Baseline Raman Spectral Fingerprints of Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae.

As a highly sensitive vibrational technique, Raman spectroscopy (RS) can provide valuable chemical and molecular data useful to characterise animal cell types, tissues and organs. As a label-free, rapid detection method, RS has been considered a valuable asset in forensics, biology and medicine. The technique has been applied to zebrafish for various purposes, including physiological, biochemical or bioaccumulation analyses.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in commercial marine bivalves: Abundance, main impacts of single and combined exposure and potential impacts for human health.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are emerging pollutants with a broad distribution in marine environments. They can interact with other pollutants and be bioaccumulated by marine bivalves, which can be consumed by humans. This is the first review that focuses on the presence and effects of PAHs, single or combined with other pollutants, in commercial marine bivalves.

Developmental and transcriptomic responses of Hawaiian bobtail squid early stages to ocean warming and acidification.

Cephalopods play a central ecological role across all oceans and realms. However, under the current climate crisis, their physiology and behaviour are impacted, and we are beginning to comprehend the effects of environmental stressors at a molecular level. Here, we study the Hawaiian bobtail squid (), known for its specific binary symbiosis with the bioluminescent bacterium acquired post-hatching.

Top 10+1 indicators for assessing forest ecosystem conditions: A five-decade fragmentation analysis.

Globally, land use change has consistently resulted in greater losses than gains in aboveground biomass (AGB). Forest fragmentation is a primary driver of biodiversity loss and the depletion of natural capital. Measuring landscape characteristics and analyzing changes in forest landscape patterns are essential for accounting for the contributions of forest ecosystems to the economy and human well-being.

Spatial variation of metal(loid)s in sediments of an Atlantic mesotidal estuary (Sado estuary, Portugal).

Estuaries offer favorable conditions for human settlement. As a result, pollutants, such as metals, have been released to these systems. Those are adsorbed by particulate material that tend to settle at the bottom and sink in the sediment.

Strong winds reduce foraging success in albatrosses.

Knowledge of how animals respond to weather and changes in their physical environment is increasingly important, given the higher frequency of extreme weather recorded in recent years and its forecasted increase globally. Even species considered to be highly adapted to extremes of weather, as albatrosses are to strong winds, may be disadvantaged by shifts in those extremes. Tracked albatrosses were shown recently to avoid storms and the strongest associated winds.

A molecular mechanism for bright color variation in parrots.

Parrots produce stunning plumage colors through unique pigments called psittacofulvins. However, the mechanism underlying their ability to generate a spectrum of vibrant yellows, reds, and greens remains enigmatic. We uncover a unifying chemical basis for a wide range of parrot plumage colors, which result from the selective deposition of red aldehyde- and yellow carboxyl-containing psittacofulvin molecules in developing feathers.

Plastic use as nesting material can alter incubation temperature and behaviour but does not affect yellow-legged gull chicks.

Optimal incubation temperature is crucial for embryos' development and survival. With the increasing use of plastics in gulls' nests, it is essential to understand how their incorporation affects incubation temperature, parental behaviour, and hatching success. Considering this, we conducted an experiment where plastic was introduced into yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) nests.

The effects of different densities of Asparagopsis armata (Harvey, 1855) seaweed on the clam Ruditapes philippinarum (A. Adams and Reeve, 1850): Insights from a laboratory assessment.

Several invasive species can occupy the same geographic area. Interaction between species depends on several factors, and the results of such interactions can be highly diverse. Asparagopsis armata is a invasive red seaweed whose exudates contain a cocktail of toxic halogenated compounds.

Community composition and seasonal dynamics of microplastic biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Marine plastic pollution poses a growing environmental threat, with microplastics accumulating in the global oceans. This study profiles the seasonal dynamics and taxonomic composition of the plastisphere, the microplastic ecosystem, in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Using long-read 16 S and 18 S metabarcoding, we analyzed offshore microplastic and whole seawater samples across each season over a two-year period.

Red Seaweed (Rhodophyta) Phycocolloids: A Road from the Species to the Industry Application.

Seaweed polysaccharides are versatile both in their functions in seaweed physiology and in their practical applications in society. However, their content and quality vary greatly. This review discusses the main factors that influence the yield and quality of polysaccharides, specifically carrageenans and agars (sulfated galactans) found in red algae species (Rhodophyta).

Towards harmonized laboratory methodologies in veterinary clinical bacteriology: outcomes of a European survey.

Introduction: Veterinary clinical microbiology laboratories play a key role in antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and prevention of healthcare associated-infections. However, there is a shortage of international harmonized guidelines covering all steps of veterinary bacterial culture from sample receipt to reporting.

