Papers by Manuel Ballesteros
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2013
The extent to which persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with different physicochemical propertie... more The extent to which persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with different physicochemical properties originated from the food (dietary input) was assessed in raptor nestlings. Lipophilic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 153, 1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (p,p'-DDE), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and protein-bound perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were measured repeatedly in blood plasma of individual goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) nestlings, 1 to 3 wk after hatching and near fledging. Maternally derived POPs dilute as nestlings grow (growth dilution), and increasing plasma concentrations would indicate dietary input. First, plasma concentrations given no dietary input were estimated, and concentrations of p,p'-DDE, HCB, and notably PFOS were significantly higher than predicted from a growth-dilution scenario (approximately 1.5-fold to 2.5-fold higher; p < 0.001). In contrast, PCB 153 declined in both species, although concentrations were still higher than predicted in white-tailed eagle nestlings (p < 0.05). Second, the relationships between plasma POP concentrations and trophic position (δ(15) N) and dietary carbon source (δ(13) C) were analyzed, controlling for growth rate. Both δ(15) N and δ(13) C (measured in body feathers) were significantly associated to the accumulation of most POPs, except PFOS. In conclusion, pollutant data acquired in plasma of nestling raptors should be interpreted and further investigated in the light of individual feeding ecology, and the use of raptor nestlings as sentinels for POP monitoring could be optimized by correcting for different factors such as body condition, brood size, and age.
La contradicció que supone el elevado númer de especies total con las cifras bajas de especies ... more La contradicció que supone el elevado númer de especies total con las cifras bajas de especies por muestra, es decir, el elevado numero de especies accidentales @O%), puede interpretarse como un defecto en la estrategia de muestre0 ya que, mientras que el áre empleada (400cm2) se revela como suficiente para el estudio de otros grupos (Poliquetos en MARTIN, 1987), no parece ser suficiente para el estudio de los Moluscos.
La contradicció que supone el elevado númer de especies total con las cifras bajas de especies ... more La contradicció que supone el elevado númer de especies total con las cifras bajas de especies por muestra, es decir, el elevado numero de especies accidentales @O%), puede interpretarse como un defecto en la estrategia de muestre0 ya que, mientras que el áre empleada (400cm2) se revela como suficiente para el estudio de otros grupos (Poliquetos en MARTIN, 1987), no parece ser suficiente para el estudio de los Moluscos.
Oceanography and marine biology
Opisthobranch molluscs are an extremely interesting group of animals, displaying a wide diversity... more Opisthobranch molluscs are an extremely interesting group of animals, displaying a wide diversity in shape, colour and life strategies. Chemical ecology of this group is particularly appealing since most species have a reduced or absent shell and have developed chemical defences to avoid predation. New results on defensive glandular structures as well as a compilation of literature data in sea slugs (Opisthobranchia, Gastropoda, Mollusca) are presented in this review. Investigation of these structures is based on detailed analyses of the histology of many representative species of all major taxa of the Opisthobranchia. The results are correlated with previous and new findings of secondary metabolites in these animals and are set in a phylogenetic context. Additionally, information on food sources is given. Also, an hypothetical scenario relating chemical ecology to histology is proposed. This information will help future analyses to investigate defensive devices on a much more accurate basis and allow a better understanding of evolutionary processes, which are observed independently in many opisthobranch clades.
Journal Molluscan Studies
Pedro TALAVERA, (5) y José TEMPLADO (6).
Some species possess more than one form: each form would be effective against different prey type... more Some species possess more than one form: each form would be effective against different prey types (Silén, 1977)-Deterring the settlement of epibionts (Harmer, 1909) Fenestrae of the genus Reteporella are free from encrusting organisms and settled larvae-Feeding function (the successful adaptation of the variable size of the avicularia)
Uploads
Papers by Manuel Ballesteros