First data on feeding ecology of Goshawk Accipiter gentilis during the breeding season in the natura 2000 site Dunas de Mira, Gândara e Gafanhas (Beira Litoral, Portugal)

This study describes the diet of the Goshwak Accipiter gentilis within littoral ecosystems dominated by pine trees. Samples were collected during the breeding season of 2001 in Dunas de Mira, Gândara e Gafanhas, located in the littoral centre of Portugal and recently included in the Portuguese Natura 2000 network (PTCON 055). Diet composition was assessed from the analysis of 89 pellets and 154 prey remains, collected between the 15th of April and the 25th of July of 2001. Birds represented 86.6% of the total prey items. The remaining prey items were coleoptera (6.5%), mammals (3.6%) and reptiles (3.3%). In terms of biomass birds comprised 90.9%, followed by mammals (7.3%), reptiles (1.7%) and coleoptera (0.05%). Results show that this raptor has a predominantly ornitophagous diet. Domestic pigeon Columba livia var is the most important prey in this area both in terms of frequency and biomass (42.2% and 49.9%, respectively). During the breeding season the diet of the Goshawk is largely connected to Man.Este trabalho pretendeu obter informação relativa à ecologia trófica do Açor Accipiter gentilis, de modo a tentar compreender o papel desempenhado por esta espécie de ave de rapina em ecossistemas litorais. O estudo decorreu durante a época de nidificação de 2001, na área do Sítio das "Dunas de Mira, Gândara e Gafanhas", recentemente incluÌdo na Rede Natura 2000 (PTCON 055). A composição do regime alimentar foi estudada com base em 89 regurgitaÁıes e 153 restos de presas, recolhidas entre 15 de Abril e 25 de Julho de 2001. As aves representaram 86,6% do total de presas consumidas, os coleópteros 6,5%, os mamíferos 3,6% e os répteis 3,3%. Em termos de biomassa, as aves continuam a ter um papel predominante representando 90,9% da biomassa consumida, seguidas pelos mamÌferos (7,3%), répteis (1,7%) e coleópteros (0,05%). Na área de estudo o Açor tem um comportamento alimentar predominantemente ornitófago, sendo o pombo doméstico Columba livia var a presa mais importante, tanto em termos numéricos como em biomassa (42,2% e 49,9%, respectivamente). Na base deste comportamento, estarão a elevada disponibilidade alimentar e uma maior vulnerabilidade à predação por parte desta espécie. Este regime alimentar do Açor durante o perÌodo reprodutor evidência uma clara dependÍncia desta ave de rapina em relação a uma espécie estreitamente ligada ao homem

Trace elements in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded in mainland Portugal: Bioaccumulation and tissue distribution

Pollution is among the most significant threats that endanger sea turtles worldwide. Waters off the Portuguese mainland are acknowledged as important feeding grounds for juvenile loggerheads. However, there is no data on trace element concentrations in marine turtles occurring in these waters. We present the first assessment of trace element concentrations in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) occurring off the coast of mainland Portugal. Also, we compare our results with those from other areas and discuss parameters that may affect element concentrations. Trace element concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, Se, Zn) were determined in kidney, liver and muscle samples from 38 loggerheads stranded between 2011 and 2013. As was the only element with higher concentrations in muscle (14.78 μg g-1ww) than in liver or kidney. Considering non-essential elements, Cd presented the highest concentrations in kidney (34.67 μg g-1) and liver (5.03 μg g-1). Only a weak positive link was found between renal Cd and turtle size. Inter-elemental correlations were observed in both liver and kidney tissues. Hepatic Hg values (0.30 ± 0.03 μg g-1) were higher than values reported in loggerheads in the Canary Islands but lower than in Mediterranean loggerheads. Cd concentrations in the present study were only exceeded by values found in turtles from the Pacific. Although many endogenous and exogenous parameters related with complex life cycle changes and wide geographic range may influence trace element accumulation, the concentrations of Cd are probably related to the importance of crustaceans in loggerhead diet in the Portuguese coast.Sociedade Portuguesa de Vida Selvagem for their assistance with data and sample collection and the staff at the Centres Científics i Tècnics of the Universitat de Barcelona. The authors also thank the Oceanário de Lisboa for their support. LN, MF and AM were supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) grants (SFRH/BD/51416/2011, SFRH/BD/30240/2006, SFRH/BPD/64889/2009, respectively). Also, LN, SM and CE were supported by CESAMUID/AMB/50017/2013 (FCT) co-funded by FCT/MEC and FEDER, within PT2020 and Compete 2020. Sample collection was partially supported by Project LIFE MarPro (Life09 NAT/PT/000038) co-funded by the European Commission and Project CetSenti RECI/AAG-GLO/0470/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER- 027472), FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) and FEDER - COMPETE (POFC)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Striped dolphins as trace element biomonitoring tools in oceanic waters: accounting for health-related variables

In Europe, monitoring contaminant concentrations and their effects in the marine environment is required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC). The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most abundant small cetacean species in Portuguese oceanic waters, representing a potential biomonitoring tool of contaminant levels in offshore waters. Concentrations of nine trace elements were evaluated by ICP-MS in kidney, liver and muscle samples of 31 striped dolphins stranded in the Portuguese continental coast. The mean renal Cd concentration was high (19.3 μg.g-1 wet weight, range 0.1-69.3 μg.g-1 wet weight) comparing to striped dolphins from other locations. Therefore, the present study reports a possibly concerning level of Cd in the oceanic food chain in Portuguese offshore areas. This study also aimed at evaluating potential relationships between trace element concentrations and striped dolphins' biological and health-related variables. Individual length was related with some of the trace element concentrations detected in striped dolphins. Indeed, Cd, Hg and Se bioaccumulated in larger animals, whereas the reverse was observed for Mn and Zn. Striped dolphins with high parasite burdens showed higher levels of Hg, while animals showing gross pathologies presented higher concentrations of Cd and Se. This study reported relationships between trace element concentrations and health-related variables for the first time in striped dolphins and it also provided information on the relative contamination status of Portuguese oceanic waters in comparison to other regions in the world.publishe

The importance of Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters to Balearic Shearwaters revealed by aerial census

The Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus is one of the most threatened seabirds in the world. To evaluate the abundance and distribution of Balearic Shearwaters in Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters, during the post-breeding period when migrating birds are outside the Mediterranean Sea, we conducted 5 aerial surveys between 2010 and 2014 (21 survey days covering 62,716 km2). Following a line transect method, observers recorded a total of 181 Balearic Shearwaters sightings. Using Distance sampling software, we estimated an overall species abundance (2010–2014) of 10,182, ranging between 2338 in 2010 and 23,221 individuals in 2012. During the 2012 post-breeding period, the Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters were used by up to 96.8% of the latest migratory population assessment. Considering Balearic Shearwater estimates per sampling block, there was a preference for the North and Center sectors of the Portuguese coast (respectively, 7058 and 1366 individuals) where several SPAs were already designated. We computed the annual and overall habitat predictive models for Balearic Shearwaters using a maximum entropy algorithm on MaxEnt software. In all models, the Balearic shearwater distribution was best predicted by mean chlorophyll concentration. Balearic Shearwaters are mostly present in shallow shelf and coastal waters particularly in the widest portions of the continental shelf. These areas are strongly influenced by upwelling, which concurs with the chlorophyll concentration being the most important predicting variable. Portuguese Continental Shelf Waters are one of the most important post-breeding grounds to the Balearic ShearwaterPortuguese Wildlife Society and projects SafeSea EEA-Grants, FAME (Proj. 2009-1/089) and European Commission’s Life Programme (MarPro NAT/PT/00038). This study was also partly supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with Grants SFRH/ BD/30240/2006 to M. Ferreira and SFRH/BD/32841/2006 to P. C. Rodrigues. C. Eira is supported by FCT through CESAM UID/AMB/50017/2013 co-funded by FCT/MEC and FEDER, within PT2020 and Compete 2020 and S. Monteiro is financed by a Grant (BPD/0043/AMB/50017) from UID/AMB/50017/2013. This work was also partially supported by the strategic programme UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569) funded by FCT and by ERDF (COMPETE2020). The authors thank observers and airplane pilots who contributed to this workinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of air pollution from pulp and paper industry on breeding success of Great tit in maritime pine forests

