilus, including the presence of the Atp8 gene, which is missing in most of the other bivalves. Our evolutionary analysis of mitochondrial genes indicates that purifying selection is the predominant force shaping the evolution of the coding genes. Results of our phylogenetic analyses supported the monophyly of Pteriomorphia and fully resolved the phylogenetic relationships among its five orders. Finally, the low genetic divergence of specimens assigned to M. chilensis and M. platensis suggests that these South American marine mussels represent conspecific variants rather than distinct species.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Variation in Thermal Sensitivity and Thermal Tolerances in an Invasive Species across a Climatic Gradient: Lessons from the Land Snail Cornu aspersum

The ability of organisms to perform at different temperatures could be described by a continuous nonlinear reaction norm (i.e., thermal performance curve, TPC), in which the phenotypic trait value varies as a function of temperature. Almost any shift in the parameters of this performance curve could highlight the direct effect of temperature on organism fitness, providing a powerful framework for testing thermal adaptation hypotheses. Inter-and intraspecific differences in this performance curve are also reflected in thermal tolerances limits (e.g., critical and lethal limits), influencing the biogeographic patterns of species' distribution. Within this context, here we investigated the intraspecific variation in thermal sensitivities and thermal tolerances in three populations of the invasive snail Cornu aspersum across a geographical gradient, characterized by different climatic conditions. Thus, we examined population differentiation in the TPCs, thermal-coma recovery times, expression of heat-shock proteins and standard metabolic rate (i.e., energetic costs of physiological differentiation). We tested two competing hypotheses regarding thermal adaptation (the "hotter is better" and the generalist-specialist trade-offs). Our results show that the differences in thermal sensitivity among populations of C. aspersum follow a latitudinal pattern, which is likely the result of a combination of thermodynamic constraints ("hotter is better") and thermal adaptations to their local environments (generalist-specialist trade-offs). This finding is also consistent with some thermal tolerance indices such as the Heat-Shock Protein Response and the recovery time from chill-coma. However, mixed responses in the evaluated traits suggest that thermal adaptation in this species is not complete, as we were not able to detect any differences in neither energetic costs of physiological differentiation among populations, nor in the heat-coma recovery. © 2013 Gaitán-Espitia et al.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Evaluación financiera y ambiental de una piscicultura de pargo rayado Lutjanus synagris en el Caribe colombiano

With the aim of evaluate and determine the economic and environmental factibility and the viability of the  production and comercialization of the lane snapper (Lutjanus synagris), a Cost-Benefit, Net Utility, Equivalent  Uniform Periodic Value, and Internal Return Rate (IRR) financial analysis were made involving variables  associated to the culture in floating cages or land ponds, diets and mechanisms of marketing. According to  the financial evaluation criteria, the project would generate an additional wealth of 39.5%. Cost-Benefit ratio  showed that investment would be recovered, obtaining an additional 65% for each monetary unit invested.  The payback period of investment is 7 years and the IIR would exceed the discount rate of the project, which  is 18.95%,  indicating, as well as the others assessment criteria, that this project is favorable when dealing with financing and a 5% increase on the price per unit in smoked fish of 250 g in the model associated with  floating cages culture. The Leopold matrix allowed to identify that the main environmental impacts associated  with the project are involved in the construction phase of the facilities and the land pondsCon el fin de evaluar y determinar la factibilidad y viabilidad económica y ambiental de la producción y comercialización de pargo rayado (Lutjanus synagris) en el Caribe colombiano, se efectuaron análisis financieros de la relación costo-beneficio, Utilidad Neta, Valor Periódico Uniforme Equivalente (VPUE) y Tasa Interna de Retorno (TIR), incorporando variables asociadas al cultivo en jaulas flotantes o estanques en tierra, dietas y mecanismos de comercialización. De acuerdo con los criterios de evaluación financiera, el proyecto generaría una riqueza adicional de 39,5%. La relación costo- beneficio demostró que se recuperaría el capital utilizado, obteniendo un adicional del 65% por unidad monetaria invertida. El periodo de recuperación de la inversión sería de 7 años y la TIR sería superior a la tasa de descuento del proyecto, la cual es de 18,95%, indicando, al igual que los demás criterios de evaluación, que el presente proyecto es favorable cuando se manejan financiaciones y un aumento del 5% sobre el precio por unidad establecido para peces ahumados en presentación comercial de 250 g con un modelo de cultivo asociado a jaulas flotantes. La matriz de Leopold permitió identificar que los principales impactos ambientales asociados al proyecto están involucrados en la etapa de construcción de las instalaciones y tanques de tierra

Diseño y Propuesta de mejoramiento estratégico para la RSE en la compañía P3 Ambiental

Anexo A. Enlace al Código de Ética https://www.canva.com/design/DAEwayRETUM/J8EUq_sSuwWKtxnwSQNC-Q/view?utm_content=DAEwayRETUM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=shareyourdesignpanel#7 Anexo B. Formato de Recolección de Información (Tabla de Preguntas y Respuestas) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7QZq5orwRq6i18_mYjlYM7K36QpLgMCi8Kd913P4yTNbZFw/viewform?usp=sf_linkEl desarrollo social, ambiental y económico de las organizaciones se debe a que las compañías apliquen de forma correcta la responsabilidad social empresarial en todos sus ámbitos, si una empresa es socialmente responsable les permitirá ser más competitiva y poder generar una mayor confianza a sus stakeholders de productos y servicios ofrecidos, es decir una empresa altamente responsable brindará bienestar a la sociedad y al medio ambiente. Es importante resaltar que la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial no sólo se basa en un cumplimiento de normas, sino que es importante nombrar que es integral al reunir varios aspectos como recursos humanos, ambientales, económico-sociales. Por otra parte, es importante destacar la norma internacional ISO 26000 en el siguiente trabajo, debido a que es una guía que permite que las empresas integren la RS, mediante una conducta ético y honesta de la comunidad. Finalmente, el contenido del siguiente trabajo se basa en el estudio de elaborar una herramienta de información, a partir del análisis de la norma ISO 26000, donde por medio de un diagnóstico a la empresa P3 Ambiental, se halló una problemática, permitiéndonos generar unos objetivos que nos llevará a unos planes de acción para resolver lo encontrado en P3 Ambiental.The social, environmental and economic development of organizations is due to the correct application of corporate social responsibility in all areas by companies, if a company is socially responsible it and to be able to generate a greater confidence to its stakeholders of products and services offered, that is to say a highly responsible company will bring well-being to society - environment. It is important to highlight that RSE is not only based on compliance with standards, but it is also very important to mention that it is integral by bringing together various aspects such as human, environmental, economic and social resources. On the other hand, it is very important the ISO 26000 in the next work, because it is a guide that allows organizations to integrate social responsibility, through an ethical and transparent behavior to the community. Finally, the content of the following work is based on the application of an information collection instrument, based in the study ISO 26000, where by means of a diagnosis to the company P3 Environmental, a problem was found, allowing us to generate objectives that will lead us to action plans to solve what we found in P3 Ambient

Impact of global warming at the range margins: Phenotypic plasticity and behavioral thermoregulation will buffer an endemic amphibian

© 2014 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. When dispersal is not an option to evade warming temperatures, compensation through behavior, plasticity, or evolutionary adaptation is essential to prevent extinction. In this work, we evaluated whether there is physiological plasticity in the thermal performance curve (TPC) of maximum jumping speed in individuals acclimated to current and projected temperatures and whether there is an opportunity for behavioral thermoregulation in the desert landscape where inhabits the northernmost population of the endemic frog Pleurodema thaul. Our results indicate that individuals acclimated to 20°C and 25°C increased the breath of their TPCs by shifting their upper limits with respect to when they were acclimated at 10°C. In addition, even when dispersal is not possible for this population, the landscape is heterogeneous enough to offer opportunities for behavioral thermoregulation. In particular, under current climatic conditions, behavioral thermoregulation is not compulsory as available operative temperatures are encompassed within the population TPC limits. However, for severe projected temperatures under climate change, behavioral thermoregulation will be required in the sunny patches. In overall, our results suggest that this population of Pleurodema thaul will be able to endure the worst projected scenario of climate warming as it has not only the physiological capacities but also the environmental opportunities to regulate its body temperature behaviorally.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Cool-edge populations of the kelp Ecklonia radiata under global ocean change scenarios:strong sensitivity to ocean warming but little effect of ocean acidification

Kelp forests are threatened by ocean warming, yet effects of co-occurring drivers such as CO2 are rarely considered when predicting their performance in the future. In Australia, the kelp Ecklonia radiata forms extensive forests across seawater temperatures of approximately 7-26°C. Cool-edge populations are typically considered more thermally tolerant than their warm-edge counterparts but this ignores the possibility of local adaptation. Moreover, it is unknown whether elevated CO2 can mitigate negative effects of warming. To identify whether elevated CO2 could improve thermal performance of a cool-edge population of E. radiata, we constructed thermal performance curves for growth and photosynthesis, under both current and elevated CO2 (approx. 400 and 1000 µatm). We then modelled annual performance under warming scenarios to highlight thermal susceptibility. Elevated CO2 had minimal effect on growth but increased photosynthesis around the thermal optimum. Thermal optima were approximately 16°C for growth and approximately 18°C for photosynthesis, and modelled performance indicated cool-edge populations may be vulnerable in the future. Our findings demonstrate that elevated CO2 is unlikely to offset negative effects of ocean warming on the kelp E. radiata and highlight the potential susceptibility of cool-edge populations to ocean warming.</p