From Sea to Sea: Canada's Three Oceans of Biodiversity

Evaluating and understanding biodiversity in marine ecosystems are both necessary and challenging for conservation. This paper compiles and summarizes current knowledge of the diversity of marine taxa in Canada's three oceans while recognizing that this compilation is incomplete and will change in the future. That Canada has the longest coastline in the world and incorporates distinctly different biogeographic provinces and ecoregions (e.g., temperate through ice-covered areas) constrains this analysis. The taxonomic groups presented here include microbes, phytoplankton, macroalgae, zooplankton, benthic infauna, fishes, and marine mammals. The minimum number of species or taxa compiled here is 15,988 for the three Canadian oceans. However, this number clearly underestimates in several ways the total number of taxa present. First, there are significant gaps in the published literature. Second, the diversity of many habitats has not been compiled for all taxonomic groups (e.g., intertidal rocky shores, deep sea), and data compilations are based on short-term, directed research programs or longer-term monitoring activities with limited spatial resolution. Third, the biodiversity of large organisms is well known, but this is not true of smaller organisms. Finally, the greatest constraint on this summary is the willingness and capacity of those who collected the data to make it available to those interested in biodiversity meta-analyses. Confirmation of identities and intercomparison of studies are also constrained by the disturbing rate of decline in the number of taxonomists and systematists specializing on marine taxa in Canada. This decline is mostly the result of retirements of current specialists and to a lack of training and employment opportunities for new ones. Considering the difficulties encountered in compiling an overview of biogeographic data and the diversity of species or taxa in Canada's three oceans, this synthesis is intended to serve as a biodiversity baseline for a new program on marine biodiversity, the Canadian Healthy Ocean Network. A major effort needs to be undertaken to establish a complete baseline of Canadian marine biodiversity of all taxonomic groups, especially if we are to understand and conserve this part of Canada's natural heritage

Species composition and habitat preferences of the nearshore fish fauna of Bonne Bay, Newfoundland

Determining biodiversity baseline is the first step toward establishing species monitoring and conservation programs. In this study we report on a 10-year survey of the fish fauna of Bonne Bay, a fjord surrounded by the Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The objectives of our study were: 1) to determine the fish fauna of Bonne Bay using standardized sampling methods; 2) to gather information on the habitats of fishes of conservation concern; and 3) to provide baseline information on Bonne Bay as a potential candidate for a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA). Methods A survey of the fish fauna of the inner Bonne Bay was conducted each summer from 2002 to 2011 at multiple sites representing a range of fish habitats within the fjord. Sampling gears included two types of beach seine, gillnets with various mesh sizes and a bottom trawl. Species composition was statistically compared across sites within the fjord. Results We collected and identified 29 fish species from 17 families. Fish assemblages comprised anadromous, estuarine, and marine fish species, including a late-maturing type of winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata) that is rarely found in the adjacent waters of the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Similarity in species composition across sites reflected salinity, substrate composition, and presence of eelgrass (Zostera marina), but not the geographic distance between sites. Conclusions Bonne Bay’s adjacency to a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, its diverse fish fauna that includes several species of conservation concern, its potential for education and enjoyment, and its stewardship by local people are suggestive of the future candidacy as a NMCA. The data presented here will help managers assess the potential of Bonne Bay as a National Marine Conservation Area

Foraging behaviour of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) in the presence of an invasive crab

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.American lobsters (Homarus americanus) are one of the main commercial fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic. The recent arrival and establishment of the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) within Atlantic Canada has caused concern because of potential interactions with juvenile lobster populations. Adult green crabs are highly skilled predators that explode in population size in newly invaded areas and potentially compete with juvenile lobsters for limited resources. Literature suggests that juvenile lobsters utilize shelter to avoid predation but dependence lessens as lobsters reach adulthood and gain mechanisms of defence from predators. It follows that smaller lobsters remain conditioned to a trade-off between energetic demands and the risk of predation. This study examines the foraging behaviour of juvenile lobsters (25–51 mm CL) and its potential alteration in the presence of an adult green crab. Experimental trials that provided juvenile lobsters with shelter and a feeding patch were paired with identical trials that monitored lobsters in the presence of a green crab. For each trial (n = 15 for each experiment) lobster behaviour was monitored over 8 h. Our results indicate that smaller juvenile lobsters (<35 mm CL) spent significantly less time foraging, spent more time within the shelter, and took more time to find the food source in the presence of a green crab. Thus, fine-scale size differences as those studied here, play an important role in foraging and shelter usage within the lobster juvenile stage. Our study also documents an apparent shift from shelter dependence to increased foraging at 36 mm CL

