CIM2-Artigos (em revistas ou actas indexadas)
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- New insights on the ecology and biology of the rare shark species Oxynotus paradoxus from recent recordsPublication . Graça Aranha Carvalho Ramos, Sofia; Dias, Ester; Marsili, Tiago; Pires da Rocha, Pedro; Teodosio, Maria; Figueiredo, IvoneOxynotus paradoxus, documented in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean from Senegal to Scotland at depths ranging between 92 and 1044 m, has been a subject of limited scientific attention in Portugal. Despite its presence in various Portuguese occurrence checklists, only two scientific studies have reported O. paradoxus, one off the mainland and the other off the Azores islands. In this study, conducted during fishing campaigns, four O. paradoxus specimens were caught off the southwest coast of Portugal (SW Iberian Peninsula) at depths ranging between 742 and 1238 m. Notably, an adult female achieved a new maximum depth record for this species, measuring 650 mm in total length. By examining this adult female, we provide novel insights into the ecology and biology of O. paradoxus. Morphometric measurements are compared with previous studies, revealing some intra-specific variability. The observed low hepato-, gonadosomatic, and ecophysiological indices suggest that the adult female had refrained from feeding for some time before collection. This individual-focused approach contributes significantly to the understanding of this poorly known species, especially considering its rarity. This study marks a noteworthy effort to enhance knowledge and emphasizes the importance of individual-based investigations when targeting rare species.
- A critical analysis of the marina environmental risk assessment method applied to PortugalPublication . Neves, Maria C.; Cravo, Alexandra; Jacob, José; Correia, CátiaThe MERA (Marina Environmental Risk Assessment) procedure was applied for the first time along the coast of Portugal to classify the risk of 26 marinas on water quality. A risk ranking Atlas was produced to provide managers or decision-makers with spatial information that can help achieve sustainable development goals. The results indicate that the eight marinas in the south coast of the country (Algarve) face the highest risk, primarily due to pressures from navigation activities. However, the ranking generated along the Algarve using indicators of trophic status (TRIX and Eff. Coeff.) based on chemical analysis of in-situ water samples do not align with MERA. The MERA methodology, as it stands, presents significant limitations. Specifically, it does not account for water chemical parameters, sediment contamination, or temporal variability, all of which are crucial for accurate assessments. To enhance the robustness of MERA, this study suggests incorporating additional parameters and metrics that encompass broader environmental indicators.
- Factors influencing access to advanced sanitation service level and drinking-water quality in healthcare facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a convergent sequential studyPublication . Retta, Mulumebet Tadesse; Gari, Sirak Robele; Alemu, Bezatu Mengistie; Ambelu, ArgawThis study investigates factors influencing access to advanced sanitation services and drinking water quality in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Despite the critical role of sanitation and safe water in preventing healthcareassociated infections, many facilities face significant challenges. A convergent sequential study was conducted in 382 healthcare facilities, which involved observations of sanitation facilities, interviews with facility managers, and water quality tests of 382 samples. Additionally, five water samples from reservoirs and distributors were collected, and eight key informant interviews were conducted purposively. In this investigation, only 14.5% of healthcare facilities had advanced sanitation service, while 23.2% had basic sanitation services. Over half (62.3%) of the facilities provided limited sanitation services. Additionally, 22.7% of water samples tested positive for enterococci, 26% for Escherichia coli, 35% for fecal coliforms, and 38.8% for total coliforms. All samples analyzed for fluoride, conductivity, and total dissolved solids (TDS) were below permissible limits, except for 6.6% of the samples that exceeded the pH level of 8.5. In contrast, all water samples from reservoirs and distributors were free from bacterial contaminations, and their fluoride, conductivity, and TDS levels were within the standard. Factors such as having infection prevention committee (IPC)(AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.07-7.52), trained managers on sanitation safety plan (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.10-7.94), managers trained in infection prevention (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.25-10.48), having sanitation standards (AOR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.06-11.64), availability of sufficient budget for sanitation services (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.14-9.15), having specific annual sanitation plan (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.52-8.58), using updated WASH guidelines (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.05-11.20), absence of a sanitation safety plan (AOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.05-0.91), lack of regular monitoring and evaluation (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.07- 0.83), and managers who did not involve in leading renovation of WASH infrastructure (AOR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.35-0.70) were significantly associated with access to advanced sanitation service level. Access to advanced and basic sanitation services is low in HCFs of Addis Ababa. Several core factors affecting access to advanced sanitation service level has been identified. Many water samples from healthcare facilities were contaminated by bacteria. Enhancing training programs for healthcare managers and securing adequate funding are critical steps toward improving sanitation and water quality.
