Papers by Olga M. C. C. Ameixa
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023
InTech eBooks, Jun 20, 2018
Highest extinction risk and consequently biodiversity loss are predicted to occur in invertebrate... more Highest extinction risk and consequently biodiversity loss are predicted to occur in invertebrates, specifically insects, and these declines are expected to cascade onto ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Although this knowledge is intrinsically present in more traditional communities, in more urban environments, mapping ecosystem services can be an important tool to raise people's awareness on the importance of preserving insect diversity. After an extensive revision of the available literature, we used a rule-based approach to assess the provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural services delivered by insects. We followed the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) and identified several potential indicators that may help underpin the mapping and valuation of the services delivered by insects. From our search, we extracted a total of 73 indicators, divided as 17 Provisional indicators, 27 Regulation and Maintenance indicators, and 29 Cultural indicators. We concluded that insects are providers of services in the three major 'Sections' of ecosystem services defined by CICES. Despite the lack of recognition of provisioning and cultural services, the indicators provided may help to raise awareness on the importance of the little things the run the world, in order to preserve traditional and technological uses of insects and their services.
Journal of insects as food and feed, Apr 21, 2021
The need for more sustainable aquafeeds has prompted the exploration of insects as potential ingr... more The need for more sustainable aquafeeds has prompted the exploration of insects as potential ingredients. However, commonly reared insects are not satisfactory regarding their fatty acid composition, lacking omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC PUFA), important nutrients for marine organisms. In this study, we present in detail the fatty acid profile of the long-legged fly Machaerium maritimae Haliday (Diptera: Dolichopodidae), an amphibiotic insect native to European coastal habitats. Specimens of this fly were collected in Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon (Portugal) and the fatty acid profile was analysed through gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Results revealed a remarkably high level of n-3 LC PUFA, (11 μg/mg dry weight, 20% of the fatty acid profile) namely eicosapentaenoic acid, and a low level of saturated fatty acids. This value is higher than what is found in Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly), while comparable to other aquatic insects. We also report the presence of 50 distinct fatty acids, including multiple branched-chain and PUFA, and discuss potential implications of their presence on the ecology of this species. Variation in the fatty acid profile along the landscape is also presented. Our results indicate that M. maritimae can potentially be a high-quality lipid source for marine aquafeeds. Current legislation in Europe allowing the use of insects in aquaculture is restricted to a few selected species, often non-native, however, further research should consider native insects as potential alternatives to current ingredients in aquafeed.
ABSTRACT Harmonia axyridis was first recorded in the Czech Republic in 2006. Here we present an a... more ABSTRACT Harmonia axyridis was first recorded in the Czech Republic in 2006. Here we present an analysis of its degree of dominance within aphidophagous guilds and of its association with particular habitats in 2008. The dominance affinity of different ladybird species towards the habitats where they were found was studied using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). The biplot shows a clear invasive pattern in the year studied. In the present study, H. axyridis was one of the most abundant ladybirds, especially in trees and shrubs. Although it is too early to make firm conclusions about the role that this ladybird has on the native communities, it is worrying that it became one of the most abundant species only three years after its establishment in the Czech Republic.
European journal of environmental sciences, Jun 25, 2014
Agriculture intensification in most European countries over the last 50 years resulted in a signi... more Agriculture intensification in most European countries over the last 50 years resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. Attempts are now being made to restore originally complex agricultural landscapes by splitting large fields into smaller units using biocorridors, which are linear elements consisting of trees and shrubs. Such non-crop habitats can act as refuges both for insect predators that may potentially act as biocontrol agents and for insect pests. Bird cherry, Prunus padus (L.), is a winter host of a cereal pest and vector of cereal virus, the aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (L.
Journal of Applied Entomology, May 3, 2011
Parasitoid females use several chemical cues to locate hosts. A better knowledge of how they resp... more Parasitoid females use several chemical cues to locate hosts. A better knowledge of how they respond to a complex of these cues in a small range may help us to understand how to manipulate the parasitoids in the field. Here, the response of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani to a mixture of odours of synthetic and plant‐extracted nepetalactone (a component of aphid sex pheromone) and to (E)‐β‐farnesene (aphid alarm pheromone) was investigated. The behavioural responses of A. colemani to three semiochemical groups with different concentrations were studied in a square arena. Parasitoid females were significantly attracted by the semiochemicals, when their concentrations were high, in which case the females spent more time in squares with semiochemicals. The majority of females preferred plant‐extracted nepetalactone, when it was in high concentration, but they consistently did not respond to (E)‐β‐farnesene.
