Hidden in the depths, discovery of a new spiny sucker eel of the genus Lipogenys Goode and Bean 1895 (Teleostei, Notacanthiformes, Notacanthidae) in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean.

This study describes Lipogenys hyalinumvelum, a new species of the genus Lipogenys found on the Portuguese coast on the northeastern Atlantic during a crustacean survey. Information on the classification history and known distribution of the genus Lipogenys is provided. Dichotomous keys to the genera of Notacanthidae and the species of Lipogenys, based on morphology, are provided.

Mediterranean springs: Keystone ecosystems and biodiversity refugia threatened by global change.

Mediterranean spring ecosystems are unique habitats at the interface between surface water and groundwater. These ecosystems support a remarkable array of biodiversity and provide important ecological functions and ecosystem services. Spring ecosystems are influenced by abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors such as the lithology of their draining aquifers, their climate, and the land use of their recharge area, all of which affect the water chemistry of the aquifer and the spring discharges.

A review on aquatic toxins - Do we really know it all regarding the environmental risk posed by phytoplankton neurotoxins?

Aquatic toxins are potent natural toxins produced by certain cyanobacteria and marine algae species during harmful cyanobacterial and algal blooms (CyanoHABs and HABs, respectively). These harmful bloom events and the toxins produced during these events are a human and environmental health concern worldwide, with occurrence, frequency and severity of CyanoHABs and HABs being predicted to keep increasing due to ongoing climate change scenarios. These contexts, as well as human health consequences of some toxins produced during bloom events have been thoroughly reviewed before.

Determination of intestinal absorption of the paralytic shellfish toxin GTX-5 using the Caco-2 human cell model.

Contributing to the human health risk assessment, the present study aims to evaluate the ability of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) to cross the human intestinal epithelium by using the Caco-2 permeability assay. A crude extract prepared from the PST producer dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum strain, GCAT1_L2_16, and the PST analogue gonyautoxin-5 (GTX-5) prepared from a certified reference material (CRM) were tested. In the conditions of the assay, none of the compounds altered Caco-2 viability, or the integrity of cell monolayers.