The coastal, marine, and inland ecosystems of islands provide valuable regulating, provisioning, ... more The coastal, marine, and inland ecosystems of islands provide valuable regulating, provisioning, and cultural services to more than 500 million people. Many small islands have a strong traditional dependence on marine and coastal biodiversity for their food, tools, industry, medicine, transport, and waste disposal. With increasing human population pressures through high migration and reproductive rates, island systems face several serious issues both in the immediate and the near future. Islands systems, in spite of size, category, climate, and social conditions, share a commonality, identified here as the ''isola effect.'' This represents the physical seclusion of islands as isolated pieces of land exposed to different kinds of marine and climatic disturbances and with a more limited access to space, products, and services when compared with most continental landmasses. In addition, subjective issues such as the perceptions and attitudes of islanders themselves on their conditions and their future on the island are incorporated into the ''isola effect.'' Coastal fisheries, a particularly important and traditional source of food, protein, and employment on many islands, are seriously depleted. Overfishing has already deprived island communities of subsistence fishing and caused conflicts in many tropical islands across Asia. Island states and their exclusive economic zones comprise 40% of the world's oceans and earn significant foreign exchange from the sale of offshore fishery licenses, but this situation cannot last forever. Watershed modification on islands has had a negative impact on water resources in terms of water quality and quantity as well as flow regime. Despite limited coverage on some islands, forested watersheds are critical regulators of island hydrology. Without adequate freshwater resources, small islands depend on desalinated or imported water. Island water supply is often threatened by pollution, particularly from poorly treated sewage. The natural land cover of island systems has changed drastically under the pressure of growing human populations and consequent exploitation of the landmass. On some islands, the impact has exceeded critical thresholds, particularly along the coastal fringe. Anthropogenic changes range from deforestation for cropland to urbanization and the abandonment of degraded land. All these have immediate repercussions on habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity. One conspicuous effect of natural and anthropogenic actions in the coastal zone threatening islands systems is the erosion of soft coastlines (sandy and muddy beaches). Island systems are highly dependent on outside sources for food, fuel, and even employment, which together increase the economic fragility of many islands. At the same time, island resources are increasingly affected by globalization and trade liberalization. It is questionable whether regional or international groupings of islands, such as the small island developing states, can respond adequately to such pressures. Energy constraints are particularly critical in island systems. The usually limited size of islands, their constrained capacity to provide ecosystem services (in spite of type or size), and often their distance from large-scale energy supply systems are key factors to explain why energy issues are an important factor in island systems. However, oceans-through currents, tides, waves, and thermal and salinity gradients-offer a source of new renewable forms of energy that remain underexplored. Low-lying island systems are under threat from climate change and predicted sea level rise. These in turn are expected to have serious consequences on flooding, coastal erosion, water supply, food production, health, tourism, and habitat depletion. The sea level rise would be severe or devastating to millions of people living on low-lying islands and atolls. The projected changes in temperature and rainfall could disrupt terrestrial and marine ecosystems on most islands, especially small ones. Increased flooding and coastal erosion will have serious consequences for the tourism industry. The incidence of dengue fever has been correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index, and extremes in rainfall are likely to exacerbate diarrheal illnesses. Islands need to develop appropriate coastal assessments and management so as to adapt to these changes in a sustainable manner. The coastal systems of islands, such as coastal forests, dunes, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows, are being altered through agriculture, aquaculture, coastal urban sprawl, industrialization, and resort development. In addition, these changes produce further stresses on the island systems, such as the production of sewage, solid waste, and water pollution. These alterations exacerbate the fragility of island systems.
Estudamos a composicao da anurofauna, sua distribuicao no espaco e no tempo e alguns aspectos da ... more Estudamos a composicao da anurofauna, sua distribuicao no espaco e no tempo e alguns aspectos da conservacao das especies. O estudo, o primeiro na localidade em termos de anfibios, foi desenvolvido na Reserva Extrativista Riozinho do Anfrisio, Altamira, Para, Amazonia brasileira. O metodo utilizado foi a procura ativa limitada por tempo. A fauna de anuros e composta de 57 especies, de 22 generos e 13 familias, sendo Hylidae (n = 28) e Leptodactylidae (n = 9) as maiores familias. A maioria das especies (80%) ocorreu nos ecossistemas florestais e uma maior riqueza foi observada no inverno, quando houve maiores indices de precipitacao e temperaturas mais baixas. A area protegida, dessa forma, e de extrema importância para a conservacao dos anuros na Amazonia.
In the Amazonian basin, the human populations that traditionally inhabit the forest use its natur... more In the Amazonian basin, the human populations that traditionally inhabit the forest use its natural resources in various ways. One example is the local fauna which, among several other uses, is an important source of protein. The general aim of our study was to investigate the importance of hunting to the lives of the Amazonian riverine communities and to identify the multiple uses and knowledge about the hunted animals. In this article we focused the study on the razor-billed curassow Pauxi tuberosa, a Cracidae of significant value to the studied community. The investigation was conducted in the "Riozinho do Anfrísio Extractive Reserve", a Brazilian Conservation Unit located at the Altamira municipality, in the state of Pará. We used an ethnoecological approach, which included participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Our results show that the razor-billed curassow is used by the "Riozinho do Anfrísio" local population mainly as food, but it also f...
