Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2025-07"
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- Not regionally extinct: rediscovery of ruppia drepanensis in Portugal, the westernmost range edge in EuropePublication . Gonçalves Frade, Duarte; Miranda Neiva, João; Martínez-Garrido, Jose; Davison, Anne; Caminiti, Luca; Ramos, Gonçalo Miguel da Cruz e Cunha Guinote; Pearson, Gareth Anthony; Serrao, Ester A.Ruppia drepanensis Tineo ex Guss. is an important habitat-forming aquatic plant in saline and brackish Mediterranean wetlands. The species is declining in several parts of its range due to hydrological changes and habitat degradation. R. drepanensis was considered Critically Endangered, possibly Regionally Extinct in Portugal, due to not being observed since 1986 despite extensive surveys of suitable habitat. We report on a new population, the westernmost known record for the species in Europe, identified with morphological and molecular data. Despite being inside a protected area, this population occupies a single small pond adjacent to a road, making it vulnerable to habitat changes. Ex situ conservation is recommended, including seed banking and/or the establishment of new populations.
- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve’s species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Aquaculture in the crossroad of microplastic contaminationPublication . Bebianno, Maria; Manthopoulos, Michael; Nathan, Justine; Cristina, Sónia; Ribeiro, Laura; Luna-Araújo, Ravi; Icely, John; Dias Duarte Fragoso, Bruno; Moura, DelmindaPlastic pollution threatens life and human health, with microplastics (MP) linked to seafood consumption. MPs enter aquaculture through the environment and from aquaculture gear. During aquaculture production, plastic is used in nets and sacks for the growth process and in collecting and processing so it becomes important to expand the knowledge about how much MPs are present in seafood. The aim was to investigate the presence of MPs in three bivalve's species; oysters (Crassostrea gigas), clams (Ruditapes decussatus), and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) produced in offshore and intertidal aquaculture in two different climate conditions. Water, bivalves and sediments were collected from each site and abundance, size, colour, type and composition of the MPs polymers analysed. The most common colour in offshore aquaculture was blue while in intertidal was black, and the type was fragments. Sixty per cent of bivalves did not have MPs in their tissues. Bivalves from offshore aquaculture was less impacted by MPs probably due to the hydrographic conditions and distance from the coast. Most of MPs ingested by bivalves were related to the plastic type used in aquaculture materials. Transformative solutions and/ or procedures to eliminate plastic from aquaculture equipment are needed, and depuration might be a practical solution.
- Commercially relevant species in the mediterranean sea: a perspective from late pleistocene to the industrial revolutionPublication . Leal, Daniela; Agiadi, Konstantina; Bas, MariaThe Mediterranean Sea is the world's second-largest biodiversity hotspot and has been impacted by several environmental changes and human activities since pre-historic times. We present the results of a systematic review of the published literature on the nature and extent of these impacts on the ancient-historic Mediterranean marine ecosystems. We aim to provide an overview of the current state of knowledge and identify research gaps about climate and human-activity impacts on commercially relevant species of marine mammals, fishes, and molluscs in the Mediterranean Sea over the last 130 thousand years until the Industrial Revolution (the year 1850). In most of the reviewed publications, species were used as indicators of past climatic conditions or human subsistence strategies. A research gap remains, however, in quantifying their effects on marine ecosystems. Based on our results, we identify data trends in time and space and by functional group. Data are available primarily from the Holocene rather than the Late Pleistocene, reflecting a heterogeneous availability of records. The Adriatic Sea is underrepresented among subregions, which may indicate variability of accessible data between subregions rather than an actual lack of information. Marine mammals were less studied than fishes and molluscs in the three subregions. Despite the lack of standardised guidelines to conduct studies and the subsequent variability in information, this work can provide novel insights into the importance of studying the evolution of research focused on past environmental and anthropogenic impacts in the Mediterranean Sea. Research efforts need to be balanced to examine both economically and ecologically valuable species in the marine ecosystem. We also reinforce the need for uniforming approaches to gather data in a useable format for posterior research.
- Fair shares or smart savings? exploring business models, justice and efficiency trade-offs in Portuguese energy communitiesPublication . Scharnigg, Renée; Monteiro, Jânio; Pacheco, André; Santos, JoniEnergy communities are increasingly playing an important role in citizen engagement during energy transitions. However, the functional benefits for participants are heavily reliant on how energy and profits are shared, which are dictated by regulations. While optimizing trade-offs can prove significant in making energy community projects viable, related techno-regulatory innovations on energy-sharing mechanisms still require in-depth analysis. A key unresolved issue is how to balance justice considerations with model attractiveness by aligning members' perceptions of fair redistribution with optimal energy utilization. This study investigates the interplay between sharing and metering mechanisms and their respective advantages and disadvantages, using the Portuguese case study as an example. Four hypothetical scenarios related to the implementation of European directives into Portuguese national law are analysed to quantify trade-offs between self-consumption, self-sufficiency, and participant equity. The findings demonstrate how different energy-sharing and metering mechanisms can influence resource allocation, benefit distribution, and financial sustainability. Each of these scenarios reveals that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The consumption-proportional sharing maximizes selfconsumption and self-sufficiency indexes at the community level but fails to uphold principles of energy justice, as it disproportionately benefits high-consuming members. In contrast, the fixed coefficients sharing ensures a distribution proportional to each member's monetary investment but leads to lower efficiency. These findings underscore the socio-economic implications of techno-regulatory innovations and the need to reconcile equity and efficiency. The study offers guidance to policymakers in designing fair and effective frameworks, reducing the risk of unintentionally obstructing energy community development due to impaired economic viability.
- Extinction risk of the endemic soft coral Phyllogorgia dilatata (Esper, 1806) in a remote island of the Brazilian coastPublication . Anderson, A. B.; Gouvêa, Lidiane; Assis, Jorge; Serrao, Ester A.; Pinheiro, H. T.; Vilar, C.; Francini-Filho, R. B.; Horta, P. A.; Bernardino, A. F.; Cordeiro, C. A. M. M.; Gomes, L. E. O.; Joyeux, J.-C.; Ferreira, C. E. L.The Brazilian endemic octocoral Phyllogorgia dilatata (elephant ear sea fan) plays a crucial ecological role in the marine ecosystems of the Brazilian coast. Our work investigates the local extinction of P. dilatata on Trindade Island, a remote oceanic island in the Southwestern Atlantic, and assesses the potential impacts of climate change on its distribution. Field surveys conducted over two years (2016-2019) revealed no live individuals of P. dilatata, with only dead peduncles remaining, marking the first observed local extinction of this species. Species distribution models (SDMs) incorporating current and historical climate data were used to estimate the species' habitat suitability and project future distribution under different climate scenarios. Results indicate that P. dilatata currently inhabits approximately 93,090 km2 of suitable area, primarily within tropical ecoregions, but faces significant habitat loss under future climate projections. By 2090-2100, models predict a 63.38 % loss of habitat under the high-emission RCP 8.5 scenario, with severe impacts on tropical regions, including Trindade Island. Environmental variables such as temperature, oxygen concentration, and salinity were identified as key drivers of the species' distribution, while non-climatic factors like seawater velocity, were also significant. The extinction on Trindade Island is attributed to a combination of historical isolation, climate change, and local anthropogenic stressors, including pollution and overfishing. The current investigation highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts, including the establishment of marine protected areas and restoration programs, to protect this vulnerable species and similar marine organisms again climate change.