Sapientia
Repositório Científico da UAlg
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Tracking variability in atmospheric, oceanic, and riverine inputs to the iberian margin over the last 250 kyr
Publication . Chen, Xinyang; Wu, Jiawang; Wu, Li; Liu, Zhifei; Luo, Yiming; Zarikian, Carlos A. Alvarez; Kaboth‐Bahr, Stefanie; Zhu, Fangjingcheng; Xuan, Chuang; Wilson, Paul A.; Colin, Christophe; Gao, Guohui; Pang, Xiaolei; Yu, Jimin; Pallone, Celeste T.; McManus, Jerry F.; Abrantes, Fatima; Hodell, David A.
The Iberian Margin provides an exceptional archive of climate variability due to its high sedimentation rates. However, uncertainties persist regarding the provenance of terrigenous detrital sediments on the Iberian Margin, and the climate‐driven changes in their source areas and transport processes. By integrating clay mineralogy with grain‐size data and end‐member modeling for IODP Site U1588 sediments, we characterize terrigenous detrital inputs to the southwestern Iberian Margin and reconstruct their orbital‐scale variations over the last ∼250 kyr. Three sources of sediment supply are identified. (I) Fine‐grained Iberian riverine inputs: rich in smectite (61%) and poor in kaolinite (7%) and chlorite (7%); (II‐A) Saharan dust: rich in illite (49%) with low kaolinite and smectite, consistent with the silt‐sized mode; (II‐B) Sahelian dust: richest in kaolinite (22%) with high smectite, reflecting additional aeolian source; and (III) Mediterranean Outflow Water‐ transported particles: rich in chlorite (22%) with intermediate levels of other clay minerals, co‐varying with the sortable‐silt fraction. Our end‐member modeling results indicate North African dust as a major source for Iberian Margin sediments, as supported by spatiotemporal variations in the illite/kaolinite (I/K) ratio. Illite mineralogy further reveals a marked contrast across the glacial‐interglacial cycles. Relative to the last glacial cycle (∼130–0 ka), the penultimate cycle (∼250–130 ka) shows higher illite contents and I/K ratios, weaker chemical weathering, and pronounced precessional cyclicity. This contrast suggests a long‐term contraction of North African dust sources, expressed as reduced Saharan input during the last glacial cycle, and likely caused by a northward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
Small vertebrate consumption by capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus): insights into the human predatory pattern
Publication . Carvalho, Susana; Spagnoletti, Noemi; d´Oliveira Coelho, João; Beardmore-Herd, Megan; Mendonça-Furtado, Olívia; Verderane, Michele; Prieto, Joana; Cavallaro, Dominique I.; Izar, Patrícia; Visalberghi, Elisabetta
The consumption of small vertebrates occurs to varying degrees among many non-human primates. This dietary element may have constituted an important source of nutrition for early hominins, particularly during periods of food scarcity, providing a stepping stone to the exploitation of larger animals. Capuchin monkeys regularly consume small vertebrates across their range. Expanding our knowledge of the contribution of animal matter to these primates’ diets can shed light on the proximate and ultimate drivers of small vertebrate consumption across primate taxa, including humans. We report on the most extensive record of bearded capuchin (Sapajus libidinosus) vertebrate predation so far available: 45 months of observations of vertebrate predation in two sympatric groups in Fazenda Boa Vista, in northeastern Brazil. We estimated the effect of provisioning, sex, age class, fruit and insect availability, rainfall, humidity, and temperature on predation rates using a zero-inflated negative binomial algorithm with random effects. We found mammal and saurian consumption is habitual in this population of S. libidinosus. Prey brains and viscera tend to be accessed before the rest of the body. Predation rates were higher in males compared to females and in adults compared to infants across groups. Our results also identified small vertebrates as key energy sources for bearded capuchins under decreased fruit availability and show that provisioning reduces predation rates. Future work should assess small vertebrate predation as a possible stepping stone in the emergence of human exploitation of large animals by re-analyzing fossil faunal assemblages for evidence of small vertebrate predation.