Supplementary Figure 3. Genomotype composition of S. aradensis and S. pyrenaicus used in affiliat... more Supplementary Figure 3. Genomotype composition of S. aradensis and S. pyrenaicus used in affiliation trials, assessed using β-actin sequencing and Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS). The horizontal bars represent the proportion of A (red), Q (yellow) and P (green) genomes per individual. Grey dashed bars indicate the individuals for which no quality GBS data were obtained. The vertical bars at the center indicate the genome group of each male, determined from the majority of their genome, as obtained from β-actin and GBS joint analyses, and the circles at the center indicate if these methods agreed (light green) or disagreed (light red) in genomotype identification
Supplementary Figure 1. Experimental tank used in affiliation trials to assess mate preferences o... more Supplementary Figure 1. Experimental tank used in affiliation trials to assess mate preferences of S. alburnoides females towards AA, QQ and PP males. The pentagonal area at the center corresponds to the neutral “no choice” zone. The proportion of time spent by each female in the dashed areas of each branch was used to index its preference towards each male genomotype, isolated in the peripheral compartments by perforated transparent acrylic plates
Androgenesis among vertebrates is considered a rare phenomenon, with some cases reported so far, ... more Androgenesis among vertebrates is considered a rare phenomenon, with some cases reported so far, but linked to experiments involving gamete manipulation (artificial androgenesis). Herein, we report the first empirical evidence of the natural occurrence of spontaneous androgenesis in a vertebrate, the <i>Squalius alburnoides</i> allopolyploid complex. A genetically screened random sample of a natural population was allowed to reproduce in an isolated pond without any human interference, and the viable offspring obtained was later analysed for paternity. Both nuclear and mitochondrial markers showed that the only allodiploid fish found among all the allotriploid offspring was androgenetically produced by an allodiploid male. This specimen had no female nuclear genomic input, and the sequence of the mitochondrial fragment examined differed from that of the male progenitor, matching one of the parental females available in the pond, likely the mother. The possible role of androgenesis in the reproductive dynamics of this highly successful vertebrate complex is discussed.
Revista Interdisciplinar em Cultura e Sociedade, 2021
Em Portugal não existe uma legislação específica a ser aplicada em espaços de restauração para o... more Em Portugal não existe uma legislação específica a ser aplicada em espaços de restauração para os tornar acessíveis a todas as pessoas. O Decreto-Lei n.º 163/2006 de 8 de agosto aprova o regime da acessibilidade de edifícios e estabelecimentos que recebem público, mas existem várias lacunas relativamente a um espaço tão específico como um restaurante, como as distâncias que devem existir entre mesas para que os funcionários e clientes com e sem mobilidade condicionada possam circular livremente. O presente estudo centra-se na avaliação das acessibilidades de um restaurante. O estudo é de natureza qualitativa e avalia se o restaurante apresenta acessibilidades arquitetónicas, comunicacionais, atitudinais, instrumentais e digitais que permitam a frequência de pessoas com necessidades específicas. Os resultados confirmam a possibilidade de ter um espaço físico que permite receber todas as pessoas com a comodidade e a segurança necessárias para realizar uma refeição com dignidade.Palav...
Kinship has been described as a major factor shaping primates' social dynamics, with individuals ... more Kinship has been described as a major factor shaping primates' social dynamics, with individuals biasing their affiliative interactions to their related counterparts. However, it has also been demonstrated that, under certain circumstances, social bonding can be established in the absence of kin. The fact that Colobus polykomos (Western black-and-white colobus) and Procolobus badius temminckii (Temminck's red colobus ) often live in sympatry (subject to the same ecological/anthropogenic pressures) but exhibit contrasting social systems, makes them good models to test which factors shape their social systems. We investigated the influence of kinship on intragroup social dynamics of one focal group of each species present in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Between October 2008 and June 2009 we used focal sampling to collect information on the individuals' nearest neighbors and Ad libitum sampling to collect data on intra-group social interactions. We estimated pairwise relatedness using fecal DNA from nine Colobus polykomos individuals and 15 Procolobus badius temminckii individuals genotyped at 15 microsatellite loci. We found that, in the Colobus polykomos focal group, individuals showed no preference to interact or be spatially closer to related partners. Moreover, mainly unrelated females and related males composed the Procolobus badius temminckii focal group but grooming was most frequent among female dyads and only rarely involved male dyads. We conclude that kinship is not an important factor determining the social bonding in either study species suggesting that other factors (e.g anthropogenic, ecological) may be at play shaping these groups' social bonding.
