Sapientia
UAlg Scientific Repository
About Sapientia
The SAPIENTIA repository gathers an exhaustive set of Algarve University's (UAlg) teachers and researchers scientific publications with an express goal of maximising its visibility, ensure easy and universal access and amelliorate the overall public impact of the university scientific endeavors, as well as the ongoing preservation of its memory.
Recent Submissions
Staying hooked: effective science engagement and communication in recreational fisheries
Publication . Pita, Pablo; Tracey, Sean; Arlinghaus, Robert; Bachiller, Eneko; Pinho-Duarte, Filipa; Ferter, Keno; Henriques, Filipe; Hook, Samantha; Hyder, Kieran; Irigoyen, Alejo; Jiménez, María P.; Laporta, Martín; Lejk, Adam M.; Leonard, Eoin; Olesen, Hans Jakob; Palmer, Freya; Pavičić, Mišo; Pontes, João; Pujol-Baucells, Marta; Radford, Zachary; Rangel, Mafalda; Roche, William; Rudd, Hannah; Ryan, Diarmuid; Sbragaglia, Valerio; Selles, Jules; Silva, Catarina N. S.; Skov, Christian; Strehlow, Harry V.; Taylor, Stephen; Veiga, Pedro; Venerus, Leonardo A.; Venturelli, Paul; Vertegaal, David; Weltersbach, Marc Simon; Wiech, Martin; Winkler, Alexander
This abstract summarizes the results of two expert consultations conducted to gather insights into effective communication and engagement strategies in recreational fisheries. Effective science communication fosters knowledge, understanding, and trust in both science and management decisions. Public involvement and stakeholder engagement are essential for effective management. Simplifying complex research findings and using diverse communication tools enhance awareness and understanding. Strong communication strategies are necessary to implement sustainable recreational fisheries management frameworks. Funding for communication efforts is often insufficient but remains crucial for success. Participatory workshops and data-sharing arrangements enhance collaboration and involvement. Multi-stakeholder consortiums and tailored communication strategies strengthen stakeholder engagement and promote adaptive governance. Interdisciplinary outreach and strategic social media use play vital roles in raising environmental awareness.
A paradise for Maldane sarsi antarctica: preliminary characterization of the marine soft-bottom fauna of false bay (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica)
Publication . Bascur, Miguel; Prófumo, Andrea; Gonzalez-Pineda, Mariona; Monràs-Riera, Pere; Azcárate-García, Tomás; Aubach-Masip, Àlex; Llobet, Marina De; Molina-Vacas, Guillem; Tibiriçá, Yara; Ballesté, Elisenda; Gil, João; Avila, Conxita
Soft-bottom areas are among the least explored ecosystems in Antarctica. To improve our understanding of these environments, we performed a preliminary assessment of the marine macrobenthic fauna in False Bay, Livingston Island, near Huntress Glacier (South Shetland Islands, Antarctica). Fourteen Van Veen grabs (0.018 m(2) area) were deployed at two stations within the bay at depths of 174-210 m. The samples provided values up to 159 556 individuals m(-2) within 15 major taxonomic groups. Annelida Polychaeta was predominant (similar to 93%), followed by Ophiuroidea and Bivalvia at the external station and Bivalvia and Amphipoda at the internal site. Maldanid polychaetes, particularly Maldane sarsi antarctica, constituted 84.62-90.74% of the samples. Total biomass was 6673.25 grams of wet weight per square metre, mainly from Ascidiacea, Polychaeta, Holothuroidea and Ophiuroidea. Approximately 12% of the macrofauna inhabited the sediment (epifauna), while 88% lived into the sediments (infauna). Regarding feeding modes, specimens were detritivores (77.91-82.71%), suspension-feeders (7.59-13.37%) and, infrequently, predators (4.07-5.07%) and grazers (4.63-4.65%). According to the compilation of occurrence records in the Southern Ocean, M. sarsi antarctica has a circum-Antarctic distribution. Furthermore, the population of this species in False Bay appears to be stable and undisturbed with a normal distribution in size structure, with a higher proportion of individuals at intermediate sizes (2.85-4.26 cm). This study provides for the first time detailed descriptions of the macrofauna from the soft bottoms of False Bay, representing a preliminary effort to monitor ecological shifts in this critically important and understudied region, which is experiencing rapid environmental changes within Antarctic marine ecosystems.
