Key Questions in Marine Megafauna Movement Ecology

It is a golden age for animal movement studies and so an opportune time to assess priorities for future work. We assembled 40 experts to identify key questions in this field, focussing on marine megafauna, which include a broad range of birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish. Research on these taxa has both underpinned many of the recent technical developments and led to fundamental discoveries in the field. We show that the questions have broad applicability to other taxa, including terrestrial animals, flying insects, and swimming invertebrates, and, as such, this exercise provides a useful roadmap for targeted deployments and data syntheses that should advance the field of movement ecology.

Repeated, long-distance migrations by a philopatric predator targeting highly contrasting ecosystems

Long-distance movements of animals are an important driver of population spatial dynamics and determine the extent of overlap with area-focused human activities, such as fishing. Despite global concerns of declining shark populations, a major limitation in assessments of population trends or spatial management options is the lack of information on their long-term migratory behaviour. For a large marine predator, the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier, we show from individuals satellite-tracked for multiple years (up to 1101 days) that adult males undertake annually repeated, round-trip migrations of over 7,500 km in the northwest Atlantic. Notably, these migrations occurred between the highly disparate ecosystems of Caribbean coral reef regions in winter and high latitude oceanic areas in summer, with strong, repeated philopatry to specific overwintering insular habitat. Partial migration also occurred, with smaller, immature individuals displaying reduced migration propensity. Foraging may be a putative motivation for these oceanic migrations, with summer behaviour showing higher path tortuosity at the oceanic range extremes. The predictable migratory patterns and use of highly divergent ecosystems shown by male tiger sharks appear broadly similar to migrations seen in birds, reptiles and mammals, and highlight opportunities for dynamic spatial management and conservation measures of highly mobile sharks.

Repeated, long-distance migrations by a philopatric predator targeting highly contrasting ecosystems

Long-distance movements of animals are an important driver of population spatial dynamics and determine the extent of overlap with area-focused human activities, such as fishing. Despite global concerns of declining shark populations, a major limitation in assessments of population trends or spatial management options is the lack of information on their long-term migratory behaviour. For a large marine predator, the tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier, we show from individuals satellite-tracked for multiple years (up to 1101 days) that adult males undertake annually repeated, round-trip migrations of over 7,500 km in the northwest Atlantic. Notably, these migrations occurred between the highly disparate ecosystems of Caribbean coral reef regions in winter and high latitude oceanic areas in summer, with strong, repeated philopatry to specific overwintering insular habitat. Partial migration also occurred, with smaller, immature individuals displaying reduced migration propensity. Foraging may be a putative motivation for these oceanic migrations, with summer behaviour showing higher path tortuosity at the oceanic range extremes. The predictable migratory patterns and use of highly divergent ecosystems shown by male tiger sharks appear broadly similar to migrations seen in birds, reptiles and mammals, and highlight opportunities for dynamic spatial management and conservation measures of highly mobile sharks.

Fingerprinting of Mangrove Ecosystems along Northern Kerala Coast using Biomarker Approach

Mangrove forests are the most productive and bio-diverse wetlands on earth. It generate a large amount of litter in the form of leaves, branches, twigs, inflorescence and other debris and provides habitat for diverse flora and fauna of marine and terrestrial origin such as bacteria, fungi, algae, lichens, zooplankton, benthos, birds, reptiles and mammals. These systems act as nursery for many fishes and shellfishes. The other sources may also provide important organic carbon inputs; including allochthonous riverine or marine material, autochthonous production by benthic or epiphytic micro- or macroalgae, and local water column production by phytoplankton. Since mangrove sediments are very complex which receives autochthonous and allochthonous organic matter inputs, the information extracted from the analysis of mangrove sediments is the fingerprint of both natural and human-induced changes.

Potential adverse health effects of persistent organic pollutants on sea turtles: Evidences from a cross-sectional study on Cape Verde loggerhead sea turtles

[EN] The Cape Verde nesting population of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) is the third largest population of this species in the world. For conservation purposes, it is essential to determine how these reptiles respond to different types of anthropogenic contaminants. We evaluated the presence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the plasma of adult nesting loggerheads from Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, and studied the effects of the contaminants on the health status of the turtles using hematological and biochemical parameters. All turtles had detectable levels of non-dioxin like PCBs, whereas dioxin-like congeners (DL-PCBs) were detected in only 30% of the turtles.

Estudio genético de paternidad múltiple de la tortuga común Caretta caretta en el Archipiélago de Cabo Verde: aplicación a la ecología de la conservación.

[EN] Los análisis genéticos de las estrategias reproductivas (paternidad múltiple y almacenamiento de esperma) están abriendo una vía de investigación novedosa además de promover informaciones importantes para definir los criterios y las medidas de conservación de muchas especies de reptiles. La población de tortuga común, Caretta caretta del Archipiélago de Cabo Verde es una de las poblaciones nidificantes más grandes del Atlántico, pero que actualmente sufre la pesca selectiva de machos por parte de la comunidad local de Cabo Verde. En este estudio se pretende testar la hipótesis de que una disminución significativa en el número de machos podría afectar la eficacia biológica de las crías, disminuyendo la variabilidad genética de la población.

Comportamiento del buceo en crías de tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) en cautiverio

[ES]Uno de los aspectos más desconocidos de la tortuga boba, y de las tortugas marinas en general, es el comportamiento del buceo. Debido a las largas distancias que recorre la especie lejos de la costa para alimentarse, este aspecto ha sido siempre difícil de estudiar.

La culebrilla ciega de las macetas (Ramphotyphlops braminus), una nueva especie introducida en el archipiélago canario.