Our study concerns local knowledge and perceptions of chimpanzees among farming communities withi... more Our study concerns local knowledge and perceptions of chimpanzees among farming communities within Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. We submitted a survey questionnaire to 100 people living in four villages in the Park to enquire about their knowledge of chimpanzee ecology and humanchimpanzee interactions. Local farmers live in close contact with chimpanzees, consider them to be more similar to humans than any other species, and attribute special importance to them primarily due to expectations of tourism revenue. Interviewees' responses, as a function of gender, village, and age, were analyzed statistically using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis). Age influenced responses significantly, while gender and village had no significant effect. Youngsters emphasized morphological aspects of human-chimpanzee similarities, while adults emphasized chimpanzee behavior and narratives about the shared history of humans and chimpanzees. Tourism, conservation, and crop raiding feature prominently in people's reports about chimpanzees. Local people's engagement with conservation and tourism-related activities is likely to allow them to manage not only the costs but also the benefits of conservation, and can in turn inform the expectations built upon tourism. Am. J.
Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primat... more Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primates with similar ecological requirements, often found in sympatry. Their most striking difference lies in their social system: black-and-white colobus live in small groups with mainly male-mediated dispersal but where females can also disperse, whereas red colobus live in larger groups with males described as philopatric. To investigate whether genetic evidence supports the reported patterns of dispersal based on observational data, we examined eight black-and-white and six red colobus social groups from Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Microsatellite markers revealed a lack of sex-biased dispersal for black-and-white colobus. Gene flow, mainly mediated by females, better explained the genetic patterns found in red colobus, with some evidence for less extensive male dispersal. In contrast to
Supplementary Table 1. Details on the ten microsatellites used for paternity analysis, including ... more Supplementary Table 1. Details on the ten microsatellites used for paternity analysis, including species of origin. Microsatellites marked with an asterisk (*) were amplified using primers with a M13 tail, as described in [28].
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most severe depression type and one of the leading causes ... more Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most severe depression type and one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. Animal models are widely used to understand MDD etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment, but the efficacy of this research for patients has barely been systematically evaluated. Such evaluation is important given the resource consumption and ethical concerns incurred by animal use. We used the citation tracking facilities within Web of Science and Scopus to locate citations of original research papers on rats related to MDD published prior to 2013-to allow adequate time for citations-identified in PubMed and Scopus by relevant search terms. Resulting citations were thematically coded in eight categories, and descriptive statistics were calculated. 178 publications describing relevant rat studies were identified. They were cited 8,712 times. More than half (4,633) of their citations were by other animal studies. 794 (less than 10%) were by human medical papers. Citation analysis indicates that rat model research has contributed very little to the contemporary clinical understanding of MDD. This suggests a misuse of limited funding hence supporting a change in allocation of research and development funds targeting this disorder to maximise benefits for patients.
Sexual selection theory suggests that males need to constantly reappraise their mating decisions ... more Sexual selection theory suggests that males need to constantly reappraise their mating decisions to take account of the presence and the phenotype of their rivals. Here we examine this expectation by asking: 1) If the presence of a rival influence male mating behaviour; 2) How important is the attractiveness of the rival in shaping a male behaviour; and 3) How does a male attractiveness in comparison to his rival influence a male's mating decisions. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species in which females choose males based on their attractive phenotypes, playing an important role in male mating outcomes, we recorded the frequency of mating tactics (courtship displays and unsolicited attempts) by focal males. First, we quantified focal male mating behaviour with and without a rival. Since the probability of a successful mating is, on average, halved by the presence of a rival, we predicted that under competition the focal male would invest more in less costly unsolicited mating attempts. Second, we examined how the rival's phenotype (standard length and area of orange colouration) mediated focal male mating behaviour. We found that rival presence influenced how focal males responded to females, in terms of both mating tactics. However, the rival attractiveness elicited changes only in male courtship display. Focal males increased courtship display rate if his rival was small or if possessed large amounts of orange, regardless of considering rival absolute or relative attractiveness. Our results show that males invest in the costlier mating tactic when there is no rival, or in the presence of a smaller rival. Interestingly, they make a similar investment in the presence of an attractive orange rival. Overall, this study highlights the importance of fine-grained male decisions in mating encounters and shows that mating tactics are differentially shaped by multiple competition risk cues.
Serum levels of selenium, copper, and zinc were systematically determined in healthy subjects of ... more Serum levels of selenium, copper, and zinc were systematically determined in healthy subjects of the Lisbon population. The sample consisted of 183 blood donors of both genders who were divided into two age groups: 20-44 and 45-70 yr of age; relationships with gender, age, the lipid profile, and tobacco consumption were investigated. In the female group, the intake of oral contraceptives and pregnancy were considered for the youngest women, and hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) was taken into account for the oldest ones. Serum concentrations of these elements were in the same range as those found for populations of other European countries. Differences between genders were observed for the three elements studied, with serum selenium and zinc concentrations higher in men and copper levels higher in women. Age-dependent differences were found for selenium: The oldest subjects (regardless gender) presented the highest concentrations of selenium in serum as further demonstrated by the ...
