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Stressful conditions, such as mechanical damage, can significantly compromise the survival of algal beds by reducing their biomass, reproductive output, and even altering their production of defensive chemical compounds. In the present work, the effect of different intensities of trampling (no trampling, low and high trampling intensities) on reproduction, morphology, and phenolic content of Sargassum species was studied in three sites along the southwestern Atlantic Coast, Brazil, from March to October 2015. The parameters were evaluated in distinct periods (0, 90, and 180 days) after trampling, using 40- × 40-cm quadrats along transects. Trampling reduced algal reproductive biomass in two of the three studied sites (Pernambuco and Fortaleza beaches) shortly after the experimental treatment (T0). The mean thallus length was higher in trampled plots in all study sites, and the dry biomass of the individuals were higher in Pernambuco and Cigarras beaches, which also presented lower phenolic levels after damage. These results suggest a probable trade-off in resource allocation, with an immediate compromise of the individuals’ reproduction followed by a decrease in the production of defense compounds, probably due to an investment in damage repairing of vegetative portions, maximizing the individuals’ survival in the long term. Although the individuals reach larger sizes, they reproduce less and are more susceptible to other sources of stress that can compromise Sargassum spp. fitness.

AIMS: The importance of biotic interactions in creating and maintaining diversity is expected to increase towards low latitudes. However, the way in which predation affects diversity can depend on how predators mediate competitive interactions and also on defensive traits of prey. Here, we assessed the role of physical defences of prey to escape predation and how the importance of predation on community structure and diversity changes across latitude. LOCATION: Six sites, in three regions distributed across 45 degrees of latitude in the Atlantic Ocean: a tropical region in Angola, a subtropical region in Brazil and a temperate region in Wales, UK. METHODS: We manipulated predation on marine sessile communities, using exclusion cages and assessed community parameters, including their susceptibility to biological invasion during early and advanced succession. RESULTS: Predation was more intense in the tropics and in advanced communities suggesting that predation effects increase through time. In the tropical region, predators reduced the number of co‐occurring species and beta diversity, limited the occurrence of exotic species and promoted a change in the identity of the dominant organisms, replacing soft‐bodied organisms with calcified animals. In the subtropical region, predation promoted a similar trait‐mediated change in the identity of dominant prey, although it was not strong enough to affect diversity and did not prevent bioinvasion. In the temperate region, other processes than predation seem to drive the community organization and resistance to invasion. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our results support both Biotic Interaction and Biotic Resistance Hypotheses, showing that the importance of predation to biodiversity increases towards the tropics. In addition, where predation is intense, morphological traits of prey drive the final structure and dominance in the community. Our results suggest that physical defences are the main traits preventing predation, perhaps explaining why calcified organisms are among the most common invasive species in coastal habitats.

In this study we survey and analyze 300 projects related to marine biodiversity funded by FAPESP from 1972 to 2021, of which 46 were nested in the BIOTA Program. From a unique project in the 1970’s, the number gradually increased until 2009, when BIOTA promoted a call on marine biodiversity, which led to a boost in the number of funded projects in the subsequent years. The geographical range of the projects expanded over the years and, from studies based on the coast of São Paulo State, the focus gradually shifted to broader areas of the Brazilian coast, then to other areas of the Atlantic, and eventually became global. The majority of projects focused on coastal benthic organisms living on hard-bottom. In terms of taxa, six groups accounted for about 60% of the projects (viz. Crustacea, Actinopterygii, Mollusca, Chondrichthyes, Cnidaria, and Rhodophyta), but it is observed an increase in the number of groups studied over the decades. The 300 projects refer to a set of 82 different topics, of which the top five are taxonomy, phylogeny, community, “omics”, and pollution. The analyses show a long-standing effort in marine biodiversity surveys, with ongoing updated approaches regarding scope and methods. Research on strategic areas is discussed, including deep-sea and marine microbiota. Climate change and the increasing pressure of human activity on the ocean, including pollution, acidification and invasive species, are among the main challenges for the future. Projects producing and using basic research data in an integrative and transdisciplinary way offer multiple perspectives in understanding changes in ecosystem functioning and, consequently, are essential to support public policies for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity at different scales. UNESCO’s Decade of Ocean (starting 2021) is a window of opportunity to strengthen marine research, to promote national and international collaboration, to build up networks involving the public and private sector, but particularly to draw society’s attention to the importance of knowing marine environments and using ocean resources in a sustainable way. The advancement of ocean literacy is one of the main legacies for future generations promoted by integrated research programs such as BIOTA-FAPESP.