Marine protected areas and maritime spatial planning integration dynamics across Europe
Publication . Calado, Helena; Dias Gois Rodrigues de Queiroz, Joyce; Gutierrez, Débora; Oliveira, Anna Larissa; Pegorelli, Camila; Raedemaecker, Fien De; Barboza, Francisco Rafael; Withouck, Inne; García-Sanabria, Javier; Zaucha, Jacek; Stancheva, Margarita; Markovic, Marina; Bocci, Martina; Haapasaari, Päivi; Varjopuro, Riku; Spinu, Alina Daiana; Stojanovic, Ivana; Quintela, Adriano
Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as a central governance tool to balance ecological, social, and economic uses of marine space, while Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) remain essential for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. Effective integration of MPAs into MSP can enhance conservation outcomes and reduce conflicts with human activities, yet the degree of integration across the European Union (EU) remains highly uneven. This study examines how MPAs are embedded within national MSP frameworks in 20 EU Member States, aiming to classify, compare, and explain differences in integration levels. A typology of four integration levels is introduced, ranging from MPAs as primary drivers of MSP to their treatment as passive spatial layers. The methodology combines the development and application of a set of questions directed at MSP experts with the use of a decision tree and allocation criteria designed to assess responses and classify countries according to their level of MPA–MSP integration. Results reveal substantial disparities across EU Member States. Belgium, Germany, Latvia, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands showed the strongest degree of integration, with conservation objectives embedded in MSP provisions and influencing cross-sectoral planning decisions. In contrast, most countries incorporated MPAs mainly through environmental assessment instruments or treated them as existing spatial layers, environmental constraints, or separate legal instruments. Key barriers include fragmented governance structures, limited translation of environmental assessments into binding spatial decisions, weak links between MSP and MPAs management, uneven monitoring and enforcement capacity, and limited mechanisms for stakeholder coordination. Advancing MPA–MSP integration requires stronger legal frameworks, adaptive management strategies, ecological connectivity, and inclusive governance processes. By providing a systematic comparison and highlighting best practices, this study provides recommendations to foster more cohesive, resilient, and biodiversity-informed marine governance.
Educar com amor: práticas para fazer uma criança feliz
Publication . Azevedo, Cátia Filipa Martins; Martins, Maria Helena
O presente relatório de Prática de Ensino Supervisionada, intitulado "Educar com Amor: Práticas para fazer uma criança feliz", insere-se no âmbito do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e foi desenvolvido numa instituição de solidariedade social (IPSS) em Faro (Portugal), com um grupo de crianças entre os quatro e os cinco anos. Esta investigação pretende compreender e valorizar o papel das relações afetivas e sociais no desenvolvimento integral da criança, com especial foco nas práticas pedagógicas orientadas pelo amor, empatia e escuta ativa, tendo como objetivo geral analisar e compreender de que forma as práticas pedagógicas orientadas pela afetividade contribuem para o desenvolvimento emocional, social e cognitivo, felicidade e bem-estar da criança em idade pré-escolar. Recorrendo à observação direta, entrevistas e atividades desenvolvidas no contexto educativo, procurou-se identificar estratégias que promovem o bem-estar emocional, a autoestima e a construção de relações positivas entre pares. Os resultados demonstram que a afetividade e o respeito mútuo se revelam fundamentais para o desenvolvimento harmonioso da criança, evidenciando o papel central do educador enquanto figura de referência e facilitador de aprendizagens significativas.
Geomorphological dynamics at the coast: a sedimentary stratigraphy for Atlit-Yam, the earliest coastal village at the eastern mediterranean and its submerged landscape
Publication . Kataria, Vishal; Shtienberg, Gilad; Ogloblin Ramirez, Isaac; Zuckerman-Cooper, Roni; Taha, Nimer; Grono, Elle; Runjajić, Marko; Galili, Ehud; Waldmann, Nicolas; Friesem, David E.
During the early Holocene, rapid sea- level rise led to the inundation of coastal areas, with shallow landscapes being the most affected. The Carmel coast, located in the Eastern Mediterranean, preserves a rich record of such a submerged landscape, hosting numerous archaeological sites, including the well-preserved Atlit-Yam Neolithic village. In order to reconstruct the geomorphological evolution of the submerged coastal landscape, 23 underwater sediment cores of variable length (ranging from 60 to 240 cm) were drilled both inside and outside the known extent of the Atlit-Yam village. A detailed stratigraphy of the submerged landscape was generated based on the analysis of 18 representative cores. The sedimentary sequences identified in the analyzed cores were defined by respective facies associations, and combined with physical (grain size, magnetic susceptibility), chemical (elemental geochemistry), and organic (total organic content) properties of the sediments. Moreover, the sediment cores were constrained by a radiocarbon chronology. Our analysis reveals the spatially heterogeneous stratification of submerged coastal sediments, influenced by sediment supply, stratigraphic dynamics, rising sea level and human activity. The stratigraphic framework presented here allows identification of sedimentary facies associated with the period of active human occupation. We identify ten sedimentary facies characterized by elevated total organic content, magnetic susceptibility, P/Al, Ti/Al ratios together with distinct grain sizes highlighting the complex interplay between sea-level rise, sedimentary processes, and landscape evolution from Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene. This study provides stratigraphic and chronological evidence for sustained Neolithic occupation between ~9600 and 8600 cal. Yrs BP, prior to the early stages of coastal inundation. These findings demonstrate the advantage of coring and sedimentological analysis for studying early human occupation of coastal areas in direct relations to landscape transformation due to rising sea levels.