The present study was conducted to determine the effects of cigarette smoking on the levels of se... more The present study was conducted to determine the effects of cigarette smoking on the levels of serum alpha-tocopherol and on the lipid profile in humans from the Lisbon population. Serum alpha-tocopherol was evaluated by a reverse-phase HPLC method with UV detection. Enzymatic tests were used for the evaluation of the lipid profile. Smokers in general and female smokers in particular had decreased alpha-tocopherol levels when compared with nonsmokers. Smokers had also lower HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) contents, but this difference was statistically significant only for females. Regardless of sex, in smokers, there was a positive correlation between alpha-tocopherol and triglyceride (TG) levels. Cluster analysis showed a sex-independent separation between smokers and nonsmokers. These results suggest a different interaction of these blood parameters in smokers versus nonsmokers that should be further investigated.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and its pathogenesis is still no... more Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and its pathogenesis is still not completely clarified. Clinically stable patients (n=21) and healthy subjects (n=24) were studied for blood markers of oxidative injury and antioxidant status. The plasma concentration of protein carbonyls was significantly increased in COPD patients, both ex-smokers (0.76 +/- 0.28 nmol mg(-1)) and smokers (0.99 +/- 020 nmol mg(-1)) versus controls (0.49 +/- 0.14 nmol mg(-1)) . The concentration of total thiols was slightly enhanced in plasma of the COPD patients (ex-smokers 492 +/- 23 micromol 1(-1) and smokers 505 +/- 36 micromol 1(-1) versus controls 450 +/- 67 micromol 1(-1); p &amp;amp;lt; 0.05). The activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase was increased in erythrocytes (activity in U g(-1) haemoglobin; ex-smokers 4460 +/- 763 and smokers 4114+/- 1060 versus 3015 +/- 851 in controls; p &amp;amp;gt; 0.01), while glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased in total blood (activity in U g(-1) haemoglobin: ex-smokers 27 +/- 9 and smokers 23 +/- 9 versus 47 +/- 25; p &amp;amp;lt; 0.01). Lower levels of selenium in plasma were also found for COPD patients (concentration in mg 1(-1): ex-smokers 0.030 +/- 0.019 and smokers 0.032 +/- 0.024 versus 0.058 +/- 0.023 in controls; p &amp;amp;lt; 0.01), being more evident in those with very low levels of arterial oxygen pressure. In addition, the levels of potassium and rubidium were increased in blood cells of the patient group. All these changes might reflect oxidant damage and an altered electrolytic homeostasis, and can be interpreted as markers of COPD rather than as indicators of smoking habits.
A total of 35 morphological characters (biometry, scalation, chromatic pattern) were studied thro... more A total of 35 morphological characters (biometry, scalation, chromatic pattern) were studied through multivariate analyses on 10 populations sampled across the range of the Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis hispanica) in Portugal. Biometry clearly splits the samples into two different types. Differences in scalation between the two types were not clear, but multiple correspondence analyses showed that different chromatic patterns fit each of the types: one presented dark dorsal patterns (e.g. reticulated, eyeled, striped) and whitish-pearly belly, while the other showed green or yellow-brown patterns and yellow-orange belly. These two morphotypes constitute different molecular lineages and have different ranges of distribution.
Correia (2005) Do eastern mosquitofish exhibit anti-predator behavior towards red swamp crayfish?... more Correia (2005) Do eastern mosquitofish exhibit anti-predator behavior towards red swamp crayfish? Zoological Studies 44(4): 513-518. Anti-predator behavior has been described in many freshwater fish species. Freshwater crayfish may have a great impact on prey species through behavioral changes. The eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, and the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, are native to North America, and have been introduced worldwide, causing negative effects on aquatic ecosystems. The interactions between these exotic species are poorly known. In natural habitats P. clarkii consumes G. holbrooki, but it is not clear if the mosquitofish has anti-predator defenses against the crayfish. The main objective of this study was to determine if G. holbrooki exhibits anti-predator behavior in the presence of P. clarkii. To address this question, laboratory tests were performed in experimental aquaria, analyzing the following behavioral traits of the mosquitofish: activity, distance from the predator, and space use. The mosquitofish were generally active and mainly preferred open space in both controls and treatments. Results suggest that G. holbrooki does not display anti-predator behavior when exposed to P. clarkii under the laboratory conditions used in this study.
Cantanhez National Park in southern Guinea-Bissau is a mosaic of forest, mangrove, savanna, and a... more Cantanhez National Park in southern Guinea-Bissau is a mosaic of forest, mangrove, savanna, and agricultural fields, with a high prevalence of oil-palm trees (Elaeis guineensis). It hosts many different animal species, including the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). Very little is known about the ecology of chimpanzees inhabiting this area. The main aims of this study were to evaluate chimpanzee nesting behavior, define trends of habitat use, and estimate chimpanzee density in four separate forests by applying the marked nest counts methodology. From the 287 new nests counted, 92% were built in oil-palm trees with a significantly higher frequency of nests in the forest edge than in forest cores. Differences in nest detection rates were observed in the four monitored forests, with two forests being more important for chimpanzee&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s nesting demands. The number of nests documented in the forests seemed to be correlated with the frequency of other signs of chimpanzee activity. Although chimpanzees selected nests on the forest edge, they were most frequently observed in forest core areas. Constraints associated with estimating chimpanzee density through oil-palm nest counting are discussed.
The coastal, marine, and inland ecosystems of islands provide valuable regulating, provisioning, ... more The coastal, marine, and inland ecosystems of islands provide valuable regulating, provisioning, and cultural services to more than 500 million people. Many small islands have a strong traditional dependence on marine and coastal biodiversity for their food, tools, industry, medicine, transport, and waste disposal. With increasing human population pressures through high migration and reproductive rates, island systems face several serious issues both in the immediate and the near future. Islands systems, in spite of size, category, climate, and social conditions, share a commonality, identified here as the ''isola effect.'' This represents the physical seclusion of islands as isolated pieces of land exposed to different kinds of marine and climatic disturbances and with a more limited access to space, products, and services when compared with most continental landmasses. In addition, subjective issues such as the perceptions and attitudes of islanders themselves on their conditions and their future on the island are incorporated into the ''isola effect.'' Coastal fisheries, a particularly important and traditional source of food, protein, and employment on many islands, are seriously depleted. Overfishing has already deprived island communities of subsistence fishing and caused conflicts in many tropical islands across Asia. Island states and their exclusive economic zones comprise 40% of the world's oceans and earn significant foreign exchange from the sale of offshore fishery licenses, but this situation cannot last forever. Watershed modification on islands has had a negative impact on water resources in terms of water quality and quantity as well as flow regime. Despite limited coverage on some islands, forested watersheds are critical regulators of island hydrology. Without adequate freshwater resources, small islands depend on desalinated or imported water. Island water supply is often threatened by pollution, particularly from poorly treated sewage. The natural land cover of island systems has changed drastically under the pressure of growing human populations and consequent exploitation of the landmass. On some islands, the impact has exceeded critical thresholds, particularly along the coastal fringe. Anthropogenic changes range from deforestation for cropland to urbanization and the abandonment of degraded land. All these have immediate repercussions on habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity. One conspicuous effect of natural and anthropogenic actions in the coastal zone threatening islands systems is the erosion of soft coastlines (sandy and muddy beaches). Island systems are highly dependent on outside sources for food, fuel, and even employment, which together increase the economic fragility of many islands. At the same time, island resources are increasingly affected by globalization and trade liberalization. It is questionable whether regional or international groupings of islands, such as the small island developing states, can respond adequately to such pressures. Energy constraints are particularly critical in island systems. The usually limited size of islands, their constrained capacity to provide ecosystem services (in spite of type or size), and often their distance from large-scale energy supply systems are key factors to explain why energy issues are an important factor in island systems. However, oceans-through currents, tides, waves, and thermal and salinity gradients-offer a source of new renewable forms of energy that remain underexplored. Low-lying island systems are under threat from climate change and predicted sea level rise. These in turn are expected to have serious consequences on flooding, coastal erosion, water supply, food production, health, tourism, and habitat depletion. The sea level rise would be severe or devastating to millions of people living on low-lying islands and atolls. The projected changes in temperature and rainfall could disrupt terrestrial and marine ecosystems on most islands, especially small ones. Increased flooding and coastal erosion will have serious consequences for the tourism industry. The incidence of dengue fever has been correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index, and extremes in rainfall are likely to exacerbate diarrheal illnesses. Islands need to develop appropriate coastal assessments and management so as to adapt to these changes in a sustainable manner. The coastal systems of islands, such as coastal forests, dunes, mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows, are being altered through agriculture, aquaculture, coastal urban sprawl, industrialization, and resort development. In addition, these changes produce further stresses on the island systems, such as the production of sewage, solid waste, and water pollution. These alterations exacerbate the fragility of island systems.
Estudamos a composicao da anurofauna, sua distribuicao no espaco e no tempo e alguns aspectos da ... more Estudamos a composicao da anurofauna, sua distribuicao no espaco e no tempo e alguns aspectos da conservacao das especies. O estudo, o primeiro na localidade em termos de anfibios, foi desenvolvido na Reserva Extrativista Riozinho do Anfrisio, Altamira, Para, Amazonia brasileira. O metodo utilizado foi a procura ativa limitada por tempo. A fauna de anuros e composta de 57 especies, de 22 generos e 13 familias, sendo Hylidae (n = 28) e Leptodactylidae (n = 9) as maiores familias. A maioria das especies (80%) ocorreu nos ecossistemas florestais e uma maior riqueza foi observada no inverno, quando houve maiores indices de precipitacao e temperaturas mais baixas. A area protegida, dessa forma, e de extrema importância para a conservacao dos anuros na Amazonia.
In the Amazonian basin, the human populations that traditionally inhabit the forest use its natur... more In the Amazonian basin, the human populations that traditionally inhabit the forest use its natural resources in various ways. One example is the local fauna which, among several other uses, is an important source of protein. The general aim of our study was to investigate the importance of hunting to the lives of the Amazonian riverine communities and to identify the multiple uses and knowledge about the hunted animals. In this article we focused the study on the razor-billed curassow Pauxi tuberosa, a Cracidae of significant value to the studied community. The investigation was conducted in the "Riozinho do Anfrísio Extractive Reserve", a Brazilian Conservation Unit located at the Altamira municipality, in the state of Pará. We used an ethnoecological approach, which included participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Our results show that the razor-billed curassow is used by the "Riozinho do Anfrísio" local population mainly as food, but it also f...