Development of novel bio-based epoxides from microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana lipids

The objective of this research was to investigate the development of novel bio-based epoxides from microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana lipids, which were extracted using hexane, petroleum ether and methanol:chloroform (2:1 v/v). In lipids epoxidation, conversions of 90.9%, 99.3% and 87.6% of epoxidized microalgae lipids (EML) were obtained for lipids extracted using these solvents. The mechanical properties of EML in blends with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) show that the elongation at break increases and tensile strength decreases. Moreover, an increasing in the final maximum degradation temperature and a decrease in the glass transition temperature (Tg) were observed in the blends

Effects of artificial light at night on the early benthic stages of the prominent sea urchin Loxechinus albus

Indexación: Web of Science.Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing anthropogenic stressor, yet its effects on marine invertebrates, particularly during early benthic stages, remain understudied. The edible sea urchin Loxechinus albus, an important herbivore along the Pacific coast of South America, shows behavioural traits such as covering that suggest sensitivity to environmental factors, including light. Therefore, this study examined the potential influence of ALAN on small juvenile sea urchins, hy pothesizing effects on their behaviour and physiology. In the field, an exploratory survey revealed aboral surface covering behaviour that suggest a natural avoidance of light by the sea urchins. In the laboratory, covering behaviour was quantified, measuring also their preference for contrasting dark and lit (ALAN) conditions in a Y-maze. Additional trials measured food consumption, horizontal speed, self-righting, metabolic and growth rates in individual exposed to dark and ALAN. Labo ratory observations identified covering behaviours that were heightened under ALAN exposure. These behaviours were consistent with a strong preference for dark areas in Y-maze tests, where food consumption was also consistently higher than under ALAN. Speed and self-righting times were higher under ALAN and dark, respectively. Meanwhile, metabolic rates and growth rates were lower under ALAN, indicating possible long-term physiological effects. Altogether, ALAN exposure disrupted key behavioural and physiological traits leading juveniles to prioritize survival behaviours like avoiding light and speeding up locomotion and self-righting over foraging and growth. These findings suggest that ALAN could alter interactions and energy allocation in L. albus, with potential implications for kelp forest ecosystems and the fisheries of this specieshttps://www-webofscience-com.recursosbiblioteca.unab.cl/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:00151657390000

Monitoring human impacts on sandy shore ecosystems: A test of ghost crabs (Ocypode spp.) as biological indicators on an urban beach

Sandy beaches comprise one of the most important coastal resources worldwide, providing habitats to threatened vertebrates, supporting underappreciated invertebrate biodiversity, and delivering crucial ecosystem services and economic benefits to mankind. Monitoring of the natural resource condition of sandy beaches and assessments of the ecological impacts of human disturbance are, however, rare on sandy shores. Because a crucial step in developing beach monitoring is to identify and test biological indicators, we evaluated the utility of using population densities of ghost crabs (genus Ocypode) to measure how beach biota respond to human pressures. Densities of crabs—estimated via burrow counts—were quantified at two sites exposed to high and low levels of human disturbance on an urban beach in eastern Australia. Human disturbance consisted of pedestrian trampling and shoreline armouring which led to the loss of dune habitat. Overall, crab numbers were halved in disturbed areas, but contrasts between impact and control sites were not necessarily consistent over time and varied between different levels of the shore: stronger and more consistent effect sizes were recorded on the upper shore than further seawards. In addition to lowering crab densities, human disturbance also caused shifts in intertidal distributions, with a greater proportion of individuals occurring lower on the shore in the impacted beach sections. The number of visible burrow openings also changed in response to weather conditions (temperature and wind). We demonstrate that spatial contrasts of burrow counts are broadly useful to indicate the existence of a human-induced disturbance effect on urban beaches; we also highlight a number of critical, hitherto unknown, issues in the application of this monitoring technique; these encompass three broad dimensions: (1) a need for standardised protocols; (2) unresolved causal links between observed patterns and putative pressures; and (3) uncertainties of how organisms responds specifically to both natural and human changes of environmental conditions on sandy shores