Trends in Analytical Chemistry, Apr 1, 2019
Abstract Although the study of the effects of microplastics increased in the last years, terrestr... more Abstract Although the study of the effects of microplastics increased in the last years, terrestrial ecosystems remain less studied. In fact, the effects of microplastics in insects, the most abundant group of animals and major providers of key Ecosystem Services, are not well known despite the potential cascading negative effects on the ecosystems functioning in the habitats where they occur. In this paper, a revision on available studies on microplastics contamination is provided and potential consequences to major Ecosystem Services provided by insects are discussed, using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) methodology. The revision underpinned probable and potential impacts for all tree CICES divisions, i.e.: Provision, Regulation and Maintenance and Cultural Services. The available studies seem to show that different groups react differently to microplastics contamination, which clearly indicates that the effects in Ecosystem Services provided by insects need a more empirical and targeted approach.
Biocontrol, Aug 1, 2011
The ecological effects of introduced species on native organisms can sometimes, but not always be... more The ecological effects of introduced species on native organisms can sometimes, but not always be significant. The risks associated with invasive alien pests are difficult to quantify. This paper concentrates on the ecological effects of invasive insect predators that feed on pest insects, because the former may potentially affect the biological control of the latter. The literature indicates that invasive predatory insects generally are resistant to changes in environmental conditions, long-lived and voracious with a high reproductive rate, high dispersal ability, able to spread very rapidly across landscapes and exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Their colonization of patches of prey may induce native predators to leave, but the evidence that invaders negatively affect the abundance of the native species is scarce and not persuasive. Insect predators do not substantially affect the abundance of their prey, if the ratio of generation time of the predator to that of the prey is large (the generation time ratio hypothesis), therefore the effect of an invasion by long-lived alien predators on systems consisting of long-lived native predators and short-lived prey on the abundance of the prey is hard to detect.
Phytochemistry, Aug 1, 2022
Saltmarsh plants have several defense mechanisms against threatening abiotic conditions, such as ... more Saltmarsh plants have several defense mechanisms against threatening abiotic conditions, such as salinity, inundation, or exposure to intense radiation, less is known regarding response to insect pests attack. Salicornia europaea L. plant stands are produced as cash crops in Portuguese coastal areas. In 2017, these crops suffered significant attacks from a gall midge fly (Baldratia salicorniae Kieffer, 1897), reducing its economic value. To understand how this attack influenced S. europaea chemical composition, infested and non-infested branches were collected, and their extracts were analysed by GS-MS and UHPLC-MS. Results revealed that different degrees of infestations displayed different chemical composition. Several compounds were for the first time identified in S. europaea, such as, arachidic acid, alpha-tocopherol, henicos-1-ene, and squalene. Most evident results were the reduced amount of alkanes in the infested conditions, which seems to be a direct consequence of insect infestation. Several compounds identified in the infested branches are known to have negative effects on insect larvae by reducing larval growth (linoleic acid) or increasing insect mortality (oleic acid). Halophyte plants production is increasing and it is accompanied by the urge to develop early control strategies against potential pests. These strategies may include ecological friendly solutions such as endogenous production of specialized metabolites to retrieve plant self-defences. Further, our results showed that B. salicorniae herbivory also induced the production of higher number of specialized metabolites with important known biological activities. In years in which high infestations reduce organoleptic qualities for fresh consumption plants can be used in biorefinery industries for metabolite extraction.
Graellsia, May 12, 2023
This paper reports the first record of an established population of the seaweed fly Malacomyia sc... more This paper reports the first record of an established population of the seaweed fly Malacomyia sciomyzina (Haliday, 1833) (Diptera, Coelopidae) on Barra beach, Aveiro, Portugal. A total of 17 specimens were collected with sweep-nets from sea wrack dominated by Fucus sp. and the invasive water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms. The individuals of this species were observed during autumn, overflying the sea wrack in this coastal area. Adult individuals were collected and reared under control conditions in a rearing facility, using the brown algae Fucus sp. as substrate. The complete life cycle was completed in about 5 weeks at 15ºC. A great variation in size was observed among both male and female emerged individuals.
