Modelling the habitat preferences of the NE-Atlantic Sea cucumber Holothuria forskali : demographics and abundance

This work was funded by the Operational Program Mar2020 MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0052 “Newcumber - Avanços para o cultivo sustentável de pepinos do mar”. This work was also supported by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of the projects (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04292/2020, and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/00006/2020) and the Associate Laboratory ARNET (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0069/2020), A.C. Brito with the Scientific Stimulus Program – CEECIND/00095/2017, A.P. with the under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Institutional Call - CEECINST/00051/2018 and Francisco Azevedo e Silva and João Trigo de Sousa through the individual grants (SFRH/BD/09563/2020 and SFRH/BDANA/02949/2023).Sea cucumbers' historical demand, together with the depletion of several traditional species in the market, has popularized new target species from new fishing grounds. Holothuria forskali is one of those emergent species in the trade market. However, it is a species for which there is no relevant information to allow sustainable stock management. Fundamental knowledge of the populations' structure and habitat preferences are key elements without which any measure is inconsequent. This work aims to fill that gap by modelling temporal and spatial patterns of abundance and demographic structure of this species in a NE-Atlantic area, as a function of environmental features. For a period of 15 months, nine regular sampling campaigns collected data on density, individual length, individual conditions of occurrence (e.g. sheltered, on sand, on algae cover) and environmental parameters (water column, sediment, substrate cover and type), using random transects throughout a costal rocky-reef, considering habitat heterogeneity and substrate types. To determine the species' habitat preferences Generalized Linear Models were used to model density and demographic structure of the species as a function of environmental conditions. The models revealed that the main drivers shaping the distribution of H. forskali are neither abiotic nor biotic parameters of the water column, but physical stressors, like current intensity and depth, and substrate type in a patchy distribution pattern. Estuarine conditions are generally avoided, although with a size-dependent opportunistic strategy. Larger individuals show temporal and spatial displacement patterns towards suitable reproductive conditions (pre-breeding aggregation) and favourable feeding grounds and smaller size-classes tend to aggregate in higher numbers in more stable environments. Sustainable sources for market supply, like aquaculture, are still a long way from commercial production. So, these results are fundamental to support effective conservation measures for stock management of H. forskaliPublisher PDFPeer reviewe

Allometric relationships to assess ontogenetic adaptative changes in three NE Atlantic commercial sea cucumbers (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea)

This study was financed by the Operational Program Mar2020 nº MAR-02.01.01-FEAMP-0052 “Newcumber—Avanços para o cultivo sustentável de pepinos-do-mar”. It received further financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia with project UIDB/04292/2020; A.C. Brito and A. Pombo through the Scientific Employment Stimulus Programmes (CEECIND/00095/2017 and CEECINST/00051/2018); and Francisco Azevedo e Silva through the individual research Grant 2020.09563.BD; Also, T. A. Marques and C. Rocha thank partial support by CEAUL (funded by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through the project UIDB/00006/2020).Holothuria arguinensis, Holothuria mammata and Holothuria forskali are three common sea cucumber species found in the NE Atlantic, traded in international markets and susceptible to capture. Allometric relationships reveal if the scaling relationships between biometric characters are proportional with growth, being a useful tool to understand species growth strategies. Allometric relationships of the three species were estimated and compared between them and with populations from different regions. These allometric relationships revealed that the three species have negative allometric growth. However, they have different growth strategies between them and reveal different regional intra-specific growth strategies when compared to other populations, suggesting ontogenetic adaptation as a consequence of external factors. PostprintPeer reviewe

Nutritional Evaluation Of Children With Chronic Cholestatic Disease

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)To evaluate the nutritional status of children with persistent cholestasis and to compare the anthropometric indices between children with and without liver cirrhosis and children with and without jaundice. Methods Children with persistent cholestasis, i.e. increased direct bilirrubin or changes in the canalicular enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), were included. The anthropometric measures were weight (W), height or length (H), arm circumference (AC), triceps skinfold thickness (TST), arm muscle circumference (AMC), and body mass index (BMI). Results Ninety-one children with cholestasis, with current median age of 12 months, were evaluated. W/age (A) and H/A indices below -2 Z-scores were observed in 33% and 30.8% of patients, respectively. Concerning the W/H index and BMI, only 12% and 16% of patients, respectively, were below -2 Z-scores. Regarding AC, 43.8% of 89 evaluated patients had some depletion. Observing the TST, 64% of patients had depletion, and 71.1% of the 45 evaluated patients had some degree of depletion regarding the ACM index. Conclusion Evaluation using weight in patients with chronic liver diseases may overestimate the nutritional status due to visceromegaly, subclinical edema, or ascites. Indices that correlate weight and height, such as W/H and BMI, may also not show depletion because of the chronic condition in which there are depletion of both weight and height. TST, AC, and ACM are parameters that better estimate nutritional status and should be part of the management of patients with liver diseases and cholestasis. © 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria.922197205CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Efeito da Gliricidia sepium sobre nutrientes do solo, microclima e produtividade do milho em sistema agroflorestal no Agreste Paraibano.

Gliricidia sepium é uma leguminosa arbórea que tem sido utilizada em sistemas em aléias no semi-árido nordestino por apresentar bom desenvolvimento em condições de estresse hídrico. Entretanto, há pouca informação disponível sobre o efeito da introdução dessa espécie nos agroecossistemas da região. No presente estudo, objetivou-se avaliar a influência da distância de plantas de Gliricidia sepium sobre características da cultura do milho e do solo e microclima no Agreste Paraibano. O estudo foi realizado no município de Esperança (PB), em área de 0,5 ha, onde, em 1996, foram plantadas fileiras de G. sepium espaçadas 6 m entre si e com 1 m entre as árvores. Nesta área, em 2002, foram delimitadas quatro parcelas de 6 x 8 m e, em cada parcela, foi estabelecido um transeto perpendicular às fileiras de árvores com três posições de amostragem: (1) nas fileiras de árvores (0 m); (2) a 1 m das fileiras de árvores, e (3) a 3 m de distância das fileiras de árvores. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. A massa seca de folhedo caído embaixo da fileira de árvores foi de 1.390 kg ha-1 e diminuiu, gradativamente, para 270 kg ha-1 a 3 m de distância das árvores. As concentrações de P, K e matéria orgânica leve (MOL) embaixo das árvores foram maiores do que a 1 e 3 m de distância das fileiras. As médias mensais das temperaturas mínimas do ar e do solo embaixo e a 3 m das árvores foram similares. Entretanto, as médias mensais das temperaturas máximas do solo e do ar foram de 6 e 2 °C mais altas a 3 m das árvores, respectivamente, ao longo do período de estudo. A umidade do solo foi significativamente menor embaixo das árvores do que a 1 e 3 m de distância. O milho produziu mais grãos e palha e acumulou mais nutrientes nas posições mais próximas das fileiras de G. sepium