- Just and inclusive enough? designing inclusive NBS to support communities in their just transition towards sustainability and resiliencePublication . Dushkova, Diana; Ivlieva, Olga; Vandewalle, Marie; Carrasco, Rita; Pontón-Cevallos, José; Sieber, Ina M.Nature-based Solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted as a strategic concept and practical approach to tackle current societal challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and issues related to human health and well-being. Yet, ensuring that NBS are inclusive, just, and empower communities for decision-making remains insufficiently addressed in practice. This study, therefore, aims to a) critically review existing frameworks and approaches to NBS, with a focus on inclusivity, justice, equity, and empowerment; b) conceptualize their interlinkages and highlight their contribution to sustainability transition, and c) propose a comprehensive practitioner-oriented framework with recommended actions, measurable outcomes, and adaptive steps. A targeted semi-systematic literature review has been conducted to identify existing approaches and map knowledge gaps (e.g., current frameworks are often fragmented, lack practical applicability, and are not structured in a practitioner-friendly way). To address these gaps, the study introduces a comprehensive framework and operational guidelines for NBS researchers and practitioners, ensuring meaningful integration of inclusivity, equity, and justice throughout NBS processes. The study links inclusive NBS with just sustainability transitions defined as long-term, structural shifts that restore ecosystems while promoting social equity. It identifies three core principles: leaving no one behind, ensuring equitable distribution of NBS benefits and reduction of burdens, and fostering community empowerment through inclusive, multi-level governance. The resulting framework is structured around four thematic areas: capacity building, stakeholder involvement, inclusive NBS design, and fair benefit distribution and burden reduction. While acknowledging limitations (e.g., data scarcity and contextspecific variability), the study offers actionable guidelines and reflective considerations to support researchers and practitioners in implementing inclusive NBS as drivers of more equitable transition towards sustainability and resilience.
- Gender differences in protein expression after polystyrene nanoplastics exposure in mussels mytilus galloprovincialisPublication . Ribeiro Gonçalves, Joanna Melissa; Mendes, Vera M.; Manadas, Bruno; Bebianno, MariaPlastic pollution is a significant issue that the scientific community has been actively studying due to its harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems. Nanoplastics can pass through cellular barriers and enter the mussel’s bloodstream. More worryingly, they can also penetrate sperm cells and oocytes, potentially impacting their motility and resilience. Reproductive success drives a shift in population dynamics and plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Proteomics helps detect protein changes caused by exposure to contaminants, such as nanoplastics, in marine organisms, providing deeper molecular-level insights into contamination-induced cellular pathways. Therefore, this study aimed to utilise a high-throughput proteomic approach to evaluate the impact of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) on the gonads of male and female M. galloprovincialis, using a SWATH-MS analysis after 21 days of exposure to 10 μg/L of PS-NPs (50 nm). The accumulation of PS-NPs was also evaluated in male and female mussels. A comparison in protein expression of controls vs. those exposed in male and female mussel gonads and between males and females was evaluated. The findings indicate that PS-NP accumulation in male gonads alters protein expression more significantly than in females, interfering with protein synthesis, energy production, intracellular transport, and cellular homeostasis, and possibly impaired reproductive function. Female gonads exposed to PS-NPs revealed disruption in proteins associated with translation, RNA processing and signaling, ribosome biogenesis, cell cycle regulation, and stress response. Protein folding, lipid metabolism, and calcium signaling pathways were also affected, leading to oogenesis, meiotic progression, intracellular transport, and energy metabolism impairments. These disruptions ultimately impact reproductive success and cellular homeostasis, leading to a decline in biodiversity.
