Caminhar sobre as águas

A secção UAciência é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.Imaginem que tem na mão um iPhone 7. Leve, não é? Tão leve que é difícil imaginar que a massa desse objecto corresponde sensivelmente ao peso de uma família de painho-de-Monteiro, dois adultos é uma cria voadora. O paínho-de-Monteiro e a mais pequena ave marinha dos Açores, pesando apenas entre 35 e 60 g; mas nem por isso está à mercê do vento. O seu nome latino Hydrobates monteiroi tem origem no grego antigo e junta as palavras “hydro” – água - e “batis” – indivíduo que caminha, remetendo para a forma como esta ave parece caminhar sobre as águas quando se alimenta. O nome da espécie é ainda uma justa homenagem ao investigador que dedicou a sua vida à proteção do ambiente e ao estudo das aves marinhas dos Açores, Luís da Rocha Monteiro (1962-1999). Celebra-se este ano uma década desde que o paínho-de-Monteiro foi oficialmente descrito como uma nova espécie endémica dos Açores. Várias foram as diferenças que levaram à distinção em relação ao seu congénere paínho-da-Madeira (Hydrobates castro), incluindo, entre outras, as vocalizações, a morfometria, a genética e a altura do ano em que se reproduzem. Partilham o espaço (utilizam muitas vezes os mesmos ninhos), mas não o tempo; o paínho-de-Monteiro reproduz-se no Verão e o paínho-da-Madeira no Inverno. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Como escolhem as cagarras o seu par?

A secção Biologia é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.[…]. No caso da Cagarra Calonectris borealis, os critérios envolvidos na escolha do parceiro começam agora a ser conhecidos como resultado do trabalho desenvolvido pelo Grupo de Aves Marinhas do Departamento de Oceanografia e Pescas (GAM-DOP) da Universidade dos Açores, em colaboração com a Universidade de Vigo (UV). As cagarras são consideradas espécies modelo para estudos de escolha de parceiro pois têm uma elevada fidelidade ao parceiro (aprox. 81.8 a 96.4%), vivem várias décadas e possuem baixa fecundidade. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Post-breeding density and habitat preferences of the Azores Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus azorica: an inter-island comparison.

In this study we present a post-breeding estimate of the density of the Azores Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus azorica (Hartert & Ogilvie-Grant, 1905). During August 2003, seven of the nine islands of the Azores were surveyed using line transects and distance sampling. Distance analysis, stratified by the island of Terceira and the other islands combined, gives density estimates of 14.52 birds/km2 on Terceira and 5.14 birds/km2 on the other six islands. This indicates that woodpigeons are more abundant than previously thought. The woodpigeon in the Azores is likely to have recently gone through a period of growth. However, woodpigeon densities in the Azores are still much lower than those in mainland Europe. Populations in the Azores may now be limited by the availability of breeding habitat and over-winter food supply. The present survey highlights that there are strong differences between woodpigeon abundance on the different islands of the archipelago, notably with densities on the island of Terceira being higher than on any of the other islands surveyed. Analyses of habitat preferences and the availability of different habitat types suggest that inter-island habitat differences could be a major cause of variation in woodpigeon density across the archipelago

Predation on roseate tern eggs by European starlings in the Azores

Predation by the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) was the main reason for roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) hatching failure on Vila islet, Azores, one of the species’ largest colonies in Europe. Observations showed that single or small groups of starlings were responsible for predation events and that tern nest defense against starlings was generally ineffective. Daily nest survival rate was 94.2% in 2002 and 90.0% in 2003. Nesting success was estimated using a simulation model that allowed for renesting following failure and was 0.42 in 2002 and 0.17 in 2003. These values are considerably lower than the 0.97 nesting success at Rockabill, Ireland, one of the main European colonies, for the period 2000-2003. The sensitivity and importance of the roseate tern population in the Azores are discussed in relation to predation. Management strategies to reduce predation could include non-lethal control of starlings, destruction of starling nests and prevention from nesting in the vicinity of tern colonies

Os pioneiros da ornitologia marinha nos Açores

Este artigo é composto por três secções e tem por objectivo ilustrar diferentes aspectos da ornitologia marinha nos Açores. A primeira parte realça a importância das crónicas de Gaspar Frutuoso para o conhecimento da comunidade de aves marinhas nos primórdios do povoamento das ilhas e faz referência aos principais naturalistas açorianos, expedições científicas e ornitólogos estrangeiros, que ao longo dos séculos contribuíram para o estudo e conhecimento das aves marinhas dos Açores. [...]ABSTRACT: This article consists of three different interconnected parts in order to illustrate different aspects of the ornithology in the Azores. The first part emphasizes the importance of Gaspar Frutuoso’s chronicles to the knowledge of the seabird community in the early days of the islands colonisation and refers to the main Azorean naturalists, ornithologists and foreign scientific expeditions, which over the centuries contributed to the study and knowledge of the seabirds of the Azores. [...].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Population status and diet of the Yellow-legged Gull in the Azores.

During 2004 a census of the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) was conducted in the Azores to assess its present status in the archipelago. The census yielded an estimate of 4249 breeding pairs, an increase by almost 60% since the previous survey conducted in 1984. Gulls were detected on a total of 14 islets and/or sea stacks and are probably limiting the distribution of terns in the archipelago. Out of 37 gull breeding sites found during the 1984 and 2004 surveys, 24 were located within 1 km of tern colonies. All the gull colonies were coastal except Lagoa do Fogo on São Miguel Island. Pellet analysis indicated that gulls from all the colonies feed on refuse, but the percentage of pellets containing refuse on islands with small human populations was less than half than that of islands with more than 55000 inhabitants. Gulls have no direct competitors in the Azores and benefit from an increase in refuse production. The growing number and size of rubbish dumps over the last two decades has probably contributed to the large increase in the Azorean population

Threats and conservation status of Common and Roseate terns Sterna hirundo/S. dougallii in the Azores : A case study for Terceira Island

The Azores Archipelago holds the second most important population of Roseate Terns in the North Atlantic. However, the size of the population has been decreasing. In this study, we used remote-sensing cameras and visits to the main colonies of Common Terns Sterna hirundo and Roseate Terns S. dougallii on Terceira Island to identify the causes of breeding failure. Nest depredation by introduced mammals, particularly rats and cats, was the main cause of breeding failure, leading, in some cases, to the complete destruction of the colony. Additional threats included nest disturbance by humans and dogs, which caused the destruction of some nests. Measures aimed at mitigating depredation were tested but in the case of rodents, control plans proved difficult to achieve. This is probably because rodents are widespread in the Azores, they are not limited by food resources, and/or trapping methods are ineffective.Control actions were conducted under approval from the Azores Government, Regional Environmental Directorate. Partial funding came from both the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Portuguese Ministério da Educação e Ciência. Specifically, the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013 was granted to the Marine & Environmental Sciences Centre, and postdoctoral grants were awarded to VCN by the Regional Fund for Science and Technology through grant FRCT/M3.1.a/F/072/2016. LLL was supported by a grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia-FCT (SFRH/BD/115022/2016). We are grateful to Kirstin Jones for comments and suggestions that improved an earlier version of the manuscript, along with English proofreading. We thank Patricia Pedro, Maria Magalhães, Matt Cormons, Cristina Nava, Lune Fleur, and the nature wardens of the Terceira Natural Park for help with the fieldwork. We are also very grateful to the Director of Terceira Natural Park and the tern colonies' management team, as well as Rita & Alexandre from Octopus for the availability of boat transport to the islet and the reviewers whose efforts improved our paper.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Valorization of plant by-products in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial and catalytic properties

Biosynthesis based on natural compounds has emerged as a sustainable approach for the production of metallic nanoparticles (MNP). The main objective of this study was to biosynthesize stable and multifunctional silver nanoparticles (AgNP) using different plant by-products as reducers and capping agents. Extracts obtained from Eucalyptus globulus, Pinus pinaster, Citrus sinensis, Cedrus atlantica and Camellia sinensis by-products, were evaluated. From all plant by-products tested, aqueous extract of eucalyptus leaves (EL), green tea (GT) and black tea (BT) were selected due to their higher antioxidant phenolic content and were individually employed as reducers and capping agents to biosynthesize AgNP. The green AgNP showed zeta potential values of -31.8 to -36.3 mV, with a wide range of particle sizes (40.6 to 86.4 nm), depending on the plant extract used. Green AgNP exhibited an inhibitory effect against various pathogenic bacteria, including Gram-negative (P. putida, E. coli, Vibrio spp.) and Gram-positive (B. megaterium, S. aureus, S. equisimilis) bacteria with EL-AgNP being the nanostructure with the greatest antimicrobial action. EL-AgNP showed an excellent photodegradation of indigo carmine (IC) dye under direct sunlight, with a removal percentage of up to 100\\% after 75 min. A complete cost analysis revealed a competitive total cost range of 8.0--9.0 \texteuro/g for the biosynthesis of AgNP.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The occurrence of the Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L. in the Azores, with a brief review of its biology.

The Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae), has been an occasional visitor to the Azores. However, during the last two decades it has become a resident species in these islands and has adapted its behaviour to the geographic conditions of this new habitat, feeding on Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) Aiton fil. (Asclepiadaceae). The first confirmed breeding of this butterfly in the Azores (Faial island) is reported here and dates from the summer of 1994. However, previous sightings of only a very few adult individuals indicate that there was already a small resident population before 1994. Breeding was confirmed in three additional sites: on 3 June 1999, three adults of Monarch butterfly were observed laying eggs on G. fruticosus bushes near Ribeirinha and on 28 June 1999, several caterpillars were found in the same place. Larvae were also found at S. Roque (Pico island) and larvae and pupae at S. Carlos (Terceira island) in the summer of 1999. Monarch butterflies have been observed, occasionally, in Faial, Pico, Terceira, São Miguel, Santa Maria and Corvo during winter and spring, indicating the existence of a resident population all year round, but the vegetation used for wintering shelters has not yet been confirmed

Waste-based biosorbents as cost-effective alternatives to commercial adsorbents for the retention of fluoxetine from water

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2019.116139.The goal of this study is to demonstrate that waste-based biosorbents can be cost-effective and green alternatives to commercial adsorbents for the retention of pharmaceuticals. Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium measurements allowed the determination of the adsorption capacity of commercial adsorbents (GAC - granular activated carbon and two synthetic zeolites) and waste-based biosorbents (SCG - spent coffee grounds, pine bark and cork waste) for the retention of fluoxetine from water. For commercial adsorbents, the maximum adsorption capacities followed the order GAC (233.5mg/g)>zeolite 13× (32.11mg/g)>zeolite 4A (21.86mg/g), while for low-cost biosorbents, the sequence was SCG (14.31mg/g)>pine bark (6.53mg/g)>cork waste (4.74mg/g). The economic feasibility of the adsorbents/biosorbents was examined through a detailed cost analysis. Commercial adsorbents present higher costs per gram of fluoxetine removed (6.85 /g, 3.13 /g and 1.07 /g zeolite 4 A, zeolite 13× and GAC, respectively) when compared to low-cost biosorbents (0.92 /g, 0.41 /g and 0.16 /g for pine bark, cork waste and SCG, respectively). It was found that SCG is the most economically viable option for fluoxetine removal, while cork waste, the second less expensive, is the most environmentally friendly biosorbent since its preparation does not generate any solid or liquid wastes. This manuscript demonstrates that the conversion of waste materials into adsorbents has a double environmental benefit for both improving waste management and protecting the environment.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the research project PTDC/ AAG-TEC/5269/2014, the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. Bruna Silva thanks FCT for a postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/112354/2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio