Galapagos Pinnipeds, Challenges to Their Survival

Pinnipeds endemic to the Galapagos archipelago are in endangered conservation status. The Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebaeki, and Galapagos fur seal, Arctocephalus galapagoensis, have adapted to an ecosystem with high environmental variability and unpredictable marine productivity to survive. In addition to the environmental factors that pressure their populations, these species are exposed to anthropogenic influence, mainly in rookeries on islands with human settlements. It has been determined that the populations of Galapagos pinnipeds have different growth trends between regions of the archipelago, islands of the same region, and between rookeries of the same island. 58% of the Galapagos sea lion population is in the southeastern, with the largest rookery in direct contact with the inhabitants. Various strategies have been proposed to reduce the negative impacts of human–animal interaction, ensure the population’s viability over time, and reduce the species’ extinction risk

Stable isotopes reveal long-term fidelity to foraging grounds in the Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki)

Most otariids have colony-specific foraging areas during the breeding season, when they behave as central place foragers. However, they may disperse over broad areas after the breeding season and individuals from different colonies may share foraging grounds at that time. Here, stable isotope ratios in the skull bone of adult Galapagos sea lions ( Zalophus wollebaeki ) were used to assess the long-term fidelity of both sexes to foraging grounds across the different regions of the Galapagos archipelago. Results indicated that the stable isotope ratios ( δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of sea lion bone significantly differed among regions of the archipelago, without any significant difference between sexes and with a non significant interaction between sex and region. Moreover, standard ellipses, estimated by Bayesian inference and used as a measure of the isotopic resource use area at the population level, overlapped widely for the sea lions from the southern and central regions, whereas the over- lap of the ellipses for sea lions from the central and western regions was small and non- existing for those from the western and southern regions. These results suggest that males and females from the same region within the archipelago use similar foraging grounds and have similar diets. Furthermore, they indicate that the exchange of adults between regions is limited, thus revealing a certain degree of foraging philopatry at a regional scale within the archipelago. The constraints imposed on males by an expanded reproductive season (~ 6 months), resulting from the weak reproductive synchrony among females, and those imposed on females by a very long lactation period (at least one year but up to three years), may explain the limited mobility of adult Galapagos sea lions of both sexes across the archipelag

Reproducibilidad del cuestionario: calidad de cuidados de enfermería en pacientes hospitalizados

Introducción: La medición de la calidad del cuidado de Enfermería requiere del uso de escalas válidas y confiables, es así como el objetivo del estudio fue determinar la reproducibilidad del cuestionario de calidad de cuidados de enfermería en pacientes hospitalizados en una institución prestadora de servicios de salud. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio de evaluación de pruebas diagnósticas, se determinó la consistencia interna y la reproducibilidad prueba reprueba del cuestionario, basado en sus dos dimensiones: experiencias y satisfacción con el cuidado de enfermería. Tipo de muestreo probabilístico aleatorio simple. Resultados: En cuanto a la reproducibilidad del instrumento, en la dimensión de experiencia con los cuidados la mayoría de los ítems se encuentran con coeficientes de correlación intraclase por debajo de 0.7, con una media de 0.623; en la dimensión de satisfacción de los cuidados, la mayoría de los ítems están por encima de 0.7 con una media de 0.873. La confiabilidad del instrumento medida a través del Alfa de Cronbach fue 0.930, en la dimensión de experiencia 0.904 y 0.980 en la dimensión de satisfacción. Discusión: El Cuestionario de Calidad de Cuidados de Enfermería, en sus dos dimensiones de experiencia y satisfacción de los cuidados fue adecuadamente entendido por parte de los participantes y Luego de su aplicación se considera una confiable para pacientes de diferentes servicios de hospitalización. Conclusiones: El instrumento es una escala confiable para la evaluación de la calidad del cuidado. El instrumento mostró un alto grado de reproducibilidad para la dimensión de satisfacción con los cuidados.Cómo citar este artículo: Torres CC, Páez AN, Rincón L, Rosas D, Mendoza EP. Reproducibilidad del cuestionario: calidad de cuidados de enfermería en pacientes hospitalizados. Rev Cuid. 2016; 7(2): 1338-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.v7i2.33

Whole blood fatty acid concentrations in the San Cristóbal Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis chathamensis)

To continue releasing San Cristóbal Galápagos tortoises housed in managed-care facilities at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of Galápagos National Park (Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado) to the Otoy Ecological Farm, health assessments and physical examinations were conducted. As a part of these wellness examinations, blood was drawn from 11 tortoises to analyze fatty acid concentrations. Fatty acid levels can provide insight into the nutritional profiles, immune status, and reproductive health of vertebrates. To the co-author’s knowledge, there is no current information about fatty acids in this species. It was hypothesized that there would be inherent differences based on the different geographic ranges, diets, sex, and age of turtles. It was noted that the ω-6/ω-3 ratio was higher for the breeding center than for the ecological farm and that overall polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) did not have any significant differences. The ω-6/ω-3 findings can contribute to a global picture of these fatty acids across taxa, as reptiles are underrepresented in this area of research. Additional results are a resourceful starting point for future investigations into how fatty acids are affected in Galápagos tortoises

International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Shark fishing, driven by the fin trade, is the primary cause of global shark population declines. Here, we present a case study that exemplifies how industrial fisheries are likely depleting shark populations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. In August 2017, the vessel Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, of Chinese flag, was detained while crossing through the Galápagos Marine Reserve without authorization. This vessel contained 7639 sharks, representing one of the largest seizures recorded to date. Based on a sample of 929 individuals (12%), we found 12 shark species: 9 considered as Vulnerable or higher risk by the IUCN and 8 listed in CITES. Four species showed a higher proportion of immature than mature individuals, whereas size-distribution hints that at least some of the fishing ships associated with the operation may have been using purse-seine gear fishing equipment, which, for some species, goes against international conventions. Our data expose the magnitude of the threat that fishing industries and illegal trade represent to sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean

Diversificación de dietas en tres colonias de lobo marino de Galápagos, zalophus wollebaeki, evaluada con análisis de excretas e isotopos estables de C y N

Impreso y PD

Ecología trófica de los pinnípedos de las Islas Galápagos: análisis espacial y temporal.

impreso y digita