Macroalgal blooms affect the food web of tropical coastal ecosystems impacted by fisheries.

Macroalgal bloom events have been frequent in recent years. Eutrophication and overexploitation fishing may favor blooms through nutrient availability and capturing top predators. We aim to investigate the drivers of the macroalgae blooms and their consequences on the food web of the two tropical coastal ecosystems: Porto do Mangue (with high macroalgae production) and Baía Formosa (control environment, without macroalgae), both exploited by artisanal fisheries in northeastern Brazil. The food webs are modeled using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) approach. Our results suggest that fishing did not favor macroalgae blooms but rather the high concentration of nutrients added to the semi-arid conditions. Furthermore, the macroalgae bloom showed low trophic impact, so much of their biomass is transferred into detritus. However, when it decomposes, this accumulation of matter alters the structure and functioning of the ecosystem, affecting its main fish resources: shrimp and piscivorous fish. Investigating blooms is key to management.

sexual shape dimorphism of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Decapoda, Ucididae) accessed through geometric morphometric.

Sexual dimorphism is often observed in Crustaceans. Considering the great diversity of this subphylum, only few reports are found in the literature and most are mainly based on traditional morphometry. The present study uses geometric morphometrics analysis to identify sexual dimorphism by shape variation in the overexploited semiterrestrial crab Ucides cordatus, species with great social and economic importance in South America. Comparative morphology analyses were performed by using the outer face of the propodus of major cheliped, dorsal and anterior region of carapace shape. Significant differences in shape between sexes were detected in these body areas. The causes of dimorphism presented in this species are not clear but, analogous to other possibly associated species, it may be inferred that the causes are with adaptations to body ability of reproductive potential (females), and of reproductive behaviour and agonistics encounters (males). Additional analyses on courtship displays and other reproductive aspects should provide better comprehension of functionality of this morphological differentiation.

Short-term storage of canine preantral ovarian follicles using a powdered coconut water (ACP)-based medium.

The objective was to investigate the use of powdered coconut water (ACP)-based medium for short-term preservation of canine preantral follicles. Pairs of ovaries from mongrel bitches (n=9) were divided into fragments. One ovarian fragment, treated as a fresh control, was immediately fixed for histological analysis, whereas the other six ovarian fragments were stored either in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; control group) or ACP medium in isothermal Styrofoam boxes containing biological ice packs. The boxes were sealed and opened only after 12, 24, or 36h. After opening each box, the ovarian fragments were submitted to histological analysis. In total, 12,302 preantral follicles were evaluated, with 64.5% primordial, 33.3% primary, and 2.3% secondary follicles. There were multiple oocytes in 1.3% of the follicles analyzed. At 24h, ACP was more efficient in preserving follicular morphology than PBS (P<0.05). Compared with the fresh control group, a significant reduction in the percentage of morphologically normal ovarian follicles was observed for PBS, starting at 24h; however, the decline started only at 36h for the ACP medium. During the experiment, the temperature inside the isothermal boxes increased from 3 to 9 degrees C (P<0.05), despite a constant room temperature. In conclusion, powdered coconut water (ACP) was an appropriate medium for short-term storage of canine preantral ovarian follicles.