Browsing by Author "Baptista, Miguel"
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- Does Ocean Sunfish Mola spp. (Tetraodontiformes: Molidae) represent a risk for Tetrodotoxin Poisoning in the Portuguese Coast?Publication . Baptista, Miguel; Braga, Ana Catarina; Rosa, Rui; Reis Costa, PedroTetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin naturally occurring in terrestrial and marine organisms such as pufferfish. Due to the risk of TTX poisoning, fish of Tetraodontidae family and other puffer-related species must not be placed in the EU markets. This restriction applies to fish of the family Molidae even though no data on toxins’ occurrence is available. In this study, the presence of TTX and its analogues was investigated in the main edible tissue (the white muscle) and the main xenobiotics storage organ (the liver) of ocean sunfish Mola spp. (n = 13) from the South Portuguese coast. HILIC-MS/MS analyses did not reveal TTX in the analyzed samples, suggesting an inexistent or very limited risk of TTX poisoning.
- Impaired fish swimming performance following dietary exposure to the marine phycotoxin okadaic acidPublication . Corriere, Mauro; Baptista, Miguel; Paula, Jose R.; Repolho, Tiago; Rosa, Rui; Reis Costa, Pedro; Soliño, LuciaFish are frequently exposed to harmful algal blooms (HAB) and to related toxins. However, the biological effects of okadaic acid (OA), the most abundant and frequent HAB-toxin in Europe, South America and Asia, have been poorly investigated. In this study, fish swimming performance and metabolic rates were investigated in juveniles of Zebra seabream (Diplodus cervinus) exposed to OA-group toxins via dietary route, during three days. Fish fed on contaminated food accumulated up to 455.5 mu g OA equiv. Kg(-1). Significant lower mean critical swimming speed (Ucrit) were observed in fish orally exposed to OA (and its related isomer dinophysistoxin-1, DTX-1) than fish feeding on non-toxic diet. A tendency to higher demands of oxygen consumption was also recorded in OA-exposed fish at higher current velocities. This study indicates that fish may not be affected by OA-group toxins under basal conditions, but suggests a decrease in fitness linked to a reduction in swimming performance of fish exposed to OA under increased stimulus. OA and related toxins are suggested to have a cryptic effect on swimming performance that may be enhanced when fish deals with multiple stressors. Considering that a reduction in swimming performance may have impact on critical activities, such as foraging and escaping from predators, this study highlights the ecological risk associated with dinoflagellate toxic blooms, biotoxins food web transfer and fish contamination.
- Natural geochemical markers reveal environmental history and population connectivity of common cuttlefish in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean SeaPublication . Rooker, Jay R.; Wells, R. J. David; Addis, Piero; Arrizabalaga, Haritz; Baptista, Miguel; Bearzi, Giovanni; Dance, Michael A.; Fraile, Igaratza; Lacoue-Labarthe, Thomas; Lee, Jessica M.; Megalofonou, Persefoni; Rosa, Rui; Sobrino, Ignacio; Sykes, António; Villanueva, RogerNatural markers (delta C-13 and delta O-18 stable isotopes) in the cuttlebones of the European common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) were determined for individuals collected across a substantial portion of their range in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (NEAO) and Mediterranean Sea. Cuttlebone delta C-13 and delta O-18 were quantified for core and edge material to characterize geochemical signatures associated with early (juvenile) and recent (sub-adult/adult) life-history periods, respectively. Regional shifts in cuttlebone delta C-13 and delta O-18 values were detected across the 12 sites investigated. Individuals collected from sites in the NEAO displayed more enriched delta C-13 and delta O-18 values relative to sites in the Mediterranean Sea, with the latter also showing salient differences in both markers among western, central and eastern collection areas. Classification success based on cuttlebone delta C-13 and delta O-18 values to four geographical regions (NEAO, western, central and eastern Mediterranean Sea) was relatively high, suggesting that environmental conditions in each region were distinct and produced area-specific geochemical signatures on the cuttlebones ofS. officinalis. A modified delta C-13 and delta O-18 baseline was developed from sites proximal to the Strait of Gibraltar in both the NEAO and Mediterranean Sea to assess potential mixing through this corridor. Nearly, all (95%) of delta C-13 and delta O-18 signatures ofS. officinaliscollected in the area of the NEAO closest to the Strait of Gibraltar (Gulf of Cadiz) matched the signatures of specimens collected in the western Mediterranean, signifying potential movement and mixing of individuals through this passageway. This study extends the current application of these geochemical markers for assessing the natal origin and population connectivity of this species and potentially other taxa that inhabit this geographical area.
