Priorities for Mediterranean marine turtle conservation and management in the face of climate change

As climate-related impacts threaten marine biodiversity globally, it is important to adjust conservation efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Translating scientific knowledge into practical management, however, is often complicated due to resource, economic and policy constraints, generating a knowledge-action gap. To develop potential solutions for marine turtle conservation, we explored the perceptions of key actors across 18 countries in the Mediterranean. These actors evaluated their perceived relative importance of 19 adaptation and mitigation measures that could safeguard marine turtles from climate change. Of importance, despite differences in expertise, experience and focal country, the perceptions of researchers and management practitioners largely converged with respect to prioritizing adaptation and mitigation measures. Climate change was considered to have the greatest impacts on offspring sex ratios and suitable nesting sites. The most viable adaptation/mitigation measures were considered to be reducing other pressures that act in parallel to climate change. Ecological effectiveness represented a key determinant for implementing proposed measures, followed by practical applicability, financial cost, and societal cost. This convergence in opinions across actors likely reflects long-standing initiatives in the Mediterranean region towards supporting knowledge exchange in marine turtle conservation. Our results provide important guidance on how to prioritize measures that incorporate climate change in decision-making processes related to the current and future management and protection of marine turtles at the ocean-basin scale, and could be used to guide decisions in other regions globally. Importantly, this study demonstrates a successful example of how interactive processes can be used to fill the knowledge-action gap between research and management.This work was conducted under FutureMares EU project that received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869300. The Mediterranean Marine Turtle Working Group was established in 2017 and is continuously supported by MedPAN and the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The work of AC was supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the “First Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant” (Project Number: 2340).Peer reviewe

Embryonic Growth Rate Thermal Reaction Norm of Mediterranean Caretta caretta Embryos from Two Different Thermal Habitats, Turkey and Libya

Ectothermic species are strongly affected by thermal changes. To assess the viability of these species under climate change constraints, we need to quantify the sensitivity of their life history traits to temperature. The loggerhead marine turtle (Caretta caretta) nests regularly in the Oriental Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The different populations are separated because of time (<12,000 yrs) and very different thermal habitats; it is hotter on the southern coast (Libya) than on the northern ones (Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey). Patterns of embryo growth response to incubation temperatures have been searched for these 2 populations. We found that both populations have similar thermal reaction norms for embryonic growth rate. This highlights that 12,000 yrs is not enough time for this species to adapt to specific thermal habitats and raises the question of the persistence of these populations in the context of rapid climate change. © 2017 Chelonian Research Foundation

Antidepressants in the sea: washed away or taken up? Quantifying Fluoxetine and Venlafaxine in cuttlefish and crabs

International audiencePrescriptions of antidepressants are still on the rise worldwide, and their excretion may result in a potential contamination of the aquatic compartments. Indeed, antidepressant residues such as fluoxetine (FLX) and venlafaxine (VEN) are currently detected at low concentrations, from ng.L-1 to μg.L-1. Due to bioaccumulation, however, the toxicity of these micropollutants is not necessarily represented by their concentration in the water body. Furthermore, these compounds conceived to treat depressive or anxiety disorders are worrisome because they can trigger neurobiological changes through targeting the serotonergic system of non-target organisms, such as marine invertebrates. Indeed, juvenile shore crabs and cuttlefish, which are particularly vulnerable to predators, thrive in the intertidal zone and coastal water. To study the effects of antidepressants at environmental concentrations, juvenile cuttlefish and crabs were exposed during 30 days to fluoxetine alone or in mixture with venlafaxine (i.e., 2.5 ng.L-1 and 5 ng.L-1). Behavioural test results showed an effect of the antidepressant on predation and camouflage. Now we investigate if VEN or FLX are bioaccumulated in these juvenile organisms at environmentally realistic concentrations. A former method from Robert et al (2017) was updated to allow detecting and quantifying the two antidepressants at very low concentrations (pg.mg-1). QuESChERS method was used for extraction and chemical analysis was done via LC-MS-MS

Effects of habitat quality on abundance, size and growth of mussel recruits

Recruitment of mussels is a complex process with the successful arrival of individuals hinging on the availability of suitable habitats. We examined the effects of adult mussels as settlement habitat and the degree to which the suitability of habitat they offer is species-specific by comparing the recruitment success of intertidal mussels. We hypothesised that mussel recruitment and early growth are dictated by the quality of habitat offered by conspecifics adults. We used a unique experimental arena on the south coast of South Africa, where Mytilus galloprovincialis and two lineages of Perna perna co-exist. Treatments were based on the translocation of individuals of M. galloprovincialis, western- and eastern lineage of P. perna to a single site, where artificial beds were created and sampled monthly over one year. Recruit’s number, their sizes and growth were greater within beds of the western lineage of Perna than eastern lineage or Mytilus beds. The results clearly demonstrate that the quality of settlement habitat offered by adult beds differs among adult lineages/species and affects rates of settlement and the early growth of recruits. This effect extends to the intraspecific level; we found greater differences in density and growth of recruits between lineages of Perna than between either lineage and M. galloprovincialis

Key issues in assessing threats to sea turtles:knowledge gaps and future directions

Sea turtles are an iconic group of marine megafauna that have been exposed to multiple anthropogenic threats across their different life stages, especially in the past decades. This has resulted in population declines, and consequently many sea turtle populations are now classified as threatened or endangered globally. Although some populations of sea turtles worldwide are showing early signs of recovery, many still face fundamental threats. This is problematic since sea turtles have important ecological roles. To encourage informed conservation planning and direct future research, we surveyed experts to identify the key contemporary threats (climate change, direct take, fisheries, pollution, disease, predation, and coastal and marine development) faced by sea turtles. Using the survey results and current literature, we also outline knowledge gaps in our understanding of the impact of these threats and how targeted future research, often involving emerging technologies, could close those gaps.</p

Application of MS-based proteomics to study serum protein adsorption/absorption and complement C3 activation on poly (ethylene glycol) hydrogels

Although the interaction between cells and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels is well documented, there lacks a thorough investigation into the adsorption of blood proteins on these surfaces which dictates the observed cellular and in vivo host response. Thus, a clear understanding of how surface-bound proteins mediate the unique biological property of PEG hydrogels is fundamentally important. The information obtained will also provide insights into future biomaterial design. In this study, several mass-spectrometrybased proteomic tools coupled with complementary immunoassays were employed to survey the complex surface-bound serum proteome. The adsorption of vitronectin, thrombin, fibrinogen and complement component C3 was significantly lower on PEG hydrogels than on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS). Although PEG hydrogels mediated lower C3 adsorption than TCPS, the extent of C3 activation between the two surfaces was comparable. Adherent monocyte density was also significantly lower on PEG hydrogels as compared to TCPS. Taken together, these results support the critical role of the complement C3 in mediating monocyte adhesion on biomaterials. Thus we conclude that the biocompatibility of PEG hydrogels both in vitro and in vivo can be partly contributed to their limited C3 interaction and monocyte activity. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex