CCM2-Artigos (em revistas ou actas indexadas)
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- The copepod/artemia trade-off in the culture of long snouted seahorse hippocampus guttulatusPublication . Palma, Jorge; Hachero-Cruzado, Ismael; Correia, Miguel J.; Andrade, José Pedro AndradeThis study evaluated the effects of copepod use and copepod conditioning strategies on the growth and survival of long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) juveniles from 1 to 60 days post-parturition (DPP). Four dietary treatments were tested: Artemia enriched for 24 h with Isochrysis galbana (control), daily collected copepods, copepods unfed for 48 h, and copepods enriched for 24 h with I. galbana. Juveniles fed copepod-based diets exhibited significantly higher growth and survival (p < 0.05) than those fed enriched Artemia. Mean standard length increased from 1.3 ± 0.1 cm at release to 5.9 ± 0.2, 7.5 ± 1.4, 7.1 ± 1.2, and 7.3 ± 1.1 cm at 60 DPP for the enriched Artemia, daily collected copepods, unfed copepods, and enriched copepods treatments, respectively. Wet weight increased from 0.002 ± 0.001 g to 0.44 ± 0.07, 0.81 ± 0.40, 0.68 ± 0.30, and 0.76 ± 0.40 g, while final survival reached 20%, 60%, 33.3%, and 56%, respectively. Compared with enriched Artemia, copepod-based diets markedly enhanced juvenile performance, supporting faster growth and promoting favorable behavioral traits that contributed to improved survival. These results demonstrate that copepods constitute a superior live feed for early juvenile H. guttulatus; however, copepod conditioning strategies directly influence their nutritional quality and, consequently, seahorse growth and survival. The use of copepods throughout the first 60 DPP is therefore not only feasible but strongly recommended for optimizing juvenile H. guttulatus rearing performance.
- Influence of shy and bold zebrafish personalities on colonization and olfactory responses in sertraline-contaminated environmentsPublication . González, María Pilar; Salvatierra, David; Fatsini Fernández, Elvira; Hubbard, Peter; Araújo, Cristiano V. M.Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline are used as antidepressants to treat mental disorders such as depression by blocking serotonin reuptake and thus maintaining high serotonin levels. Currently, increased consumption has led to detection of SSRIs in aquatic systems; however, information about their effects on exposed organisms is limited. This study investigated differences in the colonization response by zebrafish (Danio rerio) to sertralinecontaminated environments considering personality traits (shy and bold). Colonization was assessed in terms of success, efficiency, and inhabited time for each sertraline concentration. Fish were tested individually and in groups. In addition, whether these personality traits differed from each other in their olfactory sensitivity to different olfactory stimuli was studied, including sertraline, using the electro-olfactogram (EOG). Bold fish exposed in groups tended to colonize higher concentrations of sertraline than shy fish. These differences were not as significant when fish were exposed individually. Furthermore, analyses in the EOG detected that bold fish reacted between 1.3 and 2.8 times more to all stimuli studied. In contrast, sertraline was not detected by the olfactory system. Varied D. rerio colonization responses to sertralinecontaminated environments reveal specific personality-based vulnerabilities. These findings underscore the importance of integrating behavioral phenotypes into environmental risk assessments for pharmaceuticals.
- Reproductive dynamics of the razor clam solen marginatus pulteney, 1799 (Bivalvia: Solenidae) in Ria Formosa LagoonPublication . Moura, Paula; Carvalho, André N.; Pereira, Fábio; Gaspar, MiguelThe present study describes the reproductive cycle of the razor clam (Solen marginatus) from the Ria Formosa lagoon in the Algarve region (southern Portugal), using histological preparations of gonads from samples collected monthly over an 18-month period, from January 2023 to June 2024. Simultaneously, the mean gonadal index (GI) was estimated and its relationship with fluctuations in seawater temperature and chlorophyll a concentration was examined. The reproductive cycle of S. marginatus showed a seasonal pattern, with a resting period between August and October, followed by the onset of gametogenesis in November, which lasted until March. Ripe individuals were observed between February–March and May, with the spawning period occurring primarily between May and July. The mean GI reflected the temporal variation in the gonadal cycle. Reproduction in this species was strongly influenced by fluctuations in seawater temperature, but was not significantly correlated with chlorophyll a concentration. The information gathered in this study is of utmost importance, as it enables the proposal of evidence-based management measures aimed at promoting the sustainable exploitation of this resource. According to these new findings, a closed season (June or July) prohibiting razor clam harvesting in the Ria Formosa lagoon between May and July is proposed.
- Acute resilience, chronic costs: metabolic responses to warming and hypoxia in the sedentary lusitanian toadfish, halobatrachus didactylusPublication . Molina, Juan M.; Kunzmann, Andreas; Costa, Rita; Modesto, Teresa; Carvalho Alves, Alexandra; Guerreiro, Pedro MiguelCoastal fishes can adapt to water warming and hypoxia; however, acute tolerance does not necessarily predict longer-term performance and survival. This may be especially important in sedentary, site-faithful species with limited escape to escape increasingly unfavorable habitats. We assessed the climate-related stress responses of the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, a benthic estuarine fish from the Northeast Atlantic, to water warming and hypoxia. Objectives: We aimed to determine the aerobic energy budget, thermal limits (CTmax), and critical oxygen tension (Pcrit), as well as blood indicators of metabolism, altered physiology and systemic stress, as proxies for whole-organism homeostatic state, thereby informing future ecophysiological assessments and bioindicator development in a context of environmental change. Methodology: We determined standard, routine, and maximum metabolic rates; aerobic scope; and critical thermal maximum (CTmax) and critical oxygen (Pcrit) thresholds on a set of 134 individuals ranging from 12 to 160 g in weight. On a different set of individuals (n = 48; 76.3 ± 2.6 g; 16.1 ± 0.18 cm), we simulated 30 days of seasonal scenarios combining low and high temperature with normoxia or hypoxia, followed by integrated metabolic, hematological, biochemical, and multivariate analyses. Results: Acute trials showed high short-term resilience: H. didactylus had an exceptionally low standard metabolic rate and routine metabolic rate, high CTmax (34.82 ± 0.66 °C), and strong hypoxia tolerance (Pcrit 0.59–1.97 mg O2 L−1), although smaller individuals were more sensitive. After 30 days, however, warming more than doubled standard and routine metabolic rates, while warm hypoxia reduced metabolic output relative to warm normoxia, consistent with metabolic depression under compounded stressors. This treatment also showed shifts in glucose, liver mass, red blood cell count, and hematocrit, identifying warm, oxygen-poor water as the most physiologically costly scenario for this species. Conclusions: Together, these results show that high acute tolerance does not guarantee resilience to climate change. In sedentary fishes, survival may depend less on surviving extremes than on maintaining energetic balance, oxygen transport capacity, and physiological homeostasis in increasingly warm, oxygen-poor coastal habitats.
- The ecosystem services of irrigated orchards: a reviewPublication . Matias, Pedro; Trindade, Ana Rita; Magalhães, Tomás Thormann Abranches de; Lisboa de Souza Junior, Silvio; Zarcos Duarte, Beatriz; Guerreiro David Coelho, Luísa Isabel; Freitas, Miguel João Pisoeiro de; Barrote, Isabel; Duarte, AmilcarIn the context of global population growth and intensifying climate change, ensuring food security remains a critical challenge. Orchards are more productive than arable crops, contributing significantly to the nutrition of a growing population. Ecologically, due to the absence of frequent soil tillage, orchards resemble natural forest ecosystems more closely than other agricultural systems. Irrigated orchards are particularly productive and enhance biodiversity in territories where water scarcity is the limiting factor for ecosystems. This review, the result of extensive reflection and a comprehensive analysis of the literature on orchard sustainability, synthesizes evidence on the diverse ecosystem services provided by these perennial systems. Due to their structural complexity, well-managed orchards contribute significantly to climate regulation through carbon sequestration, microclimate cooling, and soil erosion prevention. Furthermore, they support nutrient cycling and provide cultural value. This paper establishes an integrated scientific framework to inform evidence-based policies and reshape societal perceptions. It argues that recognizing orchards as multifunctional landscapes, rather than mere resource consumers, is critical for environmental resilience, supporting their fair valuation as essential components of a sustainable bioeconomy.
