123 research outputs found
A Standardized Workflow Based on the STAVIRO Unbaited Underwater Video System for Monitoring Fish and Habitat Essential Biodiversity Variables in Coastal Areas
Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV) related to benthic habitats and high trophic levels such as fish communities must be measured at fine scale but monitored and assessed at spatial scales that are relevant for policy and management actions. Local scales are important for assessing anthropogenic impacts, and conservation-related and fisheries management actions, while reporting on the conservation status of biodiversity to formulate national and international policies requires much broader scales. Measurements must account for the fact that coastal habitats and fish communities are heterogeneously distributed locally and at larger scales. Assessments based on in situ monitoring generally suffer from poor spatial replication and limited geographical coverage, which is challenging for area-wide assessments. Requirements for appropriate monitoring comprise cost-efficient and standardized observation protocols and data formats, spatially scalable and versatile data workflows, data that comply with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles, while minimizing the environmental impact of measurements. This paper describes a standardized workflow based on remote underwater video that aims to assess fishes (at species and community levels) and habitat-related EBVs in coastal areas. This panoramic unbaited video technique was developed in 2007 to survey both fishes and benthic habitats in a cost-efficient manner, and with minimal effect on biodiversity. It can be deployed in areas where low underwater visibility is not a permanent or major limitation. The technique was consolidated and standardized and has been successfully used in varied settings over the last 12 years. We operationalized the EBV workflow by documenting the field protocol, survey design, image post-processing, EBV production and data curation. Applications of the workflow are illustrated here based on some 4,500 observations (fishes and benthic habitats) in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and Mediterranean Sea. The STAVIROâs proven track-record of utility and cost-effectiveness indicates that it should be considered by other researchers for future applications.publishedVersio
New Alien Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (August 2022)
In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea
A global perspective on the trophic geography of sharks
Sharks are a diverse group of mobile predators that forage across varied spatial scales and have the potential to influence food web dynamics. The ecological consequences of recent declines in shark biomass may extend across broader geographic ranges if shark taxa display common behavioural traits. By tracking the original site of photosynthetic fixation of carbon atoms that were ultimately assimilated into muscle tissues of 5,394 sharks from 114 species, we identify globally consistent biogeographic traits in trophic interactions between sharks found in different habitats. We show that populations of shelf-dwelling sharks derive a substantial proportion of their carbon from regional pelagic sources, but contain individuals that forage within additional isotopically diverse local food webs, such as those supported by terrestrial plant sources, benthic production and macrophytes. In contrast, oceanic sharks seem to use carbon derived from between 30° and 50° of latitude. Global-scale compilations of stable isotope data combined with biogeochemical modelling generate hypotheses regarding animal behaviours that can be tested with other methodological approaches.This research was conducted as part of C.S.B.âs Ph.D dissertation, which was funded by the University of Southampton and NERC (NE/L50161X/1), and through a NERC Grant-in-Kind from the Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility (LSMSF; EK267-03/16). We thank A. Bates, D. Sims, F. Neat, R. McGill and J. Newton for their analytical contributions and comments on the manuscripts.Peer reviewe
Bowel management for the treatment of pediatric fecal incontinence
Fecal incontinence is a devastating underestimated problem, affecting a large number of individuals all over the world. Most of the available literature relates to the management of adults. The treatments proposed are not uniformly successful and have little application in the pediatric population. This paper presents the experience of 30Â years, implementing a bowel management program, for the treatment of fecal incontinence in over 700 pediatric patients, with a success rate of 95%. The main characteristics of the program include the identification of the characteristics of the colon of each patient; finding the specific type of enema that will clean that colon and the radiological monitoring of the process
A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience
PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern
European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good
Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary
approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge
gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal
areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also
independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities
for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food
web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification
of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES.
2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe
Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study
Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ℠0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe
Potential use of ports as alternative nursery habitats by coastal marine fishes : Insights from Diplodus species in the Northwestern Mediterranean
Au cours de leur cycle de vie, la plupart des espĂšces de poissons marins cĂŽtiers passent par des nourriceries littorales dont la qualitĂ© influence largement le succĂšs du recrutement et donc le maintien de lâabondance de leurs populations. Or, la construction de ports entrain irrĂ©mĂ©diablement une perte de fonction pour les habitats cĂŽtiers impactĂ©s. Dans ce contexte,lâobjectif gĂ©nĂ©ral de cette thĂšse Ă©tait de voir si les zones portuaires peuvent malgrĂ© tout servir de nourriceries alternatives pour les poissons marins cĂŽtiers. Pour cela, les abondances des juvĂ©niles de quatre espĂšces de sars, du genre Diplodus, ont dâabord Ă©tĂ© suivies dans cinq ports mĂ©diterranĂ©ens. Ceci a permis de montrer que ces espĂšces cĂŽtiĂšres peuvent sâinstaller et grandir avec succĂšs dans les ports. La complexification de la structure 3D de lâhabitat augmente sensiblement les abondances de juvĂ©niles. Dans un second temps, la croissance, la condition et les niveaux de contamination desjuvĂ©niles de deux espĂšces de sars (D. sargus et D. vulgaris) ont Ă©tĂ© comparĂ©s entre diffĂ©rents ports et habitats naturels de la rade de Toulon. Ceci a montrĂ© que la croissance et la condition des juvĂ©niles peut ĂȘtre Ă©quivalente dans certains ports et dans les zones naturelles adjacentes, avec des niveaux de contamination faibles, mĂȘme dans les zones les plus polluĂ©es. Enfin, la composition multi- Ă©lĂ©mentaire des otolithes des juvĂ©niles de D. sargus et D. vulgaris a Ă©tĂ© comparĂ©e entre trois ports et deux zones naturelles de la rade de Toulon. Aucun Ă©lĂ©ment chimique liĂ© aux activitĂ©s portuaires nâaĂ©tĂ© retrouvĂ© en plus forte concentration dans les otolithes des juvĂ©niles issus des ports. Il nâexiste donc pas une signature unique caractĂ©ristique de lâensemble des ports. La composition chimique des otolithes peut nĂ©anmoins ĂȘtre utilisĂ©e pour Ă©tudier la contribution relative des ports aux stocks dâadultes Ă condition de caractĂ©riser la signature de lâensemble des habitats juvĂ©niles potentiels. Lâensemble des rĂ©sultats acquis indiquent que les ports peuvent ĂȘtre utilisĂ©s comme nourriceries alternatives par plusieurs espĂšces de poissons marins cĂŽtiers. Les projets dâingĂ©nierie Ă©cologiquevisant Ă augmenter la complexitĂ© structurale des habitats portuaires sont des pistes intĂ©ressantes pour maintenir la biodiversitĂ© cĂŽtiĂšres et les stocks de poissons.During their life cycle, most of the marine coastal fish species use nursery grounds which quality influence their recruitment and then the conservation of their populations. However, the construction of ports impair irremediably fish nursery function of the coastal areas impacted. The ultimate aim of the PhD research was to assess if ports could provide suitable alternative nursery habitats for coastal fish species. Firstly, abundances of the juveniles of four Diplodus species were surveyed in five marinas located along the French Mediterranean coast. This showed that coastal fishes can successfully settle and grow inside these artificialized coastal areas. Moreover, increasing the complexity of port habitats can considerably enhance their suitability for juveniles, especially at the youngest stages. Secondly, body condition, growth rate and metal contamination in the juveniles of two Diplodus species (D. sargus and D. vulgaris) were compared between different ports and natural areas in the Bay of Toulon. Juvenile growth and condition can be equivalent between fish collected from ports and from adjacent natural areas. Contamination levels in fish were low, even in highly polluted areas. Finally, otolith composition in the juveniles of D. sargus and D. vulgaris was investigated in three ports and two natural areas in the Bay of Toulon. None of the port related had systematically higher concentrations in otoliths from Diplodus juveniles collected in ports. Therefore, otolith microchemistry cannot provide a unique and reliable fingerprint discriminating ports and natural areas. Nevertheless, otolith microchemistry could provide an effective natural tag to determine the contribution of ports to adult stocks provided that a library of all potential juvenile habitat fingerprints is established. All these results confirm that ports can be used as alternative nursery habitats by marine coastal fishes. Ecological engineering projects aiming at increasing structural complexity of port habitats seem promising for biodiversity and fish stock conservation
