The Role of Zoos and Aquariums in a Changing World

Zoos and aquariums have evolved significantly. From their origins as enclosures for the mere entertainment of the public, these institutions have undertaken new functions responding to the biodiversity crisis and social demands. Modern zoos and aquariums have the opportunity to educate people, contribute to species conservation, and produce animal-related research. However, there is increasing criticism toward the outcomes of their actions and the holding of species in their facilities. This review offers an integrated analysis of the state of knowledge about the role that zoos and aquariums play today. It describes their performance regarding their conservation, education, and research functions, highlighting general patterns and offering future perspectives. It identifies some challenges common to all these institutions, concluding that the way they keep up with the ever-growing social and environmental expectations will be decisive hereafter.

Gastrointestinal tumors and infectious agents: A wide field to explore

Infection is currently one of the main contributors to carcinogenesis. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has categorized eleven biological agents as group I carcinogens. It is estimated that around 16% of the 12.7 million new cancers diagnosed in 2008 were attributable to infectious agents. Although underdeveloped regions carry the highest incidence rates, about 7.4% of infection-related cancer cases occur in developed areas. Physicians are increasingly aware of the potential carcinogenic role of common virus like the Human Papilloma virus in cervical cancer, or the hepatitis B and C viruses in hepatocarcinoma. However, the carcinogenic role of several other infectious agents is less recognized. Given that gastrointestinal malignancies carry an overall poor prognosis, a better understanding of the carcinogenic mechanisms triggered by infectious agents is key to decrease the rate of cancer related deaths. Preventive measures directed to such infections would ideally impact survival. In this paper we review the main pathogenic mechanisms related to the development of gastrointestinal malignancies induced by infectious microorganisms and other pathogens which are currently under investigation.

Global trends in research output by zoos and aquariums

Zoos and aquaria, often regarded as preservation-cum-entertainment enterprises, are also actors in the effort to curb the biodiversity crisis: raising awareness, supporting conservation, and conducting research. We assessed trends in zoo and aquaria research topics and study organisms over time worldwide. For the zoos and aquaria registered in the Species360's Zoological Information Management System and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, we compiled metadata on their research published in the peer-reviewed literature indexed in Scopus and carried out a keyword frequency analysis. The production of scientific papers by zoos increased at a much faster rate than the average accrual of scientific papers in the literature. Evolution of research themes ran parallel to that of biological sciences (e.g., development of molecular genetics or increased awareness about conservation). The focus of 48.5% of zoo-led research was on vertebrates, of which mammal research was 33.7%. Whether zoos are effectively contributing to conservation may still be debatable, but our results highlight their institutional efforts to increase knowledge about the species in their care.

Completeness of Digital Accessible Knowledge (DAK) about terrestrial mammals in the Iberian Peninsula

The advent of online data aggregator infrastructures has facilitated the accumulation of Digital Accessible Knowledge (DAK) about biodiversity. Despite the vast amount of freely available data records, their usefulness for research depends on completeness of each body of data regarding their spatial, temporal and taxonomic coverage. In this paper, we assess the completeness of DAK about terrestrial mammals distributed across the Iberian Peninsula. We compiled a dataset with all records about mammals occurring in the Iberian Peninsula available in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and in the national atlases from Portugal and Spain. After cleaning the dataset of errors as well as records lacking collection dates or not determined to species level, we assigned all occurrences to a 10-km grid. We assessed inventory completeness by calculating the ratio between observed and expected richness (based on the Chao2 richness index) in each grid cell and classified cells as well-sampled or under-sampled. We evaluated survey coverage of well-sampled cells along four environmental gradients and temporal coverage. Out of 796,283 retrieved records, quality issues led us to remove 616,141 records unfit for this use. The main reason for discarding records was missing collection dates. Only 25.95% cells contained enough records to robustly estimate completeness. The DAK about terrestrial mammals from the Iberian Peninsula was low, and spatially and temporally biased. Out of 5,874 cells holding data, only 620 (9.95%) were classified as well-sampled. Moreover, well-sampled cells were geographically aggregated and reached inventory completeness over the same temporal range. Despite the increasing availability of DAK, its usefulness is still compromised by quality issues and gaps in data. Future work should therefore focus on increasing data quality, in addition to mobilizing unpublished data.