Air pollution has been found to have direct and indirect effects on forest passerines, but there is very little information on the effects of emissions from the pulp and paper industry. This long-term (7 y) study compares breeding parameters of Great tits in industrial and rural sites in maritime pine forests on the west coast of Portugal. We found that Great tits bred earlier, laid more eggs, and produced more fledglings in the industrial area, where we also found a higher biomass of caterpillars, an important food source for tits. There were also differences in ground arthropod numbers, the industrial area having more beetles and millipedes and the rural area more spiders and silverfish. Our results suggest that there are no direct toxic effects of emissions from the paper industry on the study species. However, invertebrate food availability is clearly related to pollution levels, which indirectly affect the breeding performance of the Great tit.Il est connu que la pollution atmosphérique a des effets directs et indirects sur les passereaux forestiers, mais il existe très peu d’information sur les effets des émissions polluantes de l’industrie des pâtes et papiers. Cette étude à long terme (7 ans) a comparé les paramètres de reproduction de mésanges charbonnières dans 2 pinèdes maritimes, l’une située dans un secteur industriel et l’autre dans un secteur rural, sur la côte ouest du Portugal. Nous avons observé que les mésanges charbonnières s’accouplaient plus tôt, pondaient plus d’oeufs et produisaient plus de jeunes dans les sites industriels, où nous avons également observé une plus grande biomasse de chenilles, une importante source de nourriture pour les mésanges. Il y avait aussi des différences dans les quantités d’arthropodes terrestres, les sites industriels ayant plus de coléoptères et de millipèdes et les sites ruraux plus d’araignées et de lépismes argentés. Nos résultats suggèrent qu’il n’y a pas d’effet toxique direct des émissions de l’industrie des pâtes et papiers sur l’espèce à l’étude. Cependant, la disponibilité des invertébrés est reliée de façon évidente au niveau de pollution, ce qui a un effet indirect sur la performance de reproduction de la mésange charbonnière.publishe

A matter of scales:Does the management of marine recreational fisheries follow the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Europe?

European policy-makers are increasingly aware of the ecological and socioeconomic relevance of marine recreational fisheries (MRF), but there are still gaps in the information needed to achieve sustainable management. How is the current management of European MRF performed? Is it promoting the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF)? The management of MRF in Europe was reviewed by analyzing how different European regulations align with the EAF in different geographic and administrative scales. Text mining tools were used to identify key concepts and analyze the text of legal regulations on MRF in the European Union (EU), Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). Also, the Ecosystem Fisheries Legal Assessment (EFLA) framework was used to assess the alignment of the regulations with the EAF. The number of regulations about MRF in Spain and Portugal is higher than in the UK and the EU, probably because the relative higher importance of regional regulations in Spain and Portugal, and the limitations imposed to recreational fishers in marine protected areas (MPAs). The lack of specific regulations on MRF in the EU, and open-access in the UK for recreational fishers, except for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, explain their lower number of regulations. The EFLA framework showed that the European public policies on MRF follow the EAF principles. Enough attention is payed to ecological components, but socio-economic sustainability could be improved. However, policy efficiency could be lower than expected because potential institutional misfits derived from the eventual confluence of different spatial scales

Reproductive performance of wild boar females in Portugal

Reproductive tracts of 214 female wild boars collected in Central Portugal between October and February over the period 1997 to 2001 were examined. From this material, we were able to determine reproductive phenology (conception and birth periods) as well as age and weight of sows at puberty, ovulation rates of adults, foetal sex ratio, levels of intrauterine mortality, final litter size and postnatal mortality. Differences between year, region, age and body weight were analysed. A total of 66.8% of the females examined were gestating or lactating and 96.3% of these weighed > 40 kg. The highest proportions of pregnant sows were found in the adult age/weight classes (74%). None of the juvenile females (1 year old and younger) were lactating and only 7% was pregnant. The average number of foetuses/female (4.1 +/- 1.2SD) and that of corpora lutea per female (4.6 +/- 1.7SD) increased from lighter and younger to heavier and older wild sows. Foetal sex ratio was biased towards males (1.3:1). Observed intrauterine mortality rate (9.7%) and postnatal mortality (6.3%) were among the lowest recorded in European wild boar populations. The productivity rate of the Central Portuguese wild boar population was calculated as 1.1 young per individual in the population. Conception and birth periods did not differ significantly between the considered 4 years. Birth synchronisation was pronounced in all the years, with a peak of births occurring in March