Les zones portuaires peuvent-elles servir de nourriceries alternatives pour les poissons marins cÎtiers ? : cas des sars en Méditerranée Nord-occidentale
During their life cycle, most of the marine coastal fish species use nursery grounds which quality influence their recruitment and then the conservation of their populations. However, the construction of ports impair irremediably fish nursery function of the coastal areas impacted. The ultimate aim of the PhD research was to assess if ports could provide suitable alternative nursery habitats for coastal fish species. Firstly, abundances of the juveniles of four Diplodus species were surveyed in five marinas located along the French Mediterranean coast. This showed that coastal fishes can successfully settle and grow inside these artificialized coastal areas. Moreover, increasing the complexity of port habitats can considerably enhance their suitability for juveniles, especially at the youngest stages. Secondly, body condition, growth rate and metal contamination in the juveniles of two Diplodus species (D. sargus and D. vulgaris) were compared between different ports and natural areas in the Bay of Toulon. Juvenile growth and condition can be equivalent between fish collected from ports and from adjacent natural areas. Contamination levels in fish were low, even in highly polluted areas. Finally, otolith composition in the juveniles of D. sargus and D. vulgaris was investigated in three ports and two natural areas in the Bay of Toulon. None of the port related had systematically higher concentrations in otoliths from Diplodus juveniles collected in ports. Therefore, otolith microchemistry cannot provide a unique and reliable fingerprint discriminating ports and natural areas. Nevertheless, otolith microchemistry could provide an effective natural tag to determine the contribution of ports to adult stocks provided that a library of all potential juvenile habitat fingerprints is established. All these results confirm that ports can be used as alternative nursery habitats by marine coastal fishes. Ecological engineering projects aiming at increasing structural complexity of port habitats seem promising for biodiversity and fish stock conservation.Au cours de leur cycle de vie, la plupart des espĂšces de poissons marins cĂŽtiers passent par des nourriceries littorales dont la qualitĂ© influence largement le succĂšs du recrutement et donc le maintien de lâabondance de leurs populations. Or, la construction de ports entrain irrĂ©mĂ©diablement une perte de fonction pour les habitats cĂŽtiers impactĂ©s. Dans ce contexte,lâobjectif gĂ©nĂ©ral de cette thĂšse Ă©tait de voir si les zones portuaires peuvent malgrĂ© tout servir de nourriceries alternatives pour les poissons marins cĂŽtiers. Pour cela, les abondances des juvĂ©niles de quatre espĂšces de sars, du genre Diplodus, ont dâabord Ă©tĂ© suivies dans cinq ports mĂ©diterranĂ©ens. Ceci a permis de montrer que ces espĂšces cĂŽtiĂšres peuvent sâinstaller et grandir avec succĂšs dans les ports. La complexification de la structure 3D de lâhabitat augmente sensiblement les abondances de juvĂ©niles. Dans un second temps, la croissance, la condition et les niveaux de contamination desjuvĂ©niles de deux espĂšces de sars (D. sargus et D. vulgaris) ont Ă©tĂ© comparĂ©s entre diffĂ©rents ports et habitats naturels de la rade de Toulon. Ceci a montrĂ© que la croissance et la condition des juvĂ©niles peut ĂȘtre Ă©quivalente dans certains ports et dans les zones naturelles adjacentes, avec des niveaux de contamination faibles, mĂȘme dans les zones les plus polluĂ©es. Enfin, la composition multi- Ă©lĂ©mentaire des otolithes des juvĂ©niles de D. sargus et D. vulgaris a Ă©tĂ© comparĂ©e entre trois ports et deux zones naturelles de la rade de Toulon. Aucun Ă©lĂ©ment chimique liĂ© aux activitĂ©s portuaires nâaĂ©tĂ© retrouvĂ© en plus forte concentration dans les otolithes des juvĂ©niles issus des ports. Il nâexiste donc pas une signature unique caractĂ©ristique de lâensemble des ports. La composition chimique des otolithes peut nĂ©anmoins ĂȘtre utilisĂ©e pour Ă©tudier la contribution relative des ports aux stocks dâadultes Ă condition de caractĂ©riser la signature de lâensemble des habitats juvĂ©niles potentiels. Lâensemble des rĂ©sultats acquis indiquent que les ports peuvent ĂȘtre utilisĂ©s comme nourriceries alternatives par plusieurs espĂšces de poissons marins cĂŽtiers. Les projets dâingĂ©nierie Ă©cologiquevisant Ă augmenter la complexitĂ© structurale des habitats portuaires sont des pistes intĂ©ressantes pour maintenir la biodiversitĂ© cĂŽtiĂšres et les stocks de poissons
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