The tragedy of the biodiversity data commons: a data impediment creeping nigher?

Researchers are embracing the open access movement to facilitate unrestricted availability of scientific results. One sign of this willingness is the steady increase in data freely shared online, which has prompted a corresponding increase in the number of papers using such data. Publishing datasets is a time-consuming process that is often seen as a courtesy, rather than a necessary step in the research process. Making data accessible allows further research, provides basic information for decision-making and contributes to transparency in science. Nevertheless, the ease of access to heaps of data carries a perception of ‘free lunch for all’, and the work of data publishers is largely going unnoticed. Acknowledging such a significant effort involving the creation, management and publication of a dataset remains a flimsy, not well established practice in the scientific community. In a meta-analysis of published literature, we have observed various dataset citation practices, but mostly (92%) consisting of merely citing the data repository rather than the data publisher. Failing to recognize the work of data publishers might lead to a decrease in the number of quality datasets shared online, compromising potential research that is dependent on the availability of such data. We make an urgent appeal to raise awareness about this issue.

Freshwater macroinvertebrate samples from a water quality monitoring network in the Iberian Peninsula

This dataset gathers information about the macroinvertatebrate samples and environmental variables collected on rivers of the Ebro River Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula), the second largest catchment in the Iberian Peninsula. The collection is composed of 1,776 sampling events carried out between 2005 and 2015 at more than 400 sampling sites. This dataset is part of a monitoring network set up by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the official body entrusted with the care of the basin, to fulfill the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Biological indices based on the freshwater macroinvertebrate communities were used to evaluate the ecological status of the water bodies within the basin. Samples were qualitatively screened for all occurring taxa. Then, all individuals from all taxa in a quantitative subsample of each sample were counted. Biological indices were calculated to estimate water quality at each sampling site. All samples are kept at the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra.

Biodiversity data obsolescence and land uses changes

Background

Primary biodiversity records (PBR) are essential in many areas of scientific research as they document the biodiversity through time and space. However, concerns about PBR quality and fitness-for-use have grown, especially as derived from taxonomical, geographical and sampling effort biases. Nonetheless, the temporal bias stemming from data ageing has received less attention. We examine the effect of changes in land use in the information currentness, and therefore data obsolescence, in biodiversity databases.

Methods

We created maps of land use changes for three periods (1956–1985, 1985–2000 and 2000–2012) at 5-kilometres resolution. For each cell we calculated the percentage of land use change within each period. We then overlaid distribution data about small mammals, and classified each data as ‘non-obsolete or ‘obsolete,’ depending on both the amount of land use changes in the cell, and whether changes occurred at or after the data sampling’s date.

Results

A total of 14,528 records out of the initial 59,677 turned out to be non-obsolete after taking into account the changes in the land uses in Navarra. These obsolete data existed in 115 of the 156 cells analysed. Furthermore, more than one half of the remaining cells holding non-obsolete records had not been visited at least for the last fifteen years.

Conclusion

Land use changes challenge the actual information obtainable from biodiversity datasets and therefore its potential uses. With the passage of time, one can expect a steady increase in the availability and use of biological records—but not without them becoming older and likely to be obsolete by land uses changes. Therefore, it becomes necessary to assess records’ obsolescence, as it may jeopardize the knowledge and perception of biodiversity patterns.