Ambuic acid (AA) is a highly-modified cyclohexenone and known as a promising inhibitor of quorum sensing in methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus, and is thus a candidate as an antivirulence drug. This molecule is mainly produced by the species of Pestalotiopsis and, since its discovery twenty years ago, only a restricted amount of AA-derivatives have been described. Despite being a promising subject, methods for the analysis of modified AA-analogues via mass spectrometry remain unexplored. In order to adress this question, the marine fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. 4A11 associated with the ascidian Didemnum perlucidum was grown in a solid rice medium and its crude extract was chemically studied. From this extract, AA and 10-hydroxy ambuic acid (10-HAA) were isolated and identified using NMR spectroscopy with the aim of obtaining model compounds for the MS analysis. These served as reference compounds (seeds) to guide the dereplication of other AA-analogues via LC-MS/MS-based molecular networking. Based on the manual interpretation of the fragmentation pathways of the seeds and related compounds observed in the networks, six AA-derivatives were dereplicated in the extract. Furthermore, three analogues with unprecedented chemical formulas were proposed as putative unprecedented AA-derivatives. The fragmentation annotation proposed represents a fast and feasible method for characterizing AA-derivatives.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:29:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-09-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) The genus Absidia is widely used in the biotransformation of different classes of natural products. This study evaluates the ability of the Absidia coerulea 3A9 marine derived strain isolated from the ascidian Distaplia stilyfera to perform biotransformations by conducting assays with (–)-cubebin, as substrate. The experiment was optimized using the experimental design proposed by Plackett–Burman for seven factors and eight experiments, to establish the biotransformation conditions that would allow maximum production of biotransformed dibenzylbutyrolactone (–)-hinokinin. An analytical method based on Reverse-Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) was developed to quantify the fungal biotransformation product. The factor that influenced the (–)-hinokinin peak area the most positively was the percentage of seawater (%seawater) given that its %relative standard deviation (%RSD) showed a 32.92% deviation from the real value. Center for Research in Exact and Technological Sciences University of Franca Department of Botany and Ecology Biosciences Institute Federal University of Mato Grosso Center for Natural and Human Sciences Federal University of ABC Department of Drugs and Medicines School of Pharmaceutical Sciences University Estadual Paulista Department of Drugs and Medicines School of Pharmaceutical Sciences University Estadual Paulista CAPES: 001 FAPESP: 2014/19184-7 FAPESP: 2017/14261-1 CAPES: 23038.009588/2013-68 CSF-PVEs 27/2014 CNPq: 302340/2018-1

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:40:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-09-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) Human occupation of coastal areas promotes the establishment of non-native species but information on bioinvasions is usually biased toward the Northern Hemisphere. We assessed non-native species' importance in sessile communities at six marinas along the most urbanized area of the Southwestern Atlantic coastline. We found 67 species, of which 19 are exotic. The most frequent species was the exotic polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum, while the most abundant was the exotic bryozoan Schizoporella errata that monopolized the substrata in three marinas. Along with S. errata, the exotic polychaete Hydroides elegans and ascidian Styela plicata dominated space in the three remaining marinas, while native species were in general rare. We show that communities associated with artificial substrata along this Brazilian urbanized area are dominated by exotic species and that using abundance data along with species identity can improve our understanding of the importance of exotic species for the dynamics of biological communities. Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Rua Arcturus, 03 - Jardim Antares Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade de São Paulo, R. Matão, Trav. 14 Museu Nacional Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Quinta da Boa Vista, s/n – São Cristóvão Departamento de Biologia Marinha Universidade Federal Fluminense Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Instituto de Biologia Departamento de Zoologia, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373 Departamento de Biologia Animal Instituto de Biologia Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Caixa Postal 6109 Laboratório de Estudos de Bryozoa – LAEBry Departamento de Zoologia Centro de Biociências Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Av. Prof. Moraes Rego 1235 - Cidade Universitária Laboratório de Evolução e Diversidade Aquática – LEDA Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), FCL/Assis, Av. Dom Antônio, 2100 Departamento de Zoologia Universidade Federal do Paraná Laboratório de Evolução e Diversidade Aquática – LEDA Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), FCL/Assis, Av. Dom Antônio, 2100 CAPES: 001 FAPESP: 2015/24408-4 FAPESP: 2016/17647-5 FAPESP: 2016/50389-0 CNPq: 308768/2018-3 CNPq: 309995/2017-5