Rhodolith beds in the eastern tropical pacific: habitat structure and associated biodiversity
Publication . Diaz-Licona, Celeste A.; Schubert, Nadine; González-Gamboa, Vladimir; Tuya, Fernando; Azofeifa-Solano, Juan Carlos; Fernández-García, Cindy
Rhodolith beds (RBs) are globally distributed marine benthic habitats and recognized biodiversity hotspots of conservation interest. However, considerable regions of the world's oceans remain unknown in terms of the presence, distribution, structure, and associated biodiversity of such habitats. In the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), even basic information about these habitats is still extremely scarce. To fill this gap, we characterized the habitat structure and associated biodiversity of four shallow-water RBs at Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Specifically, information regarding rhodolith structural attributes (size, morphology, and CaCO3 content), as well as habitat characteristics (rhodolith nodule density, biomass and CaCO3 standing stocks) were collected. Moreover, the diversity and abundance of associated organisms, including macroalgae, invertebrates and fishes, were determined. Our study shows that Cocos Island harbors dense RBs (1100 to >4500 nodules m(-2)) with substantial carbonate stocks (14-22 kg m(-2)), which provide habitats for a wide array of species (158 recorded species). This study adds 58 new records of RB-associated species to previously published records for the island, which increases the total number of species to 316, including 51 species endemic to the ETP and four species categorized as vulnerable by the IUCN. Our results also indicate that community composition and abundance of organisms vary among RBs, likely due to differences in rhodolith morphologies and sizes and/or local environmental conditions. Further research efforts are warranted to identify the drivers for these differences, as well as expanding studies towards other RBs at Cocos Island and in the ETP in general.
Resolving the population structure and demographic history of the European anchovy in the northeast atlantic: tracking historical and contemporary environmental changes
Publication . Martin Pujolar, José; Gardiner, Courtney E. C.; Heyden, Sophie von der; Robalo, Joana I.; Castilho, Rita; Lopes da Cunha, Regina; Henriques, Romina; Nielsen, Einar E.
The spatial distribution of the European anchovy has expanded in the northern part of its range in the Northeast Atlantic in recent decades. However, whether this results from a northward range shift of southern conspecifics or the expansion of a local northern population is unknown. Using for the first time whole-genome sequencing, we explore current patterns of genetic diversity and population sub-structuring of European anchovy in the Northeast Atlantic, with special focus on recently expanded North Sea areas. Genomic data suggested three distinct groups: Northern (North Sea and Kattegat), Southern (Ireland and Central Portugal) and Cadis (South Portugal). Despite most of the genome being homogenised by high levels of gene flow characteristic of small pelagic fish, several large regions of high genetic differentiation were observed. This suggests that genomic population boundaries might be maintained by local adaptation within chromosome structural variants (inversions). Admixture analysis indicates that the ongoing northern range shift involves both migrants of southern origin and expansion of the local North Sea population. Historical demographic inference suggests that anchovies survived the last glacial period with small population sizes, followed by a split into the current Northern and Southern groups at the end of the last glacial maximum. The Southern group then expanded into the North Sea as the ice sheets retreated, in an expansion involving a large number of individuals, which is consistent with the retention of most of the genetic diversity. In comparison with other small pelagic fish, the genetic patterns found in anchovies (deeply divergent groups, no loss of genetic diversity during expansion, mixing between groups) align well with those found in European sprat, while sardines fit the pattern of expansion of a leading-edge population, with reduced genetic diversity and much shallower divergence between populations. This study contributes to a better understanding of population structure, range shifts and local adaptation in small pelagic fish under climate change, informing conservation and management efforts.
Plant-based potential in diabetes management: in vitro antioxidant, wound-healing, and enzyme inhibitory activities of southern algarve species
Publication . Saraiva de Carvalho, Isabel Maria Marques; Mestre Viegas, Cláudia Sofia; Markiewicz, Marta; Galanty, Agnieszka; Paśko, Paweł; Jakupović, Lejsa; Končić, Marijana Zovko
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by impaired glucose regulation. This study evaluated the antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of aqueous extracts from four plant species from the southern Algarve: Aristolochia baetica, Chelidonium majus, Dittrichia viscosa, and Lavandula viridis, using non-cellular in vitro assays. HPLC/PDA was used to identify active compounds. Antioxidant activity was assessed by using TAA, FRAP, RP, and DPPH assays; antidiabetic potential through alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase inhibition; and wound healing relevance through elastase, collagenase, and lipoxygenase inhibition. D. viscosa showed the highest antioxidant activity (FRAP: 1132.99 +/- 19.54 mg TE/g dw; DPPH IC50 = 25.85 +/- 0.75 mu g/mL) and total phenolic/flavonoid content, with a diverse profile including caffeic and chlorogenic acids, isoquercetin, and quercetin. It also exhibited potent alpha-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 = 0.61 +/- 0.06 mg/mL), outperforming acarbose. L. viridis had the highest total phenolic content (39.04 mg/g), while A. baetica demonstrated the strongest anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, and lipoxygenase activity, suggesting wound-healing potential. C. majus showed the weakest effects. A strong correlation was observed between phenolic content and antioxidant/antidiabetic activity. These findings support further in vivo studies on D. viscosa and A. baetica for potential use in T2DM management and diabetic wound healing.