- Stratigraphy, evolution and morphology of a sand-rich shorefacePublication . Green, A. N.; Cooper, J. A. G.; Draycott, H. L.; Loureiro, CarlosShoreface morphology and stratigraphic evolution are poorly documented along most of the world’s coasts yet are acknowledged to be important influences on shoreline behaviour during changing sea levels. A wide, low gradient, wave-dominated shoreface characterises the area off Xai-Xai in southern Mozambique. It is developed on a Holocene wave ravinement surface cut into deltaic sands punctuated by lithified aeolianite ridges. The 2 kmwide mobile shoreface sand body extends to − 23 m depth and averages 10 m in thickness. The modern shoreface bathymetry mimics the underlying wave ravinement surface and this, in turn, is influenced by the presence of aeolianite ridges that create a pronounced break in slope that defines the base of the modern shoreface. The aeolianite influences the wave ravinement profile from which the modern bathymetry is inherited. Comparison with theoretical equilibrium shoreface profile models reveals contrasting shoreface morphodynamic state conditions, dependent upon the model chosen. Based on the model better suited for the lower shoreface. These results emphasize the widely acknowledged but still poorly understood role of geologic inheritance on shoreface morphodynamics and geomorphological evolution, even in sand-rich environments.
- Metal ecotoxicity in sea anemones: accumulation, effects, and knowledge gapsPublication . Vilke, Juliano Marcelo; Power, Deborah Mary; Vieira de Sousa, Cármen Sofia; Mestre, NéliaMetals are a major class of legacy pollutants that end up in marine ecosystems, posing a significant threat to marine biota, including sea anemones. The current review critically synthesises studies published over the last 50 years on the uptake, tissue distribution, and biological effects of 20 metals across 18 sea anemone species in both field and laboratory settings, including interactions with climate change stressors (salinity and pH). Field studies have focused on bioaccumulation and report the high capacity of sea anemones to accumulate metals, mainly iron and barium, primarily in the pedal disk. Laboratory exposure studies reveal a dose- and timedependent accumulation and highlight that symbionts take up and store essential metals (Cu, Fe, and Mn) due to their key biological roles. Available data point to Exaiptasia pallida as a promising model for metal ecotoxicology. Across studies, metals elicit alterations at molecular to behavioural/morphological levels, including transcriptome reprogramming, oxidative stress, and detoxification failures, as well as genotoxicity, cellular injury, immune dysfunction, metabolic and morphological disruption, reproductive impairment, and bleaching, which are generally amplified by climate change stressors. Ultimately, this review identifies key knowledge gaps and outlines future research directions on metal ecotoxicity in sea anemones. Collectively, these insights position sea anemones as informative sentinels of metal contamination in marine ecosystems.
- Impact of trace elements of wastewater from steel and iron industry on benthic communities of Bizerte lagoon (Tunisia)Publication . Jaziri, Sayda; Said, Olfa Ben; Mahmoudi, Ezzeddine; Duran, Robert; Strungaru, Stefan-Adrian; Plavan, Oana; Nicoara, Mircea; Plavan, Gabriel; Chicharo, LuisThe metallurgical industry is amongst the most water-intensive industrial sectors. It generates significant quantities of trace elements (TEs) in wastewater, which are largely discharged into the aquatic ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of TEs in wastewater effluent (WWF) from the Tunisian Iron and Steel Company "EL FOULADH" on the Bizerte Lagoon ecosystem. To this end, it entailed collecting samples of EL FOULADH WWF, Bizerte Lagoon water, and sediments from seven stations located both adjacent and far (-0.12, 0.34, 5.37, 7.58, 8.26, 8.65, 11.96 m) from WWF discharge points and measuring their TEs contents. Additionally, sediment contamination indices were estimated and bacterial and meiofaunal community assemblages were analyzed. Both univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (PCA/CCA/Cluster) analysis revealed significant dissimilarities in the distribution of TEs, meiofaunal, and bacterial communities between downstream and upstream WWF discharge points. The comparison of abiotic and biotic variables revealed specific benthic assemblages for the station closest to the WWF discharge points. Interestingly, these sediments are distinctively characterized by the total disappearance of copepods. These findings offer us valuable information, pointing out to specific meiofauna and bacterial taxa, TEs sediment content affects the benthic assemblage of Bizerte lagoon via modeling trophic relationships.
