Browsing by Author "Jacinto, David"
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- Herbivory drives kelp recruits into ‘hiding’ in a warm ocean climatePublication . Franco, João N.; Wernberg, Thomas; Bertocci, Iacopo; Duarte, Pedro; Jacinto, David; Tuya, Fernando; Vasco Rodrigues, NunoAssessing effects of herbivory across broad gradients of varying ocean climate conditions and over small spatial scales is crucial for understanding its influence on primary producers. Effects of herbivory on the distribution and abundance of kelp recruits were examined experimentally at two regions under contrasting ocean climate. Specifically, the abundance and survivorship of kelp recruits and the abundance of macro-herbivores were compared between a 'cool' and a 'warm' region in northern and central Portugal, respectively. In each region, the abundance of kelp recruits and the intensity of grazing were compared between habitats of different topography within reefs (open reef vs. crevices). Compared to the 'warm' region, the abundance of kelp recruits was 3.9 times greater in the 'cool' region, where 85% of recruits were found in open reef habitats. In contrast, 87% of recruits in the 'warm' region were restricted to crevices. The 'warm' region had 140 times greater abundances of sea urchins, 45 times more herbi vorous fish and 4.1 times more grazing marks on kelp recruits than the 'cool' region. Grazing assays showed ca. 50 times higher rates of kelp biomass consumption, mainly by fishes, and zero survivorship of kelp recruits in the 'warm' relative to the 'cool' region. This study suggests both temperature and herbivores affect abundances of kelp recruits across latitudes, and demonstrates how herbivores affect their distribution at local scales, driving kelp recruits into 'hiding' in crevices under intense herbivory. Consequently, where net recruitment success is compromised by herbivory, the persistence of kelps will be contingent on availability of topographical refuges.
- Modulation of different kelp life stages by herbivory: compensatory growth versus population decimationPublication . Franco, Joao N; Wernberg, Thomas; Bertocci, Iacopo; Jacinto, David; Maranhão, Paulo; Pereira, Tânia; Martinez, Brezo; Arenas; Francisco; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel; Tuya, FernandoPartitioning the efects of herbivory on diferent life stages of primary producers is key to understanding the population-wide consequences of herbivory. We assessed the performance of microscopic (MiS <1 mm) juveniles, macroscopic (MaS) juveniles and adult kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca) under contrasting herbivory regimes through a herbivore exclusion feld experiment. The abundance of MiS and the survival of MaS decreased by 67 and 63%, respec tively, when herbivorous fshes and sea urchins were present. Blade growth (linear and area) of adult kelp displayed con trasting patterns under herbivore pressure: a 60% increase and a 46% decrease, respectively. These results indicate that while herbivory severely reduces juvenile survival, it may also induce compensatory growth (measured as linear growth) in adult kelp. In summary, we here demonstrate how herbivory afects all sporophyte life stages of the kelp L. ochroleuca. This is likely to have important implications for situations where historical patterns of herbivore presence and herbivory are changing, such as is increasingly the case in many temperate regions due to warming around the world.
- Physical and chemical tagging methods for the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)Publication . Santos, Pedro M.; Quintella, Bernardo Ruivo; Jacinto, David; Gomes, Ana; Saldanha, Carolina; Lourenço, Sílvia; Lopes, Patrícia Mega; Correia, Maria João; Mateus, David; Cruz, Teresa; Pombo, Ana; Costa, José LinoThe sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) is an important economic resource in Europe, but intense harvesting has led to the collapse of several natural populations. Echinoculture, associated with restocking and stock enhancement practices, is an alternative to this problem. In these procedures, reliable individual identification through tagging is a valuable source of information. However, very few studies address the effect of tagging methods on P. lividus and the tagging of marine invertebrates still presents several challenges: decreased growth, high mortality rates and low tag retention rates. Under laboratory conditions, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of three tagging methods (passive integrated transponders [PIT-tags], coded wire tags [CWTs] and calcein) on wild P. lividus for 60 days in terms of total wet weight, total weight gain (mg ind.−1 day−1), survival and tag retention. The final total wet weight was significantly higher in the untagged (control) group than in the PIT-tagged group. Survival rate was 100% for the PIT-tag, calcein and control groups, and 97% for the CWT group. Tag retention differed significantly according to the tagging method: 100% in the calcein group, 76.7% in the PIT-tag group and 38.0% in the CWT group.
- Pilot studies for stock enhancement of purple sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus, Lamarck, 1816): usefulness of refuges and calcein marking for the monitoring of juveniles released into the natural environmentPublication . Correia, Maria João; Lopes, Patrícia Mega; Santos, Pedro M.; Jacinto, David; Mateus, David; Maresca, Francesco; Quintella, Bernardo Ruivo; Cruz, Teresa; Lourenço, Sílvia; Pombo, Ana; Costa, José LinoIn the framework of stock enhancement, field experiments were conducted between March and July 2021 in rocky shores of Central Portugal to test the usefulness of refuges and calcein marking for juvenile sea urchins releases. Individuals with 10–20mmin test diameter were captured in nature and tagged through immersion in a calcein bath with a concentration of 150 mg L 1, during 48 hr. Artificial shelters were used to provide refuge and an acclimatization structure for the released sea urchins, and in situ monitoring was carried out by counting the marked specimens over three months. Results point out to the importance of using shelters to provide protection to sea urchins, and validated the efficiency of the calcein tagging protocol for in situ monitoring. Sea urchins’ test diameter growth during the experiment was estimated to be 0.470mm month 1 (SD = 0.181).