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.
- From promise to practice: Unlocking the multidimensional value of marine ecotourismPublication . Ressurreição, AdrianaMarine ecotourism offers promise for sustainable blue economies but remains overlooked. In a recent Cell Reports Sustainability article,1 authors explore its transformative potential, focusing on global economic impacts of scuba diving tourism. Here, we reflect on broader sector impacts, key barriers, and actions to unlock marine ecotourism’s full socio-ecological promise.
- Coding and non-coding RNA expression in NSC34 cells following TDP-43 depletion and mutant TDP-43 M337V expressionPublication . Gbadamosi, Ismail; Binias, Sandra; Gielniewski, Bartłomiej; Magno, Ramiro; dos Santos Duarte, Guilhermina Isabel; Jawaid, AliSeveral neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), notably amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are characterized by pathological cytoplasmic aggregation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) in neurons and glia. Primarily localized in the nucleus under physiological conditions, TDP-43 is a critical regulator of RNA processing and metabolism. Therefore, RNA changes induced by TDP-43 depletion or mutation could play an important role in the pathogenesis of ALS and other TDP-43 related NDDs.To investigate these effects in NSC34 motor neuron-like cells, a commonly used cellular model of ALS, we used RNA interference to knock down TDP-43 and overexpressed the ALS-associated TDP-43 M337V mutation. RNA from both these experiments was enriched for small and large transcripts and subsequently analyzed via next-generation sequencing. The resulting transcriptomics datasets offer a valuable resource for studying the impact of TDP-43 depletion and mutant over-expression in motor neurons. These data enable comprehensive differential expression analyses and functional enrichment studies, identifying cellular pathways affected by TDP43 depletion or mutation. Additionally, the inclusion of non-coding RNAs facilitates the construction of gene regulatory networks, providing insights into the interplay between coding and non-coding RNAs in gene expression regulation under TDP-43 loss-of-function or pathogenic mutation conditions.
- The influence of inflammatory processes in fish skeletal development: the crosstalk between skeletal and immune systemsPublication . Martins, Gil Sales Marques; Gavaia, Paulo Jorge Travessa; Abellán, Francisco António GuardiolaOsteoimmunology is an emerging field focused on the comprehension of the crosstalk between the immune and skeletal systems, with a particular focus on how inflammation affects bone health and disease. Previous research suggests that the same signalling mechanism that occurs in mammals may trigger the differentiation of macrophages into osteoclasts in teleosts, leading to the onset of pathological bone resorption by an identical molecular process. However, little is known about the contribution of the inflammatory processes and or bacterial constituents in fish bone tissues. In this thesis, we tackle this issue by evaluating the impact of continuous exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in zebrafish dermal skeleton (scales) and evaluating the potential of the microalga Tisochrysis lutea ethanolic extract and its glycolipid (GL) fractions to reverse the LPS effects. The continuous exposure to LPS led to the reduction of de novo formed scales and led to scale demineralization, with increased osteoclast activity, and inflammatory and osteoclastic marker genes (i.e., tnfa, ctsk, and acp5). In ex vivo cultured scales, LPS led to an increase in the number of osteoclast areas, while reducing the number of macrophages. An overlap between cell types and TRAP+ signals indicates the possible differentiation of macrophages into osteoclasts. T. lutea extract and two isolated glycolipid fractions (Tl-glF1 and Tl-glF2) evidenced an anti-osteoclastic potential against the differentiation of RAW 264.7-derived osteoclasts (RAW-Ocs), with a reduced number of mono- and multinucleated osteoclasts. The data collected in this thesis supports the use of zebrafish scales exposed to LPS at 10 μg mL-1 as an in vivo and ex vivo screening method for searching novel anti-resorptive compounds for inflammatory diseases, to study the mechanisms involved in increased bone resorption, and the role of LPS in the differentiation of macrophages into osteoclasts. T. lutea GLs contain anti-resorptive properties and should be further investigated for their application in osteoimmune diseases.
- O evento enquanto ferramenta de comunicação para a dinamização da cultura - Proposta de evento no Castelo de SilvesPublication . Sousa, Márcia Reis de; Santos, Maria Margarida Teixeira Custódio dosEsta trabalho aborda uma matéria que envolve a relação entre os setores da cultura, dos eventos, e da tecnologia. Neste documento é possível encontrar o planeamento de um evento com especial foco na sua comunicação, a realizar no Castelo de Silves, onde este interliga a vertente histórica com a vertente artística e tecnológica. O principal objetivo do projeto assenta na criação de um evento de caráter artístico-cultural com instrumentos ligados à tecnologia, enquanto uma ferramenta dinamizadora do setor cultural, neste caso, realizado no Castelo de Silves e intitulado como “A Defesa Árabe”. Para isso foi necessário compreender o impacto da criação de eventos e da comunicação nos espaços culturais e analisar e desenvolver um plano de evento, aliado a um plano de comunicação que vá de encontro às necessidades e características do monumento Este documento engloba uma componente de revisão de literatura, onde foram analisadas temáticas como a comunicação, os eventos, a relação entre estes e respetivos planos, a tecnologia no setor artístico-cultural, e a componente da criação do projeto que trata o planeamento do evento. A realização deste projeto deu-se através da CAPtion, empresa que atua no setor cultural, na qual se tornou possível, através deste projeto académico, criar a estratégia e planeamento de um evento a realizar no Castelo de Silves. Acredita-se que esta se trata de uma proposta viável, benéfica e impactante e que a elaboração deste tipo de eventos e experiências culturais pode tornar-se bastante positiva para todos os envolvidos, proporcionado uma atividade única à comunidade e contribuindo consequentemente para a atividade do setor cultural.
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