Supplementary Figure 3. Genomotype composition of S. aradensis and S. pyrenaicus used in affiliat... more Supplementary Figure 3. Genomotype composition of S. aradensis and S. pyrenaicus used in affiliation trials, assessed using β-actin sequencing and Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS). The horizontal bars represent the proportion of A (red), Q (yellow) and P (green) genomes per individual. Grey dashed bars indicate the individuals for which no quality GBS data were obtained. The vertical bars at the center indicate the genome group of each male, determined from the majority of their genome, as obtained from β-actin and GBS joint analyses, and the circles at the center indicate if these methods agreed (light green) or disagreed (light red) in genomotype identification
Supplementary Figure 1. Experimental tank used in affiliation trials to assess mate preferences o... more Supplementary Figure 1. Experimental tank used in affiliation trials to assess mate preferences of S. alburnoides females towards AA, QQ and PP males. The pentagonal area at the center corresponds to the neutral “no choice” zone. The proportion of time spent by each female in the dashed areas of each branch was used to index its preference towards each male genomotype, isolated in the peripheral compartments by perforated transparent acrylic plates
Androgenesis among vertebrates is considered a rare phenomenon, with some cases reported so far, ... more Androgenesis among vertebrates is considered a rare phenomenon, with some cases reported so far, but linked to experiments involving gamete manipulation (artificial androgenesis). Herein, we report the first empirical evidence of the natural occurrence of spontaneous androgenesis in a vertebrate, the <i>Squalius alburnoides</i> allopolyploid complex. A genetically screened random sample of a natural population was allowed to reproduce in an isolated pond without any human interference, and the viable offspring obtained was later analysed for paternity. Both nuclear and mitochondrial markers showed that the only allodiploid fish found among all the allotriploid offspring was androgenetically produced by an allodiploid male. This specimen had no female nuclear genomic input, and the sequence of the mitochondrial fragment examined differed from that of the male progenitor, matching one of the parental females available in the pond, likely the mother. The possible role of androgenesis in the reproductive dynamics of this highly successful vertebrate complex is discussed.
Revista Interdisciplinar em Cultura e Sociedade, 2021
Em Portugal não existe uma legislação específica a ser aplicada em espaços de restauração para o... more Em Portugal não existe uma legislação específica a ser aplicada em espaços de restauração para os tornar acessíveis a todas as pessoas. O Decreto-Lei n.º 163/2006 de 8 de agosto aprova o regime da acessibilidade de edifícios e estabelecimentos que recebem público, mas existem várias lacunas relativamente a um espaço tão específico como um restaurante, como as distâncias que devem existir entre mesas para que os funcionários e clientes com e sem mobilidade condicionada possam circular livremente. O presente estudo centra-se na avaliação das acessibilidades de um restaurante. O estudo é de natureza qualitativa e avalia se o restaurante apresenta acessibilidades arquitetónicas, comunicacionais, atitudinais, instrumentais e digitais que permitam a frequência de pessoas com necessidades específicas. Os resultados confirmam a possibilidade de ter um espaço físico que permite receber todas as pessoas com a comodidade e a segurança necessárias para realizar uma refeição com dignidade.Palav...
Kinship has been described as a major factor shaping primates' social dynamics, with individuals ... more Kinship has been described as a major factor shaping primates' social dynamics, with individuals biasing their affiliative interactions to their related counterparts. However, it has also been demonstrated that, under certain circumstances, social bonding can be established in the absence of kin. The fact that Colobus polykomos (Western black-and-white colobus) and Procolobus badius temminckii (Temminck's red colobus ) often live in sympatry (subject to the same ecological/anthropogenic pressures) but exhibit contrasting social systems, makes them good models to test which factors shape their social systems. We investigated the influence of kinship on intragroup social dynamics of one focal group of each species present in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Between October 2008 and June 2009 we used focal sampling to collect information on the individuals' nearest neighbors and Ad libitum sampling to collect data on intra-group social interactions. We estimated pairwise relatedness using fecal DNA from nine Colobus polykomos individuals and 15 Procolobus badius temminckii individuals genotyped at 15 microsatellite loci. We found that, in the Colobus polykomos focal group, individuals showed no preference to interact or be spatially closer to related partners. Moreover, mainly unrelated females and related males composed the Procolobus badius temminckii focal group but grooming was most frequent among female dyads and only rarely involved male dyads. We conclude that kinship is not an important factor determining the social bonding in either study species suggesting that other factors (e.g anthropogenic, ecological) may be at play shaping these groups' social bonding.
