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Collareta A, Casati S, Di Cencio A, Bianucci G. The Deep Past of the White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in the Mediterranean Sea: A Synthesis of Its Palaeobiology and Palaeoecology. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2085. [PMID: 37895466 PMCID: PMC10608139 DOI: 10.3390/life13102085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, is the main top predator of the present-day Mediterranean Sea. The deep past of C. carcharias in the Mediterranean is witnessed by a rather conspicuous, mostly Pliocene fossil record. Here, we provide a synthesis of the palaeobiology and palaeoecology of the Mediterranean white sharks. Phenetically modern white shark teeth first appeared around the Miocene-Pliocene transition in the Pacific, and soon after in the Mediterranean. Molecular phylogenetic analyses support an origin of the Mediterranean white shark population from the dispersal of Australian/Pacific palaeopopulations, which may have occurred through the Central American Seaway. Tooth dimensions suggest that the Mediterranean white sharks could have grown up to about 7 m total length during the Pliocene. A richer-than-today marine mammal fauna was likely pivotal in supporting the Mediterranean white sharks through the Pliocene and most of the Quaternary. White sharks have seemingly become more common as other macropredators declined and disappeared, notwithstanding the concurrent demise of many potential prey items in the context of the latest Pliocene and Quaternary climatic and environmental perturbations of the Mediterranean region. The overall generalist trophic habits of C. carcharias were likely crucial for securing ecological success in the highly variable Mediterranean scenario by allowing the transition to a mostly piscivorous diet as the regional marine mammal fauna shrank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Collareta
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy;
- Museo di Storia Naturale, Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci, PI, Italy
| | - Simone Casati
- Gruppo Avis Mineralogia e Paleontologia Scandicci, Piazza Vittorio Veneto 1, Badia a Settimo, 50018 Scandicci, FI, Italy; (S.C.); (A.D.C.)
| | - Andrea Di Cencio
- Gruppo Avis Mineralogia e Paleontologia Scandicci, Piazza Vittorio Veneto 1, Badia a Settimo, 50018 Scandicci, FI, Italy; (S.C.); (A.D.C.)
- Istituto Comprensivo “Vasco Pratolini”, Via G. Marconi 11, 50018 Scandicci, FI, Italy
- Studio Tecnico Geologia e Paleontologia, Via Fratelli Rosselli 4, 50026 San Casciano Val di Pesa, FI, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bianucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy;
- Museo di Storia Naturale, Università di Pisa, Via Roma 79, 56011 Calci, PI, Italy
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2
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McIvor AJ, Pires R, Lopes C, Raimundo J, Campos PF, Pais MP, Canning-Clode J, Dinis A. Assessing microplastic exposure of the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) on a remote oceanic island. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159077. [PMID: 36181822 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (<5 mm) are a ubiquitous marine pollutant which are highly bioavailable to marine organisms across all trophic levels. Marine predators are especially vulnerable to microplastic pollution through direct and indirect ingestion (e.g., trophic transfer) due to their high trophic position. In particular, oceanic islands are more susceptible to plastic accumulation, increasing the relative number of microplastics in the environment that are available for consumption. The dynamics of microplastic accumulation in marine predators inhabiting remote islands, however, is sparsely documented. Here we describe microplastic exposure in the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) from the Madeira archipelago (Northeast Atlantic) using scat-based analysis. Microplastics were recovered from 18 scat samples collected between 2014-2021 and were characterized to the polymer level using Fourier-Transform Infrared (u-FTIR) spectroscopy. A total of 390 microplastic particles were recovered, ranging between 0.2-8.6 particles g-1 dry weight (mean 1.84 ± 2.14 particles g-1) consisting mainly of fragments (69 %) of various sizes and polymer composition (e.g., PE, PET, PS). Microplastic prevalence (100 % of samples analysed) was higher than what has been previously recorded using scat-based analysis in other pinniped species. Our results suggest that the levels of microplastic pollution in the coastal food-web in the Madeira archipelago are relatively high, placing higher-trophic level organisms at increased risk of microplastic consumption, including humans. This study provides the first insights into microplastic exposure to Madeira's monk seals that may contribute to future management decisions for the species and their long-term survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlie J McIvor
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Rosa Pires
- Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM, Funchal, Portugal
| | - Clara Lopes
- IPMA-Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere, Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Joana Raimundo
- IPMA-Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere, Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Paula F Campos
- CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Miguel P Pais
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Canning-Clode
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Ana Dinis
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal
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Adler GH, Brace S, Christenhusz MJM, Dittel JW, Hansford JP. Integrative approaches to mammalian systematics, ecomorphology and biomechanics. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory H Adler
- Biology Department, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh , WI 54901-3551 , USA
| | - Selina Brace
- Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum , Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD , UK
| | | | - Jacob W Dittel
- Department of Biology, University of North Alabama , Box 5048, Florence, AL 35632-0001 , USA
| | - James P Hansford
- Institute of Zoology of the Zoological Society of London , Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY , UK
