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Spatial distribution and seasonal patterns of the siphonophores Muggiaea atlantica and Muggiaea kochii in a temperate estuarine ecosystem

Publication . D'Ambrosio, Mariaelena; Primo, Ana L.; Pardal, Miguel A.; Martinho, Filipe; Guerrero, Elena; Marques, Sónia C.

This study analysed the distribution and abundance of both polygastric (asexual) and gonophores of the calycophoran siphonophores Muggiaea atlantica and Muggiaea kochii in the Mondego estuary (Portugal), as well as the influence of local environment and prey availability on the observed patterns. Samples were collected in three different zones of the estuary, from December 2013 to November 2015. In general, both species nectophores and total gonophores followed a similar trend, with higher abundances during spring-summer periods and increased densities in the downstream areas of the estuary, where the marine influence is stronger. Inter-annual differences occurred mainly for M. atlantica nectophores, which showed higher abundances in 2015, particularly in the upstream areas. Both species displayed a shift in the annual peak abundance, from bimodal in 2014 to unimodal in 2015. Patterns observed were not only strongly related with an increase of the marine influence in the estuary, but also with the presence of zooplanktonic prey, such as cirripede cypris, calanoid nauplius, Poecilostomatoida, and copepodites of Cyclopoida. This study represents a step towards a better knowledge of the biology and ecology of siphonophores.

2019Journal article

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Trophic links and nutritional condition of fish early life stages in a temperate estuary

Publication . Primo, Ana Lígia; Correia, Catarina; Marques, Sónia Cotrim; Martinho, Filipe; Leandro, Sérgio; Pardal, Miguel

The physiological and nutritional condition of fish larvae affect their survival and thus, the success of estuaries as nursery areas. Fatty acid composition has been useful to determine fish nutritional condition, as well as trophic relationships in marine organisms. The present study analyses the fatty acid (FA) composition of fish larvae during spring and summer in the Mondego estuary, Portugal. FA composition, trophic markers (FATM) and fish nutritional condition was analysed for Gobiidae and Sardina pilchardus larvae and the relationships with the local environment evaluated. Results showed that both taxa differed mainly in the stearic acid (C18:0) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content, with important amounts in Gobiidae and S. pilchardus, respectively. Gobiidae larvae presenting high nutritional condition and omnivore FATM. Fatty acid composition seems to be related with their natural habitat selection and food availability, while fish larvae nutritional condition also showed a strong link with the water temperature and presence of potential predators. This study suggests that FA composition can be a useful tool in assessing planktonic trophic relationships and in identifying species natural habitat.

2018Journal article

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Evidence for changes in estuarine zooplankton fostered by increased climate variance

Publication . Marques, Sónia Cotrim; Pardal, Miguel Ângelo; Primo, Ana Lígia; Martinho, Filipe; Falcão, Joana; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Molinero, Juan Carlos

Estuaries are among the most valuable aquatic systems in terms of their services to human welfare. They offer an ideal framework to assess multiscale processes linking climate and food web dynamics through the hydrological cycle. Resolving food web responses to climate change is fundamental to resilience management of these threatened ecosystems under global change scenarios. Here, we examined the temporal variability of the plankton food web in the Mondego Estuary, central Iberian Peninsula, over the period 2003 to 2012. The results pointed out a cascading effect from climate to plankton communities that follow a non-stationary behavior shaped by the climate variance envelope. Concurrent changes in hydrographic processes at the regional, that is, upwelling intensity, and local, that is, estuarine hydrology, scales were driven by climatic forcing promoted by the North Atlantic Oscillation; the influence of which permeated the physical environment in the estuary affecting both autotrophic and heterotrophic communities. The most conspicuous change arose around 2008 and consisted of an obvious decrease in freshwater taxa along with a noticeable increase in marine organisms, mainly driven by gelatinous zooplankton. The observed increase in small-sized cosmopolitan copepods, that is, Clausocalanus arcuicornis, Oithona plumifera, thermophilic species, that is, Penilia avirostris, and gelatinous zooplankton suggests a structural change in the Mondego plankton community. These results provide empirical support to the expectation that expanding climate variance changes plankton structure and functioning, likely fostering trophic interactions in pelagic food webs.

2018Journal article

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WGEUROBUS – Working Group ‘‘Towards a EURopean OBservatory of the non-indigenous calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinUS’’

Publication . Uttieri, M.; Aguzzi, L.; Cigliano, R. Aiese; Amato, A.; Bojanic, N.; Brunetta, M.; Camatti, E.; Carotenuto, Y.; Damjanovic, T.; Delpy, F.; Olazabal, A. de; Di Capua, I.; Falcão, J.; Fernandez, M.L.; Foti, G.; Garbazey, O.; Goruppi, A.; Gubanova, A.; Hubareva, E.; Iriarte, A.; Khanaychenko, A.; Lucic, D.; Marques, S.C.; Mazzocchi, M.G.; Mikus, J.; Minutoli, R.; Pagano, M.; Pansera, M.; Percopo, I.; Primo, A.L.; Svetlichny, L.; Rozic, S.; Tirelli, V.; Uriarte, I.; Vidjak, O.; Villate, F.; Wootton, M.; Zagami, G.; Zervoudaki, S.

Since 2007, the non-indigenous calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus Sato, 1913 has been increasingly recorded in numerous European sites, spreading at an unexpectedly fast pace over a short time-span. This species presents specific biological and behavioural traits which make it of particular interest for ecological and applied research topics. On 29–30 January 2018, 29 scientists from nine European Countries established the EUROBUS (Towards a EURopean OBservatory of the nonindigenous calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinUS) Working Group (WG). This WG aimed at creating a European network of institutions and researchers working on the various aspects of the biology and ecology of P. marinus, with an open forum where sharing experience and know-how among WG participants. This brought to an updated distribution map of P. marinus in European waters, as well as to the identification of priority research lines and potential joint initiatives under the WGEUROBUS umbrella. This contribution, stemming from the experts participating at the WG, represents the manifesto of the current and future initiatives developed within WGEUROBUS.

2020Journal article

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