[ES] Uno de los problemas que más afectan a la biodiversidad de los archipiélagos es la introducción de especies alóctonas, y en el caso concreto de los reptiles la bibliografía nos recuerda algunos ejemplos especialmente significativos (Case et al., 1992; Loope & Helweg, 2004). En Canarias se han detectado numerosos reptiles foráneos. Pleguezuelos (2002) hace referencia a 21 especies diferentes que han llegado desde otros lugares del mundo, una cifra a la que habría que sumar cuatro o cinco más, resultantes del intercambio faunístico entre islas del mismo archipiélago. En algunos casos se trata de individuos aislados o de especies que, por sus requerimientos ecológicos, nunca llegarán a formar poblaciones estables en el archipiélago.

Selección del gradiente térmico por ejemplares juveniles de Caretta caretta visualizado mediante técnicas de seguimiento por satélite.

[ES] Se presenta una aplicación que utiliza información de varios sensores satelitales a diferentes escalas para hacer el seguimiento de la evolución espacio-temporal de 8 ejemplares juveniles de tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) que fueron equipados con trasmisores ARGOS en las Islas Canarias entre 1999 y 2000. Consiste en una base de datos multisensor y multiescala que se fusiona con los datos de posicionamiento y buceos para producir conjuntos multiparamétricos que pueden analizarse desde el punto de vista ecofisiológico. Del uso de la aplicación se infiere información interesante sobre el comportamiento migratorio de estos reptiles en la región macaronésica.

Albinismo en Gallotia caesaris gomerae

[ES] El albinismo en reptiles no es una cualidad citada ampliamente. En lacértidos es aún menos frecuente, con descripciones de supuestos ejemplares albinos cuyas características cromáticas no parecen responder fielmente a las descripciones de este carácter que se define como una ausencia congénita de pigmento (melanina) en todo el cuerpo (incluido el globo ocular) motivada por causas genéticas {SOLOMON et al., 1996).

Synopsis of the canarian herpetofauna

[ES] Once especies de reptiles terrestres endémicos viven en el archipiélago canario 4 especies de lagartos, 3 especies de eslizones (o lisas) y 4 de gecos (o perinquenes) Cuatro especies de tortugas marinas y otras especies introducidas (un geco y dos ranas) completan la lista de reptiles y anfibios en las islas Cananas Las diferencias entre la herpetofauna actual y la extinguida son señaladas, enfatizando el posible papel del hombre en la extinción de algunas formas de lagartos de gran tamaño Actualmente Gallotia simonyi es la especie más amenazada de reptil en España, seguida muy de cerca por la lisa de Fuerteventura o lisneja (Chalcides simonyi). Las restantes poblaciones, a excepción de aquellas que se encuentran restringidas a pequeños islotes o roques, no se encuentran amenazadas por lo general.

Predación de Gallotia simonyi por gatos cimarrones

[ES] El lagarto gigante de El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi machadoi) es uno de los reptiles más cercanos a la extinción en todo el mundo (GROOMBRIDGE, 1993). Se conoce una sola población silvestre de este lacértido herbívoro de gran tamaño (MACHADO, 1985b), endémico de la isla de El Hierro (280 km2, 1500 m, Islas Canarias) y cuyos efectivos numéricos en cuanto a adultos y subadultos se cifraron entre 120 y 150 individuos en el verano de 1995 mediante métodos de marcado y recaptura (PÉREZ-MELLADO et al., 1997).

Datos sobre la herpetofauna del Algarve suroccidental (sur de Portugal).

[ES] Entre los días 16 y 20 de abril de 1981 se realizó un viaje a la región del Algarve (sur de Portugal), durante el cual se colectó un cierto número de ejemplares de diversas especies de anfibios y reptiles. Analizando los resultados obtenidos hemos creído interesante la publicación de esta nota con el objeto de aportar datos acerca de la distribución geográfica de dichas especies, ampliando en algunos lo conocido hasta el presente en base sobre todo a los trabajos de CRESPO (1971, 1972 y 1975), así como proporcionar información sobre biometría y biología de las especies encontradas.

Muscular anatomy of the pectoral and forelimb of caiman crocodilus crocodilus (linnaeus, 1758) (crocodylia: alligatoridae)

v. 17, n. 2, p. 285-295, abr./jun. 2016.

Stakeholder-led science: engaging resource managers to identify science needs for long-term management of floodplain conservation lands

Floodplains pose challenges to managers of conservation lands because of constantly changing interactions with their rivers. Although scientific knowledge and understanding of the dynamics and drivers of river-floodplain systems can provide guidance to floodplain managers, the scientific process often occurs in isolation from management. Further, communication barriers between scientists and managers can be obstacles to appropriate application of scientific knowledge. With the coproduction of science in mind, our objectives were the following: (1) to document management priorities of floodplain conservation lands, and (2) identify science needs required to better manage the identified management priorities under nonstationary conditions, i.e., climate change, through stakeholder queries and interactions. We conducted an online survey with 80 resource managers of floodplain conservation lands along the Upper and Middle Mississippi River and Lower Missouri River, USA, to evaluate management priority, management intensity, and available scientific information for management objectives and conservation targets. Management objectives with the least information available relative to priority included controlling invasive species, maintaining respectful relationships with neighbors, and managing native, nongame species. Conservation targets with the least information available to manage relative to management priority included pollinators, marsh birds, reptiles, and shore birds. A follow-up workshop and survey focused on clarifying science needs to achieve management objectives under nonstationary conditions. Managers agreed that metrics of inundation, including depth and extent of inundation, and frequency, duration, and timing of inundation would be the most useful metrics for management of floodplain conservation lands with multiple objectives. This assessment provides guidance for developing relevant and accessible science products to inform management of highly dynamic floodplain environments. Although the problems facing managers of these lands are complex, products focused on a small suite of inundation metrics were determined to be the most useful to guide the decision making process.