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Salmona J, Dayon J, Lecompte E, Karamanlidis AA, Aguilar A, Fernandez de Larrinoa P, Pires R, Mo G, Panou A, Agnesi S, Borrell A, Danyer E, Öztürk B, Tonay AM, Anestis AK, González LM, Dendrinos P, Gaubert P. The antique genetic plight of the Mediterranean monk seal ( Monachus monachus). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220846. [PMID: 36043283 PMCID: PMC9428542 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Disentangling the impact of Late Quaternary climate change from human activities can have crucial implications on the conservation of endangered species. We investigated the population genetics and demography of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), one of the world's most endangered marine mammals, through an unprecedented dataset encompassing historical (extinct) and extant populations from the eastern North Atlantic to the entire Mediterranean Basin. We show that Cabo Blanco (Western Sahara/Mauritania), Madeira, Western Mediterranean (historical range) and Eastern Mediterranean regions segregate into four populations. This structure is probably the consequence of recent drift, combined with long-term isolation by distance (R2 = 0.7), resulting from prevailing short-distance (less than 500 km) and infrequent long-distance dispersal (less than 1500 km). All populations (Madeira especially), show high levels of inbreeding and low levels of genetic diversity, seemingly declining since historical time, but surprisingly not being impacted by the 1997 massive die-off in Cabo Blanco. Approximate Bayesian Computation analyses support scenarios combining local extinctions and a major effective population size decline in all populations during Antiquity. Our results suggest that the early densification of human populations around the Mediterranean Basin coupled with the development of seafaring techniques were the main drivers of the decline of Mediterranean monk seals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Salmona
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD-CNRS-UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse 31062, France
| | - Julia Dayon
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD-CNRS-UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse 31062, France
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Emilie Lecompte
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD-CNRS-UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse 31062, France
| | - Alexandros A. Karamanlidis
- MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk seal, Solomou Strasse 18, Athens 10682, Greece
| | - Alex Aguilar
- IRBio and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | | | - Rosa Pires
- Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza IP-RAM, Jardim Botânico da Madeira, Caminho do Meio, Bom Sucesso, Funchal, Madeira 9064-512, Portugal
| | - Giulia Mo
- Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, Rome 00144, Italy
| | - Aliki Panou
- Archipelagos - Environment and Development, Lourdata, Kefalonia 28100, Greece
| | - Sabrina Agnesi
- Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, Rome 00144, Italy
| | - Asunción Borrell
- IRBio and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Erdem Danyer
- Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), PO Box 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Bayram Öztürk
- Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), PO Box 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey
- Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Kalenderhane Mah. Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No: 2 Fatih 34134 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Arda M. Tonay
- Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), PO Box 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, Turkey
- Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Kalenderhane Mah. Onaltı Mart Şehitleri Cad. No: 2 Fatih 34134 Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Luis M. González
- Subdirección General de Biodiversidad Terrestre y Marina, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, Pza. San Juan de la Cruz, 10, Madrid 28071, Spain
| | - Panagiotis Dendrinos
- MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk seal, Solomou Strasse 18, Athens 10682, Greece
| | - Philippe Gaubert
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD-CNRS-UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 route de Narbonne, Toulouse 31062, France
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Liu Y. A Preliminary Study on the Dramatic Factors of Ancient Chinese Poetry under the Changing Geographical Environment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 2022:4220059. [PMID: 35942142 PMCID: PMC9356852 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4220059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The formation of Chinese traditional culture is influenced by many factors, and the natural geographical environment is an important factor. Because a country's status is based on its geographical environment, it affects many aspects, such as economic composition and national psychology. As one of the expression forms of traditional Chinese culture, ancient Chinese poetry has a great influence on the emergence and development of Chinese traditional culture. Therefore, this paper mainly discusses the specific influencing factors of the drama of the ancient Chinese poetry, and the preliminary study of it is of certain significance to the development of Chinese traditional culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfang Liu
- School of Communication, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030031, China
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Virrueta Herrera S, Johnson KP, Sweet AD, Ylinen E, Kunnasranta M, Nyman T. High levels of inbreeding with spatial and host-associated structure in lice of an endangered freshwater seal. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4593-4606. [PMID: 35726520 PMCID: PMC9544963 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Host-specialist parasites of endangered large vertebrates are in many cases more endangered than their hosts. In particular, low host population densities and reduced among-host transmission rates are expected to lead to inbreeding within parasite infrapopulations living on single host individuals. Furthermore, spatial population structures of directly-transmitted parasites should be concordant with those of their hosts. Using population genomic approaches, we investigated inbreeding and population structure in a host-specialist seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) infesting the Saimaa ringed seal (Phoca hispida saimensis), which is endemic to Lake Saimaa in Finland, and is one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world. We conducted genome resequencing of pairs of lice collected from 18 individual Saimaa ringed seals throughout the Lake Saimaa complex. Our analyses showed high genetic similarity and inbreeding between lice inhabiting the same individual seal host, indicating low among-host transmission rates. Across the lake, genetic differentiation among individual lice was correlated with their geographic distance, and assignment analyses revealed a marked break in the genetic variation of the lice in the middle of the lake, indicating substantial population structure. These findings indicate that movements of Saimaa ringed seals across the main breeding areas of the fragmented Lake Saimaa complex may in fact be more restricted than suggested by previous population-genetic analyses of the seals themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Virrueta Herrera
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kevin P Johnson
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrew D Sweet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA
| | - Eeva Ylinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Mervi Kunnasranta
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.,Natural Resources Institute Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Tommi Nyman
- Department of Ecosystems in the Barents Region, Svanhovd Research Station, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Svanvik, Norway
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