- Heat hardening in grey mullets: physiological responses of juvenile chelon labrosus and chelon aurata under simulated short-term marine heatwavesPublication . Amaral, Inês; Costa, Rita; Zamora-López, Antonio; Zimmermann, Wim; Guerrero-Gómez, Adrián; Gregorio, Silvia; Guerreiro, Pedro MiguelIntroduction: Marine heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, posing major challenges for fishes inhabiting shallow coastal ecosystems. Short-term exposure to extreme warming can alter metabolic performance and thermal tolerance, with potential consequences for species persistence and school composition in thermally variable habitats. Understanding the capacity of coastal fishes to withstand acute warming events is therefore essential for predicting ecological responses to climate change. Objective: We aimed to determine the effects of simulated marine heatwaves on thermal tolerance and metabolic performance in juvenile grey mullets, Chelon labrosus and Chelon aurata, two abundant sympatric species inhabiting the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal). Methodology: Juvenile mullets acclimated at 17 °C were exposed to simulated heatwave treatments of 23, 27, or 33 °C and sampled either at peak temperature or after 48 h and 1-week recovery at 17 °C. Critical thermal maximum (CTmax, using a 1 °C/min thermal ramp), static oxygen consumption (MO2), and intermittent respirometry parameters were measured. Standard metabolic rate (SMR), maximum metabolic rate (MMR), and aerobic scope (AS) were derived from intermittent respirometry. A complementary temperature-ramp (>3 h at each temperature step 17, 23, 27 and 33 °C) was performed to evaluate routine metabolic rate and estimate Q10 values across increasing temperatures. Additional plasma and tissue analyses are being conducted to assess energetic substrate mobilization and cellular responses to thermal and oxidative stress. Results: CTmax increased significantly with warming in both treatment modes, demonstrating rapid heat hardening in juvenile mullets. Fish exposed to 27 and 33 °C exhibited higher CTmax than control fish, and this elevated tolerance persisted after recovery. Chelon labrosus showed slightly higher CTmax values than C. aurata. Oxygen consumption increased with temperature, with the strongest responses occurring at 33 °C. SMR increased markedly with warming, particularly in heatwave-exposed fish, while MMR increased mainly at the highest temperature treatment. In contrast, AS showed no clear thermal optimum or decline across treatments. Routine metabolic rate increased non-linearly with temperature in the complementary ramp experiment, with a mean Q10 of 2.28, confirming strong thermal dependence of metabolism. Conclusions: Juvenile mullets possess substantial short-term thermal plasticity and can rapidly increase heat tolerance during marine heatwaves but this enhanced tolerance is accompanied by elevated metabolic costs under extreme warming, indicating potential energetic trade-offs near upper thermal limits. Differential physiological responses between species may influence school composition and ecological performance across thermal landscapes. Ongoing plasma and tissue analyses will further clarify the energetic and cellular mechanisms underlying thermal and oxidative stress resilience in coastal fishes.
- Marine recreational fishing in Portugal: Social and biological perspectives for improved managementPublication . Nuñez Velazquez, Samira; Guerreiro, Pedro Miguel; Gonçalo Jacinto; Veiga, Pedro; Rangel, MafaldaMarine recreational fishing (MRF) is a socially, economically, and ecologically important activity. However, the absence of systematic monitoring and research in Portugal has limited a comprehensive understanding of the sector and its broader implications. Addressing these gaps is essential to support evidence-based and adaptive recreational fisheries management.
- Transitional waters: Critical habitats for coastal fish species and fisheriesPublication . Erzini, KarimTransitional waters—such as estuaries, lagoons, deltas, and coastal wetlands—are dynamic environments where freshwater and seawater interact, forming highly productive and biologically diverse ecosystems. Shaped by temperature and salinity gradients, tidal influence, sediment transport, and nutrient-rich conditions, these habitats support diverse ecological functions. Their structural complexity—including seagrass beds, salt marshes, mudflats, and mangroves—provides essential habitats for many fish species. These areas are crucial for fish life cycles, serving as nurseries, spawning grounds, feeding zones, and refuges from predators. Many commercially important species depend on them during early life stages before moving offshore, making them vital for both commercial and recreational fisheries. Beyond food provision, they deliver key ecosystem services, including water purification, coastal protection, and carbon storage. Research on the fish community of the Ria Formosa lagoon in Portugal since the 1980s highlights long-term changes in the fish community and the dominant role of habitat structure and temporal dynamics. Subtidal seagrass beds support higher fish abundance and diversity than unvegetated areas, acting as key nursery habitats and provide important fish provisioning services. Seasonal variation is also central, driven by recruitment pulses of marine migrants in late winter–spring. Recent pressures on this system have been driven by human activity and environmental change. Seagrass loss reduces nursery and feeding areas, while pollution degrades water quality. Overfishing (including illegal fishing), recreational activities, and aquaculture expansion add stress. Climate warming and invasive species such as Caulerpa prolifera, further disrupt ecosystem balance and threaten biodiversity. Sustainable management—such as habitat restoration, protected areas, and integrated policies—is essential to preserve the ecological and economic value of this unique lagoon. Ongoing research, monitoring, habitat restoration, and stakeholder engagement remain critical for ensuring resilience.
