Albo-Puigserver, M., Navarro, J., Coll, M., Layman, C. A., & Palomera, I. (2016). Trophic structure of pelagic species in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. J. Appl. Dev. Psychol., 47, 27–35.
Résumé: Ecological knowledge of food web interactions within pelagic marine communities is often limited, impairing our capabilities to manage these ecologically and economically important marine fish species. Here we used stable isotope analyses to investigate trophic interactions in the pelagic ecosystem of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea during 2012 and 2013. Our results suggest that European sardine, Sardina pilchardus, and anchovy, Engraulis encrasicolus, are consumers located at relatively low levels of the pelagic food web. Unexpectedly, the round sardinella, Sardinella aurita, appeared to be located at a higher trophic level than the other small pelagic fish species, although previous studies found similarity in their diets. Isotope data suggested that trophic niches of species within the genera Trachurus spp. and Scomber spp., were distinct. Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda, European hake Merluccius merluccius and European squid Loligo vulgaris, appeared to feed at higher trophic levels than other species. Despite some intraspecific seasonal variability for some species, community trophic structure appeared relatively stable through the year. These data provide an important step for developing models of food web dynamics in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Alves-Junior, F. D. A., Leitao Camara De Araujo, M. D. S., Bertrand, A., & Souza-Filho, J. F. (2016). First report of two deep-sea shrimps of the genus Acanthephyra A. Milne-Edwards, 1881 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Acanthephyridae) from southwestern Atlantic. Zootaxa, 4184(1), 193–200.
Résumé: This paper reports two deep-sea shrimps, Acanthephyra acanthitelsonis and A. armata from southwestern Atlantic waters. The samples were collected in two different moments, the first in the Potiguar Basin, northeast of Brazil (03/05 degrees S; 38/35 degrees W), covering the states of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) and Ceare (CE) in the year of 2011, and afterward on Rocas Atoll, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) (3 degrees 51' S, 033 degrees 49' W; 3 degrees 52' S, 033 degrees 47' W) in the year of 2015. The occurrence of A. acanthitelsonis on Rocas Atoll and A. armata found along the continental slope in the Potiguar Basin, comprising both species, which were recorded for the first time in the southwestern Atlantic. This paper increases the number of Acanthephyra species recorded in Brazilian waters up to six and adds to our knowledge and distribution of deepsea fauna in the south Atlantic.
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Alves-Júnior, F. D. A., Silva, E. D. S., Araújo, M. D. S. L. C. D., Cardoso, I., Bertrand, A., & Souza-Filho, J. F. (2019). Taxonomy of deep-sea shrimps of the Superfamily Oplophoroidea Dana 1852 (Decapoda: Caridea) from Southwestern Atlantic. Zootaxa, 4613(3), 401–442.
Résumé: In this paper, we provide some available information about the occurrence and some taxonomic aspects of 19 species from the Superfamily Oplophoroidea in the southwestern Atlantic (Brazilian waters), with the update to 22 species of Oplophoroidea occurring in Brazilian waters. Samples were collected during two sets of surveys. The first was performed in 2009 and 2011 in the Potiguar Basin in northeast of Brazil (03–05°S; 38–35°W; between the States of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte) under the framework of the project “Avaliação da biota bentônica e planctônica da Bacia Potiguar e Ceará (Bpot)”, with samples collected from bottom trawls in the continental slope at depth ranging from 150–2068 m. Second, under the in the framework of the ABRACOS (Acoustic along the Brazilian coast), performed in 2015 and 2017 on seamounts and offshore areas in Northeast Brazil (Ceará Chain, Rio Grande do Norte and Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Pernambuco State), with samples with pelagic micronekton and mesopelagic nets, in depths ranging from 50–1260 m. We highlight the occurrence of 14 species of the family Acanthephyridae and 5 species of the family Oplophoridae, including the first occurrences of five species to Brazilian deep waters: Acanthephyra kingsleyi Spence Bate, 1888, Ephyrina ombango Crosnier & Forest, 1973, Meningodora compsa (Chace, 1940), M. longisulca Kikuchi, 1985 and Systellapsis curvispina Crosnier, 1987. These records increase the knowledge on deep-sea shrimps occurring in Southwestern Atlantic.
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Chouvelon, T., Brach-Papa, C., Auger, D., Bodin, N., Bruzac, S., Crochet, S., et al. (2017). Chemical contaminants (trace metals, persistent organic pollutants) in albacore tuna from western Indian and south-eastern Atlantic Oceans: Trophic influence and potential as tracers of populations. Sci. Total Environ., 596, 481–495.
Résumé: Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) is a highly commercial fish species harvested in the world's Oceans. Identifying the potential links between populations is one of the key tools that can improve the current management across fisheries areas. In addition to characterising populations' contamination state, chemical compounds can help refine foraging areas, individual flows and populations' structure, especially when combined with other intrinsic biogeochemical (trophic) markers such as carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. This study investigated the bioaccumulation of seven selected trace metals – chromium, nickel, copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead – in the muscle of 443 albacore tunas, collected over two seasons and/or years in the western Indian Ocean (WIO: Reunion Island and Seychelles) and in the south-eastern Atlantic Ocean (SEAO: South Africa). The main factor that explained metal concentration variability was the geographic origin of fish, rather than the size and the sex of individuals, or the season/year of sampling. The elements Cu, Zn, Cd and Hg indicated a segregation of the geographic groups most clearly. For similar sized-individuals, tunas from SEAO had significantly higher concentrations in Cu, Zn and Cd, but lower Hg concentrations than those from WIO. Information inferred from the analysis of trophic markers (delta C-13, delta N-15) and selected persistent organic pollutants, as well as information on stomach contents, corroborated the geographical differences obtained by trace metals. It also highlighted the influence of trophic ecology on metal bioaccumulation. Finally, this study evidenced the potential of metals and chemical contaminants in general as tracers, by segregating groups of individuals using different food webs or habitats, to better understand spatial connectivity at the population scale. Limited flows of individuals between the SEAO and the WIO are suggested. Albacore as predatory fish also provided some information on environmental and food web chemical contamination in the different study areas. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Coz, R., Ouisse, V., Artero, C., Carpentier, A., Crave, A., Feunteun, E., et al. (2012). Development of a new standardised method for sustainable monitoring of the vulnerable pink sea fan Eunicella verrucosa. Marine Biology, 159(6), 1375–1388.
Résumé: The aim of this survey was to test a standardised method to follow the demographic evolution of a dense aggregative 'forest' population of the temperate gorgonian Eunicella verrucosa (Octocorallia, Gorgoniidae) using in situ photographic recordings. Distribution, density, growth and demographic evolution of the colonies was compared along two parallel transects. Computer treatment allowed the estimation of the total branch fan surface area, and the individual growth of tagged colonies was determined by measuring the increase in this surface area, using consecutive photographs taken at two-year intervals. To integrate the potential bias of branch overlapping, we proposed a correction factor between the in situ photographic surface area and the surface area of the gorgonian calculated from ex situ photographic surface area with all branches deployed. The surface-frequency distribution of colonies was converted to estimated-age-frequency distribution using an estimated growth curve based on the net growth rate. The technique used revealed significant differences in population structure and the dynamics of gorgonian colonies, as the two transects appeared to be influenced by different environmental conditions. The recruitment also seemed to vary according to year and transect, resulting in different densities. Our work showed clear results in characterising the variations of gorgonian demographic evolution at a small spatial scale; thus, it is assumed that this method could be a sustainable tool for coastal environmental managers.
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