- Impacts of El Niño on the sediment balance of a transgressive dune-beach systemPublication . Alegría-Arzaburu, Amaia Ruiz de; Costas, Susana; Delgado-Fernández, IreneUnderstanding long-term evolution of sandy coasts requires in-depth analysis of the sediment balance from the shoreface to the beach and dune. While storms typically erode the subaerial beach, they can also contribute sediment from deeper waters to the coastal budget. Here, we explore the impacts of El Nino-driven ˜ storms on the sediment balance across the entire shore-beach-dune profile. Satellite-derived shorelines (1984–2020) were combined with sixty-six topo-bathymetric surveys (2014–2020), along a 1 km stretch of southern Ensenada beach (Baja California). Forcing conditions were characterized using hourly wave and wind data. Multi-decadal shoreline data reveal that high-energy El Nino ˜ events have led to punctuated landward coastline translation. Interannual topo-bathymetric surveys show an active 8 to 9.5 m-high dune ridge along the upper part of the profile, migrating landward at a rate of 5 m/yr. This migration gradually decoupled the dune from the beach, occasionally creating space across the dune toe area for the formation of incipient dunes that eventually merged with the main ridge. The sediment budget analysis indicates a one-way landward transfer of sediment from the winter-berm to the dune. Interestingly, the overall shore-beach-dune sand budget remained positively balanced, with an increase of ≈40 m3 /m related to sediment availability from deeper waters and onshore transport from the lower shoreface. Shoreline trends and sediment budgets illustrate a long-term transgressive system capable of maintaining sedimentary balance in the mid-term. Increased storm activity and sea-level rise are expected to accelerate beach-dune transgression, which could retain sediment balance if offshore inputs persist.
- Controls on blowout evolution in southern Portugal: A 49-year analysisPublication . Talavera, Lara; Costas, Susana; Ferreira, ÓscarBlowouts are wind-formed depressions that help maintain the sediment budget and enhance biodiversity in coastal dunes. However, the drivers controlling their evolution and the temporal scales associated to their genesis, development and decay phases remain unclear. To address this, the morphometric characteristics of a series of blowouts on the Ancao ˜ Peninsula (South Portugal) were digitized using imagery from 1972 to 2021, and used to analyse changes in the number of blowouts, total area, morphometric characteristics (width, length, orientation), and elongation rate over time. These data were compared with metocean time series and human activities, allowing the identification of blowout phases, drivers, and associated temporal scales. This work revealed that the blowout genesis phase primarily arised from the impact of physical external factors (e.g., nonstorm low-to-moderate winds blowing out sand from dune scarp irregularities formerly created by extreme wave events), creating incisions across the foredune crest, and lasted 1 or 2 years. The blowout development phase, still ongoing, was characterized mainly by blowout expansion and rotation of large blowouts from North northeast (NNE) to the East-northeast (ENE) controlled by external physical forces at specific times (e.g., low to-moderate winds) and blowout internal factors (e.g., size and orientation). Complete blowout decay phases were not observed, except the complete artificial sealing of some blowouts due to fencing, which lasted 4 years. These findings suggest that a complete and natural blowout genesis-development-decay cycle could likely take more than five decades, with complex and spatiotemporally variable ecogeomorphic feedbacks driving their evolution. The only phase reversal documented was the reactivation of the artificially sealed blowouts, due to storm impacts. Allowing the dune and blowouts to evolve naturally appears to be the current best approach for the dune management at the studied area.