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Bernieri EM, Medeiros LS, Lopes UH, Vilas Boas FG, Santos SMD, Marques OKDL, Macêdo GRD, Lustosa R, Franke CR. Patterns and spatial distribution of sea turtle strandings in Alagoas, Brazil. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 201:116127. [PMID: 38412794 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
This study makes a descriptive analysis of necropsied sea turtles registered in the Biota Conservation Institute database between May 2018 and May 2022 on the coast of Alagoas, Brazil. During this period, 79 animals of four species were necropsied: 87.4 % (69) Chelonia mydas, 6.3 % (5) Caretta caretta, 3.8 % (3) Lepidochelys olivacea and 2.5 % (2) Eretmochelys imbricata. C. mydas was the most frequent species, mainly juvenile females. In 29.1 % (23/79) evidence of anthropogenic interactions was found (e.g., fishing net marks, plastic waste in the digestive tract, trauma from collisions with boats). Cutaneous tumors suggestive of fibropapillomatosis in 35.4 % (28/79), in C. mydas and E. imbricata, half were in an area of high eutrophication, close to the capital. Endoparasites were found in 46.8 % (37/79) individuals. Information on strandings in the region is essential for understanding the use of the area and the impacts to which these animals are exposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliane Macedo Bernieri
- Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, Av. Milton Santos, 500, Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, CEP: 40170-110; Biota Institute of Conservation, Rua Padre Odilon Lôbo, n° 5900 Guaxuma, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, CEP 57038-770.
| | - Luciana Santos Medeiros
- Biota Institute of Conservation, Rua Padre Odilon Lôbo, n° 5900 Guaxuma, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, CEP 57038-770
| | - Uylla Hipper Lopes
- Biota Institute of Conservation, Rua Padre Odilon Lôbo, n° 5900 Guaxuma, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, CEP 57038-770
| | - Francielly Gomes Vilas Boas
- Biota Institute of Conservation, Rua Padre Odilon Lôbo, n° 5900 Guaxuma, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, CEP 57038-770
| | | | | | | | - Ricardo Lustosa
- Federal University of Western Bahia, Barra Multidisciplinary Center, Av. 23 de Agosto, SN, Assunção, Barra, Bahia, Brazil, CEP: 47100-000
| | - Carlos Roberto Franke
- Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, Av. Milton Santos, 500, Ondina, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, CEP: 40170-110
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Rodriguez-Burgos AM, Briceño-Zuluaga FJ, Ávila Jiménez JL, Hearn A, Peñaherrera-Palma C, Espinoza E, Ketchum J, Klimley P, Steiner T, Arauz R, Joan E. The impact of climate change on the distribution of Sphyrna lewini in the tropical eastern Pacific. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 180:105696. [PMID: 35932509 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Variability and climate change due to anthropic influence have brought about alterations to marine ecosystems, that, in turn, have affected the physiology and metabolism of ectotherm species, such as the common hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). However, the impact that climate variability may have on this species' distribution, particularly in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, which is considered an area with great marine biodiversity, is unknown. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of derivate impact of climate change on the oceanographic distribution of the hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, contrasting the present and future scenarios for 2050. The methodology used was an ecological niche model based on the KUENM R package software that uses the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt). The modelling was made for the year 2050 under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios. A total of 952 models were made, out of which only one met the statistical parameters established as optimal, for future scenarios. The environmental suitability for S.lewini shows that this species would migrate to the south in the Chilean Pacific, associated with a possible warming that the equatorial zone will have and the possible cooling that the subtropical zone of the South Pacific will have by 2050, the product of changes in oceanographic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura María Rodriguez-Burgos
- Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajicá, Colombia; JEAI-IRD-UMNG: CHARISMA, Cajicá, Colombia.
| | - Francisco Javier Briceño-Zuluaga
- Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajicá, Colombia; JEAI-IRD-UMNG: CHARISMA, Cajicá, Colombia.
| | | | - Alex Hearn
- Galapagos Science Center, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador; MigraMar, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Olema, California, USA.
| | | | - Eduardo Espinoza
- MigraMar, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Olema, California, USA; Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Ecuador.
| | - James Ketchum
- Pelagios Kakunjá, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Mexico.
| | - Peter Klimley
- MigraMar, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Olema, California, USA; University of California Davis, USA.
| | | | - Randall Arauz
- MigraMar, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Olema, California, USA; Fins Attached, USA.
| | - Elpis Joan
- MigraMar, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Olema, California, USA.