Our study concerns local knowledge and perceptions of chimpanzees among farming communities withi... more Our study concerns local knowledge and perceptions of chimpanzees among farming communities within Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. We submitted a survey questionnaire to 100 people living in four villages in the Park to enquire about their knowledge of chimpanzee ecology and humanchimpanzee interactions. Local farmers live in close contact with chimpanzees, consider them to be more similar to humans than any other species, and attribute special importance to them primarily due to expectations of tourism revenue. Interviewees' responses, as a function of gender, village, and age, were analyzed statistically using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis). Age influenced responses significantly, while gender and village had no significant effect. Youngsters emphasized morphological aspects of human-chimpanzee similarities, while adults emphasized chimpanzee behavior and narratives about the shared history of humans and chimpanzees. Tourism, conservation, and crop raiding feature prominently in people's reports about chimpanzees. Local people's engagement with conservation and tourism-related activities is likely to allow them to manage not only the costs but also the benefits of conservation, and can in turn inform the expectations built upon tourism. Am. J.
Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primat... more Western black-and-white colobus and Temmink's red colobus are two forest-dependent African primates with similar ecological requirements, often found in sympatry. Their most striking difference lies in their social system: black-and-white colobus live in small groups with mainly male-mediated dispersal but where females can also disperse, whereas red colobus live in larger groups with males described as philopatric. To investigate whether genetic evidence supports the reported patterns of dispersal based on observational data, we examined eight black-and-white and six red colobus social groups from Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau. Microsatellite markers revealed a lack of sex-biased dispersal for black-and-white colobus. Gene flow, mainly mediated by females, better explained the genetic patterns found in red colobus, with some evidence for less extensive male dispersal. In contrast to
Supplementary Table 1. Details on the ten microsatellites used for paternity analysis, including ... more Supplementary Table 1. Details on the ten microsatellites used for paternity analysis, including species of origin. Microsatellites marked with an asterisk (*) were amplified using primers with a M13 tail, as described in [28].
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most severe depression type and one of the leading causes ... more Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most severe depression type and one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. Animal models are widely used to understand MDD etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment, but the efficacy of this research for patients has barely been systematically evaluated. Such evaluation is important given the resource consumption and ethical concerns incurred by animal use. We used the citation tracking facilities within Web of Science and Scopus to locate citations of original research papers on rats related to MDD published prior to 2013-to allow adequate time for citations-identified in PubMed and Scopus by relevant search terms. Resulting citations were thematically coded in eight categories, and descriptive statistics were calculated. 178 publications describing relevant rat studies were identified. They were cited 8,712 times. More than half (4,633) of their citations were by other animal studies. 794 (less than 10%) were by human medical papers. Citation analysis indicates that rat model research has contributed very little to the contemporary clinical understanding of MDD. This suggests a misuse of limited funding hence supporting a change in allocation of research and development funds targeting this disorder to maximise benefits for patients.
Sexual selection theory suggests that males need to constantly reappraise their mating decisions ... more Sexual selection theory suggests that males need to constantly reappraise their mating decisions to take account of the presence and the phenotype of their rivals. Here we examine this expectation by asking: 1) If the presence of a rival influence male mating behaviour; 2) How important is the attractiveness of the rival in shaping a male behaviour; and 3) How does a male attractiveness in comparison to his rival influence a male's mating decisions. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species in which females choose males based on their attractive phenotypes, playing an important role in male mating outcomes, we recorded the frequency of mating tactics (courtship displays and unsolicited attempts) by focal males. First, we quantified focal male mating behaviour with and without a rival. Since the probability of a successful mating is, on average, halved by the presence of a rival, we predicted that under competition the focal male would invest more in less costly unsolicited mating attempts. Second, we examined how the rival's phenotype (standard length and area of orange colouration) mediated focal male mating behaviour. We found that rival presence influenced how focal males responded to females, in terms of both mating tactics. However, the rival attractiveness elicited changes only in male courtship display. Focal males increased courtship display rate if his rival was small or if possessed large amounts of orange, regardless of considering rival absolute or relative attractiveness. Our results show that males invest in the costlier mating tactic when there is no rival, or in the presence of a smaller rival. Interestingly, they make a similar investment in the presence of an attractive orange rival. Overall, this study highlights the importance of fine-grained male decisions in mating encounters and shows that mating tactics are differentially shaped by multiple competition risk cues.
Serum levels of selenium, copper, and zinc were systematically determined in healthy subjects of ... more Serum levels of selenium, copper, and zinc were systematically determined in healthy subjects of the Lisbon population. The sample consisted of 183 blood donors of both genders who were divided into two age groups: 20-44 and 45-70 yr of age; relationships with gender, age, the lipid profile, and tobacco consumption were investigated. In the female group, the intake of oral contraceptives and pregnancy were considered for the youngest women, and hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) was taken into account for the oldest ones. Serum concentrations of these elements were in the same range as those found for populations of other European countries. Differences between genders were observed for the three elements studied, with serum selenium and zinc concentrations higher in men and copper levels higher in women. Age-dependent differences were found for selenium: The oldest subjects (regardless gender) presented the highest concentrations of selenium in serum as further demonstrated by the ...