Methods: In order to gain insights, the European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment (ENOVAT) designed an online survey focused on the practices and interpretive criteria used for bacterial culture and identification (C&ID), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of animal bacterial pathogens.

Assessing climatic conditions and biotic interactions shaping the success of Cystoseira foeniculacea early-life stages.

Early-life stages of canopy-forming macroalgae are critical for the maintenance of natural populations and the success of restoration actions. Unfortunately, the abiotic conditions and biotic interactions shaping the success of these stages have received less attention than the interactions shaping the success of adults. Here, we combined field and mesocosm experiments to explore the effects of temperature, herbivory, and canopy presence on the development of early-life stages of the brown seaweed Cystoseira foeniculacea.

Oxygen loss compromises growth and cognition of cuttlefish newborns.

Ocean deoxygenation and standing levels of hypoxia are shrinking fundamental niches, particularly in coastal areas, yet documented repercussions on species development and behaviour are limited. Here, we tackled the impacts of deoxygenation (7 mg O l), mild hypoxia (nocturnal 5 mg O l) and severe hypoxia (nocturnal 2 mg O l) on cuttlefish () development (hatching success, development time, mantle length), cognition (ability to learn individually and socially) and behaviour (ability to camouflage and to explore its surroundings spatially). We found that hypoxia yielded lower survival rates, smaller body sizes and inhibited predatory (increased latency to attack the prey) and anti-predator (camouflage) behaviours.

Deep Dive Into Noninvasive Biometrics: A Pilot Journey Using Stereo-Video in a Public Aquarium.

Accurate collection of biometric data is important for understanding the biology and conservation of marine organisms, including elasmobranch and teleost fish, both in nature and controlled environments where monitoring marine specimens' health is mandatory. Traditional methods involving specimen capture and handling are invasive, stressful, and disruptive. Some techniques like underwater visual census or laser photogrammetry have been used for noninvasive data collection, but they have limitations and biases.

Immunological resilience of a temperate catshark to a simulated marine heatwave.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have recently been proposed to be more relevant in driving population changes than the continuous increase in average temperatures associated with climate change. The causal processes underpinning MHW effects in sharks are unclear but may be linked to changes in fitness caused by physiological trade-offs that influence the immune response. Considering the scarcity of data about the immune response of sharks under anomalous warming events, the present study analyzed several fitness indices and characterized the immune response (in the blood, epigonal organ, liver, spleen and intestine) of temperate adult small-spotted catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) after a 30 day exposure to a category II MHW.

Unexpected Delayed Incursion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (Clade 2.3.4.4b) Into the Antarctic Region.

The current highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 panzootic is having substantial impacts on wild birds and marine mammals. Following major and widespread outbreaks in South America, an incursion to Antarctica occurred late in the austral summer of 2023/2024 and was confined to the region of the Antarctic Peninsula. To infer potential underlying processes, we compiled H5N1 surveillance data from Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands prior to the first confirmed cases.

Prediction of urban surface water quality scenarios using hybrid stacking ensembles machine learning model in Howrah Municipal Corporation, West Bengal.

In the pursuit of understanding surface water quality for sustainable urban management, we created a machine learning modeling framework that utilized Random Forest (RF), Cubist, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and their hybrid stacking ensemble RF (SE-RF), as well as stacking Cubist (SE-Cubist), to predict the distribution of water quality in the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) area in West Bengal, India. Additionally, we employed the ReliefF and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) methods to elucidate the underlying factors driving water quality. We first estimated the water quality index (WQI) to model seven water quality parameters: total hardness (TH), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg).

Lipophilic marine toxins in sediments from Arrábida marine protected area, Portugal (NE Atlantic).

During the development and senescence of harmful algal blooms (HAB), most of the algae cells not ingested by grazers or filter-feeding organisms sink to the bottom, making sediments important reservoirs of algae toxins. In this study, lipophilic marine toxins were determined in the sediments collected from depths ranging from 5 to 145 m depth in the marine protected area of Arrábida (southwest Portuguese coast). Sediments were characterized in terms of granulometry, water and organic matter content.

Evaluating fish foraging behaviour on non-indigenous Asparagopsis taxiformis using a remote video foraging system.

The proliferation of pest and invasive marine macroalgae threatens coastal ecosystems, with biotic interactions, including direct effects such as grazing and indirect effects such as the trophic cascades, where one species indirectly affects another through its interactions with a third species, play a critical role in determining the resistance of local communities to these invasions. This study examines the foraging behaviour and preference of native fish communities toward native (Halopteris scoparia, Sargassum vulgare) and non-indigenous (Asparagopsis taxiformis) macroalgae using the Remote Video Foraging System (RVFS). Fifty-four weedpops were deployed across three locations to present these macroalgae, while associated epifaunal assemblages were also collected.