ZooKeys, Aug 2, 2021
A comprehensive annotated checklist of the ladybeetle species of Portugal, including the Azores a... more A comprehensive annotated checklist of the ladybeetle species of Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira archipelagos, is presented. The Coccinellidae fauna comprises a total of 101 species: 83 from the Mainland, 39 from Madeira, and 32 from the Azores. The listed species are distributed among 2 subfamilies and 13 tribes: within the subfamily Microweiseinae, Madeirodulini (1 species), Serangiini (2 species), and within the subfamily Coccinellinae, Azyini (1 species), Chilocorini (4 species), Coccidulini (7 species), Coccinellini (30 species), Epilachnini (4 species), Hyperaspidini (7 species), Noviini (2 species), Platynaspini (1 species), Scymnini (37 species), Stethorini (3 species), and Sticholotidini (2 species). The Portuguese fauna comprises 10 exotic species: 5 present in the Mainland, 7 in Madeira, and 6 in the
InTech eBooks, Dec 16, 2011
We are in the midst of the sixth global mass extinction event (McNeely & Scherr, 2002; Thomas et ... more We are in the midst of the sixth global mass extinction event (McNeely & Scherr, 2002; Thomas et al., 2004). Around the globe, biological communities that took millions of years to develop-including tropical rain forests, coral reefs, old-growth forests, prairies and coastal wetlands-have been devastated as a result of human actions. Biologists predict that tens of thousands of species and millions of unique populations will go extinct in the coming decades (Brown & Laband, 2006; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005a). If the current predictions are correct, the rates of environmental changes may outpace the capacities of organisms to adapt to the changes. There are seven major threats to biodiversity: habitat destruction; habitat fragmentation; habitat degradation (including pollution); global climate change; the overexploitation of species for human use; the invasion of exotic species; and the increased spread of disease. Most threatened species and ecosystems face at least two or more of these threats, which can interact synergistically to speed the way to extinction and hinder efforts at protecting biodiversity (Burgman et al., 2007; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005b). All seven threats are the result of an expanding human population's ever increasing use of the world's natural resources (Primack, 2008). Agroecosystems include a large proportion of the world's biodiversity (Pimentel et al., 1992). Over the past two decades, research has demonstrated the value of agricultural biodiversity in all its forms, including crop and livestock genetic diversity, and associated species important for production, for example, pollinators, soil microorganisms, beneficial insects, and predators of pests and wild species that occur in agricultural landscapes (Uphoff et al., 2006). Some species are almost completely dependent on agricultural habitats for survival, e.g. Great Bustard Otis tarda, Grey Partridge Perdix perdix or the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (Kleijn et al., 2006). Since the 1960's both industrial agriculture in developed countries and the original green revolution in developing countries have depended on improved seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. This production model involved a small number of crops, generally in monoculture (to increase efficiency in use of inputs and mechanization), increased pesticide and fertilizer use and short crop-rotations (Benton et al., 2003). Wild flora and fauna were considered direct competitors for resources or harvested products, www.intechopen.com Ecosystems Biodiversity 316 while water was diverted from wetlands and natural habitats for irrigation (Uphoff et al., 2006), and intensification has reduced the suitability of agricultural fields for a wide range of organisms (Benton et al., 2003). The cultivation of annual crops has expanded at the cost of non-crop habitats such as extensive grasslands, fallow, hedges and field margins (Benton et al., 2003; Tilman et al., 2001b). Non-crop habitats provide dispersal corridors for wildlife and habitat islands required by many species as refuges and feeding areas (Öckinger & Smith, 2007; Stoate et al., 2001). Non-crop habitats can also act as biodiversity reservoirs for natural enemies, which can potentially improve natural pest control in agricultural landscapes (Ives et al., 2000; Wilby & Thomas, 2002), however, they can also act as reservoirs for pest species, which can colonize the crops (van Emden, 1965). The expansion of agricultural intensification (AI) is often considered to be an important factor that has contributed to a rapid decline in biodiversity in agroecosystems (Benton et al., 2003; Mattison & Norris, 2005) and negatively affected the production of ecosystem services, e.g., maintenance of fertile soils, biotic regulation, nutrient recycling, assimilation of wastes, sequestration of carbon dioxide, and maintenance of genetic information (
Encyclopedia of the UN sustainable development goals, 2020
Saltmarshes are wetlands which mostly occur in intertidal areas, in transitional areas of marine ... more Saltmarshes are wetlands which mostly occur in intertidal areas, in transitional areas of marine and terrestrial environments, connecting saline to freshwater ecosystems, and are periodically flooded by salt water or brackish water. These areas are usually covered by typical herbs, grasses, or low shrubs, characterized by the ability to tolerate a wide range of salinities and different periodic flooding periods (Adam 1993). Saltmarshes are very dynamic ecosystems, determined by feedback processes between sediment deposition and vegetation growth as well as the balance between erosion and vertical accretion. Saltmarshes occur worldwide, except Antarctica, particularly from middle to high latitudes, and are usually restricted to comparatively sheltered locations. These ecosystems can be found associated with estuaries, barrier islands, spits, embayments, and open shores exposed to low wave energy, as well as fringing coastal lagoons. Saltmarsh ecosystems are essential to coastal food webs providing nursery areas, not only for many fish and crustaceans of recreational and economic importance but also for birds. Despite the relevance and distribution of saltmarshes worldwide, these ecosystems have been facing many threats most of these associated with current global changes such as sea level rise.