The present study was conducted to determine the effects of cigarette smoking on the levels of se... more The present study was conducted to determine the effects of cigarette smoking on the levels of serum alpha-tocopherol and on the lipid profile in humans from the Lisbon population. Serum alpha-tocopherol was evaluated by a reverse-phase HPLC method with UV detection. Enzymatic tests were used for the evaluation of the lipid profile. Smokers in general and female smokers in particular had decreased alpha-tocopherol levels when compared with nonsmokers. Smokers had also lower HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) contents, but this difference was statistically significant only for females. Regardless of sex, in smokers, there was a positive correlation between alpha-tocopherol and triglyceride (TG) levels. Cluster analysis showed a sex-independent separation between smokers and nonsmokers. These results suggest a different interaction of these blood parameters in smokers versus nonsmokers that should be further investigated.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and its pathogenesis is still no... more Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly prevalent and its pathogenesis is still not completely clarified. Clinically stable patients (n=21) and healthy subjects (n=24) were studied for blood markers of oxidative injury and antioxidant status. The plasma concentration of protein carbonyls was significantly increased in COPD patients, both ex-smokers (0.76 +/- 0.28 nmol mg(-1)) and smokers (0.99 +/- 020 nmol mg(-1)) versus controls (0.49 +/- 0.14 nmol mg(-1)) . The concentration of total thiols was slightly enhanced in plasma of the COPD patients (ex-smokers 492 +/- 23 micromol 1(-1) and smokers 505 +/- 36 micromol 1(-1) versus controls 450 +/- 67 micromol 1(-1); p &amp;amp;lt; 0.05). The activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase was increased in erythrocytes (activity in U g(-1) haemoglobin; ex-smokers 4460 +/- 763 and smokers 4114+/- 1060 versus 3015 +/- 851 in controls; p &amp;amp;gt; 0.01), while glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased in total blood (activity in U g(-1) haemoglobin: ex-smokers 27 +/- 9 and smokers 23 +/- 9 versus 47 +/- 25; p &amp;amp;lt; 0.01). Lower levels of selenium in plasma were also found for COPD patients (concentration in mg 1(-1): ex-smokers 0.030 +/- 0.019 and smokers 0.032 +/- 0.024 versus 0.058 +/- 0.023 in controls; p &amp;amp;lt; 0.01), being more evident in those with very low levels of arterial oxygen pressure. In addition, the levels of potassium and rubidium were increased in blood cells of the patient group. All these changes might reflect oxidant damage and an altered electrolytic homeostasis, and can be interpreted as markers of COPD rather than as indicators of smoking habits.
A total of 35 morphological characters (biometry, scalation, chromatic pattern) were studied thro... more A total of 35 morphological characters (biometry, scalation, chromatic pattern) were studied through multivariate analyses on 10 populations sampled across the range of the Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis hispanica) in Portugal. Biometry clearly splits the samples into two different types. Differences in scalation between the two types were not clear, but multiple correspondence analyses showed that different chromatic patterns fit each of the types: one presented dark dorsal patterns (e.g. reticulated, eyeled, striped) and whitish-pearly belly, while the other showed green or yellow-brown patterns and yellow-orange belly. These two morphotypes constitute different molecular lineages and have different ranges of distribution.
Correia (2005) Do eastern mosquitofish exhibit anti-predator behavior towards red swamp crayfish?... more Correia (2005) Do eastern mosquitofish exhibit anti-predator behavior towards red swamp crayfish? Zoological Studies 44(4): 513-518. Anti-predator behavior has been described in many freshwater fish species. Freshwater crayfish may have a great impact on prey species through behavioral changes. The eastern mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki, and the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, are native to North America, and have been introduced worldwide, causing negative effects on aquatic ecosystems. The interactions between these exotic species are poorly known. In natural habitats P. clarkii consumes G. holbrooki, but it is not clear if the mosquitofish has anti-predator defenses against the crayfish. The main objective of this study was to determine if G. holbrooki exhibits anti-predator behavior in the presence of P. clarkii. To address this question, laboratory tests were performed in experimental aquaria, analyzing the following behavioral traits of the mosquitofish: activity, distance from the predator, and space use. The mosquitofish were generally active and mainly preferred open space in both controls and treatments. Results suggest that G. holbrooki does not display anti-predator behavior when exposed to P. clarkii under the laboratory conditions used in this study.
Cantanhez National Park in southern Guinea-Bissau is a mosaic of forest, mangrove, savanna, and a... more Cantanhez National Park in southern Guinea-Bissau is a mosaic of forest, mangrove, savanna, and agricultural fields, with a high prevalence of oil-palm trees (Elaeis guineensis). It hosts many different animal species, including the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus). Very little is known about the ecology of chimpanzees inhabiting this area. The main aims of this study were to evaluate chimpanzee nesting behavior, define trends of habitat use, and estimate chimpanzee density in four separate forests by applying the marked nest counts methodology. From the 287 new nests counted, 92% were built in oil-palm trees with a significantly higher frequency of nests in the forest edge than in forest cores. Differences in nest detection rates were observed in the four monitored forests, with two forests being more important for chimpanzee&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s nesting demands. The number of nests documented in the forests seemed to be correlated with the frequency of other signs of chimpanzee activity. Although chimpanzees selected nests on the forest edge, they were most frequently observed in forest core areas. Constraints associated with estimating chimpanzee density through oil-palm nest counting are discussed.
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