- Aglomerular renal function in teleosts: A comparative molecular and physiological approachPublication . Pinto Teixeira, José Pedro; Pinto, Bernardo; Wilson, Jonathan M.; Guerreiro, Pedro Miguel; Castro, FilipeThe aglomerular kidney, characterised by the absence of functional glomeruli and reliance on tubular secretion alone, has evolved independently across multiple teleost lineages occupying diverse environments, including notothenioids of the Southern Ocean, gadids of cold North Atlantic and Arctic waters, and syngnathids distributed across temperate and tropical seas. Despite sharing this independently derived renal architecture, these groups face markedly distinct osmotic, thermal and chemical challenges in their natural habitats. How aglomerular kidneys cope with environmental stressors, including fluctuations in temperature and salinity, and how they handle the excretion of xenobiotics and other exogenous compounds through exclusively tubular mechanisms, remains poorly understood. The physiological and molecular responses underlying renal function in these lineages have received comparatively little attention relative to their glomerular counterparts. Objective: This study investigates how aglomerular kidneys across phylogenetically distinct teleost lineages respond, at molecular and physiological levels, to contrasting environmental conditions, namely temperature and salinity challenges predicted to alter the functional demands on renal osmoregulation. Methodology: Adult and juvenile specimens from target lineages were subjected to controlled exposure experiments combining different temperature and salinity regimes. Blood and urine samples were collected to assess osmolality and ionic composition. Renal tissues were processed for gene expression analysis of key transport and structural genes, histology, immunohistochemistry and enzymatic activity assays, providing an integrated picture of renal function under each condition. Results: Molecular analyses are currently underway. Preliminary work has established protocols for RNA extraction and quantitative PCR across target species, enabling comparative gene expression profiling to proceed across the full dataset. Conclusions: A comparative physiological and molecular approach across aglomerular teleost lineages will clarify whether shared renal architecture translates into shared functional responses to environmental challenge and identify lineage-specific mechanisms of renal adaptation, with broader relevance for predicting how these fishes may respond to ongoing environmental change.
- Quantifying small-molecule association with lipid membranes: Methods, models, and limitationsPublication . Moreno, Maria João; Cordeiro, Margarida M.; Filipe, Hugo A. L.; Oliveira, Alexandre C.; Pires, Cristiana L.; Ramos, Cristiana V.; Samelo, Jaime; Martins, Jorge; Loura, Luís M. S.The association of small molecules with lipid membranes plays a central role in drug delivery, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and membrane biophysics, also being of fundamental importance in drug pharmacodynamics given that most drug targets are membrane-associated proteins. Accurate determination of solute–membrane association affinities, however, remains challenging due to the diversity of experimental systems, the complexity of membrane environments, and the intrinsic limitations of individual methodologies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the experimental and computational approaches currently used to quantify small molecule association with lipid membranes. Standard experimental techniques, including spectroscopy-based methods, calorimetry, electrophoretic measurements, and surface-sensitive approaches, are discussed alongside established computational strategies ranging from continuum models to atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Particular emphasis is placed on the formalisms required for data analysis, including partitioning models and thermodynamic frameworks, as well as on the assumptions underlying each method. The validity limits, sources of uncertainty, and common experimental and interpretative pitfalls are critically examined. By providing a unified and comparative perspective, this work establishes a structured framework for the quantitative study of solute–membrane interactions, guiding new researchers in the selection of appropriate methodologies and in the rigorous analysis of experimental and computational results. Moreover, it enables the consistent and quantitative rationalization of affinity parameters reported across the literature, supporting the development of curated datasets and predictive relationships that can inform the design of new and more effective drugs.