Springer eBooks, 2010
When in 1824 the French mathematician Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier suggested that the Earth’s tem... more When in 1824 the French mathematician Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier suggested that the Earth’s temperature was slowly increasing it was not readily accepted. Some years later Svante Arrhenius (1896) and Guy Callendar (1938) supported this hypothesis and added that the planet’s temperature is increasing due to man’s activities, in particular the production of CO2, which has a crucial role in
Biological Invasions, Sep 8, 2018
Harmonia axyridis is a global invasive alien species and its ecological effects are well document... more Harmonia axyridis is a global invasive alien species and its ecological effects are well documented. However, in some regions where it was deliberately introduced, it never became fully established. Until recently, Southern Europe was one such region, although, recently several overwintering populations were found in northeast Spain, which may indicate that the species can potentially spread to the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. Besides the negative impacts for native coccinellid species, the establishment of H. axyridis in the Iberian Peninsula could have an important impact on the wine industry, which is very significant in this region. To predict if H. axyridis will be able to spread across western southern Europe, with an emphasis on vine-growing regions, we used the Mahalanobis distance presence-only species distribution model, which was constructed based on 16 bioclimatic and environmental variables to characterize the occupied niche and predict the distribution of this invasive alien species. Our model revealed that H. axyridis can find suitable conditions mostly in northern regions of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in punctual locations, in coastal regions of this territory, including important vine-growing regions,
Journal of insects as food and feed, Oct 19, 2021
Insects are efficient converters of different types of low-quality organic matter into biomass ri... more Insects are efficient converters of different types of low-quality organic matter into biomass rich in good quality protein. Flies are particularly well suited for the biodegradation of organic waste and larval stages can be used as animal feed. Currently, only Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) and Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) are accepted for feeding purposes by European authorities. However, there are several other species potentially interesting to be used in animal feed. This review compiles available information regarding species from Calliphoridae family, ranging from scattered records of its use as animal feed to nutritional profile descriptions. Comparisons are made with the most common ingredients used as animal feed, fish meal and soybean meal as well as with other two authorised species by the European regulation, H. illucens and M. domestica. Concerns about pathogen transmission are also discussed. Blow flies present a real opportunity to recycle organic side streams under a circular economy framework and can ultimately contribute to the reduction of nutrients shortage in animal feed. Other advantages include their high fertility, short life cycle, known rearing methodologies and good nutritional profile. Further, their potential as pathogen transmitters is equivalent to the domestic fly. For all these reasons blow flies are good candidates to be used as ingredients in animal feed.
Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology, 2008
Summary The present study was carried out to evaluate the insecticidal properties of Drosophyllum... more Summary The present study was carried out to evaluate the insecticidal properties of Drosophyllum lusitanicum (L.) Link, an insectivorous plant that is endemic to the western Iberian Peninsula and northwest Morocco. The insecticidal capacities of extracts from field-grown D. lusitanicum plants were evaluated using contact and feeding bioassays against female adults of Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess), one of the major pests of several floricultural and vegetable crops. In addition, the toxicity of the extract from in vitro cultures of D. lusitanicum was evaluated in contact bioassays. The results showed that extracts of D. lusitanicum have considerable insecticidal potential, particularly through contact application (100% mortality 1 d after treatment). Moreover, extracts from in vitro cultures had similar toxicity to those from field-grown plants. Extracts were analysed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major constituent was 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (plumbagin), and its level was similar in extracts from field-grown plants (11.0 mg ml–1) and from in vitro cultures (8.2 mg ml–1). Although the results suggest that the insecticidal activity of extracts of D. lusitanicum is probably due to the presence of this naphthoquinone, further detailed research is required to identify other compounds that may be responsible for the activity.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 15, 2022
Saltmarshes are considered one of the most productive habitats in the world and exhibit a spatial... more Saltmarshes are considered one of the most productive habitats in the world and exhibit a spatial zonation of its vegetation, from the intertidal flats to the seawall or dunes providing habitats to specific invertebrate assemblages adapted to regular submergence by seawater, and the resulting high soil salinity. These ecotones are essential to support coastal food webs and in providing nursery areas, for fish, crustaceans, and birds. Ria de Aveiro costal lagoon has been the focus of considerable research, but despite being part of Nature 2000 network, and being a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, insects have been systematically neglected. In this work we present new shore flies (Ephydridae) records from Ria de Aveiro saltmarshes, Portugal. Field collections were carried in seven locations along Ria de Aveiro saltmarshes areas by sweep-netting the dominating halophyte vegetation in September 2020. A total of 243 Ephydridae specimens from 8 genus and 17 species were collected. From these, 9 species are new records for Portuguese territory, 3 of them to the Iberian Peninsula. This work contributes to increase the dipterological knowledge regarding Ephydridae diversity in southern Europe, and to identify potential halophyte plant pests since several Ephydridae species are phytophagous.
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Papers by Olga M. C. C. Ameixa