Temporal variation in reproductive phenology of Patella spp.: past and present.

World Congress of Malacology, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, 21-28 de julho.

Investigação em comunidades dominadas por macroalgas: situação actual, aplicações e desenvolvimentos futuros

Conhecer o Mar dos Açores. Fórum Científico de Apoio à Decisão, Horta, 19 de Janeiro de 2011.

Shells of the limpet Patella aspera as habitat for epibionts

World Congress of Malacology, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, 21-28 de julho.

Contribuição para o estudo das comunidades zooplanctónicas das lagoas dos Açores

Dissertação de Mestrado, Biodiversidade e Ecologia Insular, 4 de Abril de 2014, Universidade dos Açores.

Deep-Sea ecosystem model of the Condor seamount

Dissertação de Mestrado, Estudos Integrados dos Oceanos, 25 de Julho 2013, Universidade dos Açores.

Notes on the feeding habits of Gaidropsarus guttatus (Collett, 1890) from Faial Island, Azores, NE Atlantic, PT

Copyright © 2014 Société Française d’Ichtyologie.

Avaliação do efeito da luz e temperatura no crescimento in vitro de Ulva rigida C. Agardh (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae)

Dissertação de Mestrado em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia Vegetal

Crescimento de Ulva rigida C. Agardh em condições de stress de macronutrientes

Dissertação de Mestrado em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia Vegetal

Do man-made habitats affect spatial patterns of mollusk abundance?

XVIII Simposio Ibérico de Estudios de Biología Marina (SIEBM), Gijón (Asturias), 2 al 5 de septiembre de 2014.

Synchronization in Von Bertalanffy’s models

Many data have been useful to describe the growth of marine mammals, invertebrates and reptiles, seabirds, sea turtles and fishes, using the logistic, the Gom-pertz and von Bertalanffy's growth models. A generalized family of von Bertalanffy's maps, which is proportional to the right hand side of von Bertalanffy's growth equation, is studied and its dynamical approach is proposed. The system complexity is measured using Lyapunov exponents, which depend on two biological parameters: von Bertalanffy's growth rate constant and the asymptotic weight. Applications of synchronization in real world is of current interest. The behavior of birds ocks, schools of fish and other animals is an important phenomenon characterized by synchronized motion of individuals. In this work, we consider networks having in each node a von Bertalanffy's model and we study the synchronization interval of these networks, as a function of those two biological parameters. Numerical simulation are also presented to support our approaches.

Invertebrados y micropaleontología en la evolución de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (España) y la Plataforma del Algarve (Portugal)

Based upon the depositional sequences in the Guadalquivir basin and the bio-events defined (foraminifera and nanoplancton) we present the synthesis of the paleontological results in correlation with the Neogene of Algarve (Portugal). We present the most representative outcrops for micropaleonlologic results, as well as paleoenvironmental correlations between Algarve and the Guadalquivir basin.

The Farol Deposit (Depósito do Farol) – a Pleistocene beach deposit from Cape Mondego (Figueira da Foz, West Central Portugal)*

Among the Pleistocene and Holocene units recorded near the marine cliffs of Cape Mondego (Figueira da Foz, West Central Portugal) stands out the Farol Deposit (Depósito do Farol), at an altitude of ±95 m above present sea level. It is a marine terrace with three exposures of interstratified conglomerates and sands, overlapped by calclititic-fanglomerates. This sedimentary setting indicates that deposition took place in a seashore environment influenced by the proximity of a marine palaeocliff. The deposit has an interesting subfossil fauna with abraded and fragmented shells of Nucella lapillus (LINNÉ, 1758), Patella vulgata (LINNÉ, 1758) and Littorina littorea (LINNÉ, 1758), suggesting the existence of an environment with colder surface seawater, when compared with the present day Portuguese seashore. These specimens belonged to marine communities adapted to live in intertidal rocky platforms, which have been exposed to the cyclic action of waves and tidal flows, on the swash and surf zones. The Farol Deposit can be related to an Early/Middle Pleistocene “cold-water” episode, earlier to the Isotopic Stages 7 and 11. This episode occurred before the deposition of the units Quiaios Sands (Areias de Quiaios) and Cantanhede Sands (Areias de Cantanhede) (Sicilian?), but later than the Arazede Sands (Areias de Arazede) and Marinha das Ondas Sands (Areias de Marinha das Ondas) (Early Pleistocene).

Reproduction of Leishmania (Leishmania ) infantum chagasi in conditioned cell culture growth medium

Leishmanias can be produced by inoculation in conditioned McCoy cell culture growth medium (CGM). Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi (100 parasites) grown in NNN medium was inoculated in 2.5 mL CGM, kept in plates (24 wells) and its multiplication was observed for five days (120 hours). After day 5, the medium was saturated with the flagellate forms of the parasite (promastigotes). The reproduction of the leishmanias was observed every 24 hours and the number of parasites was calculated by counting the parasites in a drop of 10 µ L and photomicrographied. So the number of Leishmanias was adjusted to 1 mL volume. The advantage of the technique by isolation of Leishmania in CGM demonstrated in this study is its low cost and high efficacy even with a small quantity of parasites (10² promastigotes) used as inoculum. Additionally, isolation of the leishmania can be obtained together with an increase in their density (180 times) as observed by growth kinetics, within a shorter time. These results justify the use of this low-cost technique for the isolation and investigation of the behavior and multiplication of Leishmania both in vertebrates and invertebrates, besides offering means of obtaining antigens, whether whole antigens (leishmanias) or the soluble antigens produced by the parasites which may be useful for the production of new diagnostic kits.

Sertraline accumulation and effects in the estuarine decapod Carcinusmaenas: Importance of the history of exposure to chemical stress

Sertraline is widely prescribed worldwide and frequently detected in aquatic systems. There is, however, a remarkable gap of information on its potential impact on estuarine and coastal invertebrates. This study investigated sertraline accumulation and effects in Carcinus maenas. Crabs from a moderately contaminated (Lima) and a low-impacted (Minho) estuary were exposed to environmental and high levels of sertraline (0.05, 5, 500 μg L−1). A battery of biomarkers related to sertraline mode of action was employed to assess neurotransmission, energy metabolism, biotransformation and oxidative stress pathways. After a seven-day exposure, sertraline accumulation in crabs’ soft tissues was found in Lima (5 μg L−1: 15.3 ng L−1 ww; 500 μg L−1: 1010 ng L−1 ww) and Minho (500 μg L−1: 605 ng L−1 ww) animals. Lima crabs were also more sensitive to sertraline than those from Minho, exhibiting decreased acetylcholinesterase activity, indicative of ventilatory and locomotory dysfunction, inhibition of anti-oxidant enzymes and increased oxidative damage at ≥0.05 μg L−1. The Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index indicated their low health status. In addition, Minho crabs showed non-monotonic responses of acetylcholinesterase suggestive of hormesis. The results pointed an influence of the exposure history on differential sensitivity to sertraline and the need to perform evaluations with site-specific ecological receptors to increase relevance of risk estimations when extrapolating from laboratory to field conditions.

Hematopoiesis in the Drosophila larva: beyond the lymph gland

All coelomate animals possess a population of cells that do not make part of an organ and instead freely flow inside the body cavity. These cells, termed hemocytes (in invertebrates) or blood cells (in vertebrates), are involved in varied functions including immune response, clearance of apoptotic cells and distribution of nutrient and gases (Grigorian & Hartenstein 2013).(...)