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Dogruer G, Kramer NI, Schaap IL, Hollert H, Gaus C, van de Merwe JP. An integrative approach to define chemical exposure threshold limits for endangered sea turtles. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 420:126512. [PMID: 34284283 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Environmental contaminants pose serious health threats to marine megafauna species, yet methods defining exposure threshold limits are lacking. Here, a three-pillar chemical risk assessment framework is presented based on (1) species- and chemical-specific lifetime bioaccumulation modelling, (2) non-destructive in vitro and in vivo toxicity threshold assessment, and (3) chemical risk quantification. We used the effects of cadmium (Cd) in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) as a proof of concept to evaluate the quantitative mechanistic modelling approach. A physiologically-based kinetic (PBK) model simulated Cd tissue concentrations (liver, kidney, muscle, fat, brain, scute, and 'rest of the body') in C.mydas. The validated PBK model then translated species-specific in vitro results to in vivo effects. The results showed that the resilience of C.mydas towards Cd kidney toxicity is age-dependent and differs with changing physiology and feeding ecology. Using the model in reverse mode, a steady-state exposure threshold of 0.1 µg/g dry weight Cd in forage was derived and compared to real-world exposure scenarios. Three out of the four globally distinct C.mydas populations assessed are exposed to Cd levels above this threshold limit. This approach can be adapted to other marine species and chemicals to prioritize measures for managing potentially harmful chemical exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulsah Dogruer
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, The School of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
| | - Nynke I Kramer
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, The School of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Iris L Schaap
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, The School of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Henner Hollert
- Department Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Caroline Gaus
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jason P van de Merwe
- Australian Rivers Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
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Twenty-three Years of Sea Turtle Stranding/ bycatch Research in Taiwan. Zool Stud 2019; 58:e44. [PMID: 31966345 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2019.58-44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Coastal sea turtle stranding and bycatch are common phenomena worldwide and have received more attention in recent years. They are caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors. One thousand and seventy-two turtles were reported to be victims of these phenomena from March 1997 to November 2019 in Taiwan. Number of stranding/bycatch were variable and infrequent for the first 14 years, but increased each year after 2012 and peaked in 2019 with 217 cases. Most turtles were juveniles to subadults. All five of Taiwan's species were reported in stranding and bycatch records, and the green turtle was reported the most common. The main reported seasons lasted from winter to spring, when the weather changes dramatically. The sex ratio (female: male) ranged from 7 in the hawksbill turtle to 0.7 in the olive ridley, with an average of 2.4 for all species. Green turtles were the dominant stranded species, and more loggerhead turtles were by-caught. The hotspots were the towns of Dougou and Tochen in Yilan County, and Gongliao District in New Taipei City, located in NE coast of Taiwan respectively. Stranding was the more common of the two phenomena reported, and 80% of all stranded turtles were subadult green turtles. Eighty percent of all stranded/bycaught turtles were dead. Pond-nets were the fishing gear that accounted for the most bycatch, and captured mainly living young and subadult green turtles as well as subadult loggerhead turtles. The hotspots for bycatch were the towns of Dongou and Tochen in Yilan County. The Coast Guard and concerned citizen were the main sources of reports. This is the first study to analyze the long-term stranding/bycatch of sea turtles in Taiwan.
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Tavares DC, Moura JF, Merico A, Siciliano S. Mortality of seabirds migrating across the tropical Atlantic in relation to oceanographic processes. Anim Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D. C. Tavares
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research Bremen Germany
| | - J. F. Moura
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research Bremen Germany
| | - A. Merico
- Department of Theoretical Ecology and Modelling Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research Bremen Germany
- Department of Physics & Earth Science Jacobs University Bremen Germany
| | - S. Siciliano
- Laboratório de Enterobactérias Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz Rio de Janeiro Brazil
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Flint M, Brand AF, Bell IP, Madden Hof CA. Monitoring the health of green turtles in northern Queensland post catastrophic events. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 660:586-592. [PMID: 30641386 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Between 2014 and 2017, the Rivers to Reef to Turtles (RRT) project examined the health of green turtles at two coastal sites impacted by urban and agricultural human activities (Cleveland and Upstart Bays) and one proposed pristine site (Howick Group of Reefs) in northern Queensland, Australia, through blood biochemistry and haematology, plasma protein electrophoresis, and clinical assessments including body condition and barnacle counts. Furthermore, cases of mortality were subjected to comprehensive postmortem examination. In an attempt to advance diagnostics, associations between specific contaminants and health of turtles in this region were tested. No comprehensive health assessments had been conducted at these sites prior to this study. The coastal Cleveland and Upstart Bays both demonstrated effects likely to be in response to stressors suspected to be anthropogenic in origin (elevated total white cell counts and creatinine kinase levels across the populations, respectively). This was associated with a suite of trace elements, in particular cobalt. While these indicators of stress resolved by the final year of the study, a chronic stressor was suspected to be persisting with ongoing low albumin: globulin. Necropsies did not elucidate any specific diseases. Although body condition index did not closely correlate with site health, barnacle counts in juvenile turtles may prove a reliable indicator of site health. Based on previously established indicators of poor health, barnacle counts showed that 10% of the population was in poor health at Upstart Bay and nearly 20% of the population at Cleveland Bay. This is above what would be expected for a normal population. Overall, the health component of this study suggested that the pristine turtle population was healthy and the coastal turtle populations were under active stressors, possibly caused by anthropogenic effectors such as chemical pollutants, when initially examined in 2014. These stressors resolved by the conclusion of the study in 2017; but chronic stressors remained absent in the pristine site and present within each of the studied coastal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Flint
- Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD 4343, Australia; Ecosystem Health Unit, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Anne-Fleur Brand
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104-106, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands; Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, 39 Kessels Road, Queensland 4108, Australia
| | - Ian P Bell
- Aquatic Species Program, Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
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Chapman PA, Cribb TH, Flint M, Traub RJ, Blair D, Kyaw-Tanner MT, Mills PC. Spirorchiidiasis in marine turtles: the current state of knowledge. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 133:217-245. [PMID: 31187736 DOI: 10.3354/dao03348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Blood flukes of the family Spirorchiidae are important disease agents in marine turtles. The family is near cosmopolitan in distribution. Twenty-nine marine species across 10 genera are currently recognized, but taxonomic problems remain and it is likely that more species will be discovered. Spirorchiids infect the circulatory system, where they and their eggs cause a range of inflammatory lesions. Infection is sometimes implicated in the death of the turtle. In some regions, prevalence in stranded turtles is close to 100%. Knowledge of life cycles, important for control and epidemiological studies, has proven elusive until recently, when the first intermediate host identifications were made. Recent molecular studies of eggs and adult worms indicate that a considerable level of intrageneric and intraspecific diversity exists. The characterization of this diversity is likely to be of importance in exploring parasite taxonomy and ecology, unravelling life cycles, identifying the differential pathogenicity of genotypes and species, and developing antemortem diagnostic tools, all of which are major priorities for future spirorchiid research. Diagnosis to date has been reliant on copromicroscopy or necropsy, which both have significant limitations. The current lack of reliable antemortem diagnostic options is a roadblock to determining the true prevalence and epidemiology of spirorchiidiasis and the development of effective treatment regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe A Chapman
- Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
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Petus C, Devlin M, Teixera da Silva E, Lewis S, Waterhouse J, Wenger A, Bainbridge Z, Tracey D. Defining wet season water quality target concentrations for ecosystem conservation using empirical light attenuation models: A case study in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 213:451-466. [PMID: 29510367 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Optically active water quality components (OAC) transported by flood plumes to nearshore marine environments affect light levels. The definition of minimum OAC concentrations that must be maintained to sustain sufficient light levels for conservation of light-dependant coastal ecosystems exposed to flood waters is necessary to guide management actions in adjacent catchments. In this study, a framework for defining OAC target concentrations using empirical light attenuation models is proposed and applied to the Wet Tropics region of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (Queensland, Australia). This framework comprises several steps: (i) light attenuation (Kd(PAR)) profiles and OAC measurements, including coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations collected in flood waters; (ii) empirical light attenuation models used to define the contribution of CDOM, Chl-a and SPM to the light attenuation, and; (iii) translation of empirical models into manageable OAC target concentrations specific for wet season conditions. Results showed that (i) Kd(PAR) variability in the Wet Tropics flood waters is driven primarily by SPM and CDOM, with a lower contribution from Chl-a (r2 = 0.5, p < 0.01), (ii) the relative contributions of each OAC varies across the different water bodies existing along flood waters and strongest Kd(PAR) predictions were achieved when the in-situ data were clustered into water bodies with similar satellite-derived colour characteristics ('brownish flood waters', r2 = 0.8, p < 0.01, 'greenish flood waters', r2 = 0.5, p < 0.01), and (iii) that Kd(PAR) simulations are sensitive to the angular distribution of the light field in the clearest flood water bodies. Empirical models developed were used to translate regional light guidelines (established for the GBR) into manageable OAC target concentrations. Preliminary results suggested that a 90th percentile SPM concentration of 11.4 mg L-1 should be maintained during the wet season to sustain favourable light levels for Wet Tropics coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems exposed to 'brownish' flood waters. Additional data will be collected to validate the light attenuation models and the wet season target concentration which in future will be incorporated into wider catchment modelling efforts to improve coastal water quality in the Wet Tropics and the GBR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Petus
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
| | - Michelle Devlin
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory, Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK
| | - Eduardo Teixera da Silva
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Stephen Lewis
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Jane Waterhouse
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Amelia Wenger
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; University of Queensland, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zoe Bainbridge
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Dieter Tracey
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Catchment to Reef Research Group, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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