Trace element contamination biomonitoring: A comparative study between the polychaetes Alitta virens and Hediste diversicolor.

Trace elements (TEs) remain of significant toxicological concern as many are critical for global decarbonisation. TEs accumulate in sediments so benthic polychaetes (e.g.

Toward a standardised protocol for the stable isotope analysis of scleractinian corals.

Rationale: The stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen is a powerful tool in many ecological studies, but different sample treatments may affect stable isotope ratios and hamper comparisons among studies. The goal of this study was to determine whether treatments that are commonly used to prepare scleractinian coral samples for stable isotope analysis yield different δ N and δ C values, and to provide guidelines toward a standardised protocol.

Methods: The animal tissues and Symbiodiniaceae of two symbiotic scleractinian coral species (Stylophora pistillata and Porites lutea) were divided into subsamples to test the effects of the drying method, lipid extraction, acidification treatment and water washing.

Ecomorphology, trophic niche, and distribution divergences of two common damselfishes in the Gulf of California.

Damselfishes of the genus Stegastes are among the most conspicuous benthic reef-associated fish in the Gulf of California, and the two most commonly found species are the Beaubrummel Gregory Stegastes flavilatus and the Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum. Both species are described as ecologically and morphologically very similar. However, the niche theory predicts that coexisting species will tend to minimize competition through niche partitioning.

The dark side of the black caiman: Shedding light on species dietary ecology and movement in Agami Pond, French Guiana.

The black caiman is one of the largest neotropical top predators, which means that it could play a structuring role within swamp ecosystems. However, because of the difficulties inherent to studying black caimans, data are sorely lacking on many aspects of their general biology, natural history, and ecology, especially in French Guiana. We conducted a detailed study of the Agami Pond black caiman population using a multidisciplinary approach.

Using an apex predator for large-scale monitoring of trace element contamination: Associations with environmental, anthropogenic and dietary proxies.

Understanding the levels and drivers of contamination in top predators is important for their conservation and eventual use as sentinels in environmental monitoring. Therefore, metals and trace elements were analyzed in feathers of Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) from southern Portugal in 2007-2013, where they are believed to be exposed to a wide range of contamination sources such as agricultural land uses, urban areas, active and abandoned mines and a coal-fired power plant. We focused on concentrations of aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), as these contaminants are potentially associated with those sources and are known to pose a risk for terrestrial vertebrates.