Mammals in the MZNA Vertebrate Collection of University of Navarra, Spain

In this paper five datasets are described that provide information about records of mammals in the Vertebrate Collection of the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra (MZNA-VERT). The datasets contain 3,466 records belonging to 20 species of mammals sampled across the transition zone between the Atlantic and Mediterranean biogeographical regions (north Iberian Peninsula). The datasets include both distributional data (georeferenced records) and basic biometric data of most of the vouchered specimens stored in the museum facilities. The samples originated mainly within research projects and PhD theses carried out in the former department of Zoology and Ecology of the University of Navarra between 1982 and 2011. The Darwin Core Archive Format datasets are accessible through GBIF.

Analysis of sealing vs tensile bond strength of eight adhesive restorative material systems

PURPOSE

Using a simulated perfusion system, the intent was to determine: 1) the sealing ability of eight restorative materials (five composite resins and three compomers) used together with their corresponding dentin bonding systems, 2) their tensile bond strength, and 3) the correlation (if any) between both parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Permeability in crown segments from sound human third molars (n = 140) subjected to simulated perfusion (32 cm of distilled water) was measured before and after restoring with each material, and the percentage of decrease in permeability (PPD) was recorded. Specimens were later subjected to tensile tests to determine the tensile bond strength (TBS) of the interface. Finally, parameters were analyzed for correlation.

RESULTS

For the eight adhesive systems, the percentage of reduction in permeability was relatively high [mean in %, (SD)]: F2000 93.6 (5.7), SB1 88.6 (11.3), SSC 86.0 (5.7), PB20 81.1 (15.9), COM 77.5 (10.8), OPTS 75.3 (20.6), DYR 73.7 (12.7), SSPR 65.5 (19.8). TBS values were relatively low [mean (SD)], in MPa: F2000 1.8 (0.7), SB1 4.9 (1.4), SSC 2.6 (1.4), PB20 4.3 (1.2), COM 2.4 (1.1), OPTS 4.5 (1.7), DYR 1.6 (0.6), SSPR 4.2 (1.5). We could not demonstrate any statistically significant correlation between both parameters for these results (maximum significance [F2000]: r = 0.39, p = 0.206).

CONCLUSION

No material completely ceased to filtrate through the interface. The low TBS values were probably due to the large size of adhesive areas. No significant correlation was found between PPD and TBS for the materials tested. There was a statistically significant relationship (r2 = 0.063, p = 0.018) between TBS and TBA (total bonded area), described by the equation TBS = 5.9 - 0.03.TBA.

Sealing and dentin bond strength of adhesive systems in selected areas of perfused teeth

OBJECTIVES

(1) Test the sealing capacity and tensile strength of various adhesive systems: Scotch Bond 1 (Single Bond in USA)(SB1)+Z100, Syntac Sprint (SYN)+Tetric Ceram, Prime and Bond 2.1 (PB21)+TPH Spectrum, F2000 (Adhesive+Compomer) (F2000) and Optibond Solo (OPT)+Prodigy, to perfused teeth (30 cm distilled H2O), in select areas. (2) Determine the relationship between sealing ability and size of adhesive area (BA) with tensile strength (TS).

METHODS

Segments of human third molars (n=67) sealed with amalgam on their coronal side were connected to a perfusion system (30 cm distilled H2O), to measure the basal permeability. Access cavities were drilled through the amalgam to expose dentin (area range: 8.7-20.8 mm2) and measure the permeability of that area. Cavities were sealed with one of the test materials and permeability measured prior to tensile testing. The percentage of decrease in permeability (PPD) that occurred with the different combinations of materials was also measured. RESULTS. TENSILE STRENGTH: there were no statistically significant differences among groups. PERMEABILITY: ANOVA showed that there were statistically significant differences in the mean % decrease in permeability (PPD) among groups (p=0.018). Student-Newman-Keuls test (p<0.05) detected that the mean PPD of F2000 ranked statistically higher than that of SB1. Relationship among variables: a linear correlation was found defined by the formula TS=7.47+0.008 x PPD-0.23 x BA, with a significance of the model p=0.0097.

SIGNIFICANCE

None of the materials studied reduced permeability up to 100%. They all produced low tensile bond strengths (maximum mean value of groups: 5.51 MPa (OPT)).