Small-scale fisheries in ecologically sensitive areas in Latin America and the Caribbean: Do marine protected areas benefit fisheries governance?

Many small-scale fisheries (SSFs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) operate in ecologically sensitive areas, where balancing conservation and resource use is challenging. 'Multiple-use' marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to accommodate SSFs (among other uses) within areas designated for conservation, creating opportunities and challenges for SSF governance. We analyzed eleven case studies from LAC to explore: (1) how different MPA institutional designs affect key aspects of SSF governance and (2) the links between these effects and the type of initiative that promoted MPA establishment (origin).

Integrated biomarker responses in wild populations of the intertidal sea anemone Bunodosoma zamponii living under different anthropogenic pressures.

Bunodosoma zamponii is the most abundant anemone in Mar del Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Given that the presence of persistent organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides and PCBs) and the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos has recently been reported in this species, two wild populations living under different anthropogenic pressures were studied and compared regarding basic aspects of their ecology and physiological response to oxidative stress. A population from an impacted site (Las Delicias, LD) and another from a reference site (Punta Cantera, PC) were monitored seasonally (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), for one year.

Oxidative stress in the bivalve Diplodon chilensis under direct and dietary glyphosate-based formulation exposure.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects on biochemical parameters and organosomatic indices in the freshwater bivalve Diplodon chilensis exposed to a glyphosate-based formulation under direct and dietary exposures (4 mg a.p./L).

Contaminant dynamics in honey bees and hive products of apiaries from environmentally contrasting Argentinean regions.

Argentina is a leading honey producer and honey bees are also critical for pollination services and wild plants. At the same time, it is a major crop producer with significant use of insecticides, posing risks to bees. Therefore, the presence of the highly toxic insecticide chlorpyrifos, and forbidden contaminants (organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)) was investigated in honey bee, beebread, wax and honey samples in apiaries from three contrasting regions of Argentina.

Cnidom in Ceriantharia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa): new findings in the composition and micrometric variations of cnidocysts.

Background: Like all cnidarians, the subclass Ceriantharia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) is known for producing cnidocysts, which mainly serve for prey immobilization, predator defense, and locomotion.

Aim: The present study aimed to understand the variability of the cnidom, , the inventory of all cnidocyst types, in the ceriantharians (tube anemones) (10 individuals) and sp. (seven individuals).

Baseline concentrations, spatial distribution and origin of trace elements in marine surface sediments of the northern Antarctic Peninsula.

Increased human activity in the Antarctic Peninsula combined with accelerated melting of its glaciers highlights the importance of monitoring trace element concentrations. Surface sediment samples were collected around King George Island, Hope Bay and in the Bransfield Strait in February 2020 and were analysed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The methods display a good correlation.

Sedimentary record of the impact of management actions on pollution of Cartagena bay, Colombia.

The reconstruction of pollution in aquatic ecosystems is a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of management actions. Cartagena Bay (Colombia, Caribbean Sea) is one of the most impacted coastal zones in Colombia by a wide variety of human activities. A sediment core was dated using Pb and used to reconstruct the historical input of heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorinated pesticides to the bay.

Comparison of the structural and ultrastructural characteristics of the female prostate between pregnant and non-pregnant plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus).

Some years ago, our group reported the presence of the female prostate in all the studied females of the plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus). The goal of the present study was to characterize and compare the female prostate gland between adult pregnant and non-pregnant plains viscacha using histochemical, lectin-histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques, as well as optic and electron microscopy. Structurally, alveoli are lined by a simple epithelium formed by different cell types: basal cells, secretory cells in different stages of the secretory cycle and cells of clear cytoplasm.

Spatial and temporal trends and flow dynamics of glyphosate and other pesticides within an agricultural watershed in Argentina.

In the present study, we evaluated the spatial and temporal trends of current-use pesticides in surface water and sediments as well as their relationship with hydrological stream dynamics within the agricultural watershed of El Crespo stream (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). We sampled 2 contrasting sites: site 1 (upstream), surrounded by agricultural lands, and site 2 (downstream), surrounded by natural grasslands. Most of the applied pesticides (glyphosate, 2,4-D, atrazine, tebuconazole, and imidacloprid) were detected at high frequencies in surface water samples at both sites.

Long-Term Starvation and Posterior Feeding Effects on Biochemical and Physiological Responses of Midgut Gland of Cherax quadricarinatus Juveniles (Parastacidae).

We investigated the effect of long-term starvation and posterior feeding on energetic reserves, oxidative stress, digestive enzymes, and histology of C. quadricarinatus midgut gland. The crayfish (6.

Comparative analysis of the morphology and histochemistry of the duodenum of the coypu (Myocastor coypus bonariensis) during its prenatal and postnatal development.

The objective of this study focused on the comparative morphological and histochemical analysis of the duodenum of fetuses, juveniles and adult coypu (Myocastor coypus bonariensis), the major socioeconomic wildlife resource of Argentina. Histological and histochemical procedures for in situ characterization of glycoconjugates (GCs) were used. This study evidenced that fetal mucins differ histochemically in many respects from their adult counterparts.

Histological and Histochemical Study of the Hepatopancreas of Two Estuarine Crab Species, Cyrtograpsus angulatus and Neohelice granulata (Grapsoidea, Varunidae): Influence of Environmental Salinity.

The aim of this study was to analyze the histology and the histochemical distribution of glycoproteins (GPs) and lipids of the hepatopancreas of Cyrtograpsus angulatus and Neohelice granulata acclimated to salinities of 10 psu (hyperregulation) and 35 psu (osmoconformation). Sections of the hepatopancreas of adult male crabs were treated with hematoxylin-eosin; Masson trichrome; Alcian Blue (pHs 2.8, 1.

Morphology of the claw closer muscle in two estuarine crab species (Crustacea, Varunidae): an ultrastructural study.

We analyzed the ultrastructural features of the claw closer muscles in two estuarine crabs, Cyrtograpsus angulatus and Neohelice granulata, by transmission electron microscopy. Adult male crabs at intermolt stage were collected in the Mar Chiquita Coastal Lagoon (Buenos Aires, Argentina). The muscle fibers of both species showed evident striations, peripheral and intermyofibrillar nuclei, clefts in continuity with T and Z tubules, sarcoplasmic reticulum and T tubules forming dyads and triads usually located between the A and I bands, and mitochondria located mainly beneath the sarcolemma.