- Occurrence of basking shark Cetorhinus maximus in southern Portuguese waters: a two-decade surveyPublication . Couto, Ana; Queiroz, Nuno; Relvas, Paulo; Baptista, Miguel; Furtado, Miguel; Castro, Joana; Nunes, Maria; Morikawa, Hirofumi; Rosa, RuiThere is a general consensus that many shark species are declining in numbers. However, effective management measures often depend on knowing how trends in abundance and distribution are influenced by environmental conditions. Several efforts to describe the occurrence and distribution of basking sharks Cetorhinus maximus have been made in northern Europe, particularly around the UK, but nothing is known regarding their occurrence in southern areas, such as the south of Portugal. Using 2 decades of observational data collected in the south of Portugal, we show that the occurrence of basking sharks in the area was highly seasonal, with individuals being observed mainly during spring. Based on in situ and satellite-derived environmental variables and climate indices, we also demonstrate that temporal trends were associated with the beginning of the upwelling season and that the inter-annual changes were related to lower values of sea surface temperature, North Atlantic Oscillation index, upwelling index, 2-mo lagged chlorophyll a and 3-mo lagged Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation index, and higher values of 2-mo lagged upwelling index. These findings suggest that basking sharks are associated with the expansion of cold waters following upwelling events in the region, probably due to the aggregation and increase of zooplankton. Although the temperature recorded during our study years ranged from 14 to 24 degrees C, sharks were mainly observed when temperatures were lower than 20 degrees C, corroborating their preference for colder water. This study provides the first knowledge on the habitat use of basking sharks in southern European Atlantic areas.
- Regional patterns of δ13C and δ15N for European common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) throughout the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean SeaPublication . David Wells, R. J.; Rooker, Jay R.; Addis, Piero; Arrizabalaga, Haritz; Baptista, Miguel; Bearzi, Giovanni; Fraile, Igaratza; Lacoue-Labarthe, Thomas; Meese, Emily N.; Megalofonou, Persefoni; Rosa, Rui; Sobrino, Ignacio; Sykes, Antonio V.; Villanueva, RogerThe European common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis Linnaeus, 1758 is a coastal nektobenthic species ranging from the Shetland Islands through the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Northwest Africa into the Mediterranean Sea [1]. This species constitutes one of the most economically valuable cephalopod resources in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, supporting an important fishery resource [2,3]. Sepia officinalis has a relatively short lifespan of 1–2 years, early sexual maturity and an extended spawning season laying eggs on the seafloor with direct benthic, large hatchlings [4,5]. Given this species geographical distribution combined with limited dispersal, it has been a targeted model species to examine connectivity throughout the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea (hereafter NEAO-MS) [6]. Natural biomarkers such as stable isotopes are commonly used to examine food web structure and ecosystem connectivity in marine environments [7,8]. Stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) are particularly useful tracers due to their natural abundance being influenced by the environment and ease of measurement in body tissues without having to track individuals in a population. δ13C is traditionally used to trace carbon pathways because little fractionation occurs between predator and prey, and different primary producers (energy sources) often have unique δ13C values [9]. δ13C values of consumers are a product of the primary producers’ composition and influenced by the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) pool, as well as local abiotic factors including sea surface temperature, and can differ across ocean basins [10] and region-specific freshwater to marine gradients [9]. δ15N becomes enriched with increasing trophic level and is used to infer trophic position [7], but can also differ at the base of the food web. Depending upon the types of nutrients available to stimulate growth, δ15N values can be used to track energy flow in high-nutrient (nitrate) and low-nutrient (N2 fixation) ecosystems as well as new nitrogen (upwelled nitrate) versus regenerated nitrogen (ammonia, urea). Combining both δ13C and δ15N offers the potential to study the connectivity and population structure of species because longitudinal and latitudinal gradients exist throughout marine ecosystems [11,12], including the NEAO-MS [8,13].