Coastal embayed areas are important sites for many benthic and nektonic organisms that are being increasingly threatened by habitat degradation. The knowledge on the biology of these organisms can reveal the importance of such areas for their life cycles. Furthermore, population information is also imperative to recognize the importance of these species to structure coastal ecosystems and to provide support to management strategies. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the importance of a coastal embayment area for the generalist predator starfish Astropecten marginatus and Luidia senegalensis, analyzing their spatio-temporal distribution and populational parameters and evaluating whether (1) the species present a differential use of the area, (2) the species use the bay for recruitment, growth and reproduction and (3) there is an ontogenetic or gender related variation in the bay occupation. This study was carried out at Caraguatatuba Bay (SE Brazil), with monthly samples from July/03 to October/04. Although Astropecten was more abundant than Luidia, the two species had similar shifts in abundance, with peaks during cold/dry months, which are partly related to recruitment patterns. Species were distributed mainly towards the southern area of the bay, where A. marginatus had denser aggregations. Both species used the bay for recruitment, growth and reproduction. Males and females of both species occurred in similar numbers (sex ratio 1:1), except in late autumn (May-June) when females became more numerous. An annual reproductive cycle was observed for both species, with spawning occurring mainly in the rainy season, and recruitment mainly during fall/winter. Large individuals (>17 cm) of L. senegalensis were sub-represented in the bay, indicating possible adult migration to deeper areas, whereas A. marginatus had a more resident behavior. Distribution of both species correlated well with diet information previously available, with prey-partitioning suggested as a mechanism that allow their similar occupation of the area, and ontogenetic diet shifts explaining the adult migration of L. senegalensis. This highlights the relevance of feeding information to predict distribution of starfish. Our results elucidate the importance of the studied bay for the life cycle of these keystone species, elucidating species-specific vulnerabilities to coastal degradation and the importance of recognizing populational and distribution parameters in order to inform management policies.

Coastal areas are critical transition zones between marine and terrestrial domains that support a large diversity of species but are exposed to significant anthropogenic impacts. While most conservation and management strategies rely on understanding the drivers of diversity over large scales, the importance of small-scale variation in environmental conditions can be overlooked. Here we combined a descriptive and experimental approach to describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of sessile communities and of the population of the barnacle Chthamalus bisinuatus within Araca Bay, a transition zone in southeastern Brazil threatened by the expansion of the Sao Sebastiao Port. We compared the relative coverage of sessile organisms from rocky shores for 20 months and several population parameters of barnacles in three distinct regions of Araca Bay, a few hundred meters apart: the inner portion, close to the Mae Isabel River and the Port, the middle of the Bay, and the outer region, close to the bay entrance. Community structure varied significantly over these small spatial scales; the macroalga Ulva lactuca and the oyster Crassostrea sp. were more abundant in the inner portion of the Bay, where the influence of freshwater and organic pollution from Mae Isabel River is more intense. Recruitment and density of C. bisinuatus was higher on the shores close to the mouth of the Bay, but individual size increased as one moves into the bay. Experimental manipulation of barnacles originally recruiting at the outer part of the bay and translocated to both outer and inner positions showed that while recruitment is restricted at the inner region, barnacle growth and survival are higher than at the outer shore. Our results suggest that the gradient of physical conditions created along the Araca Bay can result in distinct dynamics of communities and populations and that the region close to the mouth of the bay is more dynamic, with a larger turnover of space. In the opposite direction, the inner part of the bay, which is closer to the Sao Sebastiao Port, is more prone to be disturbed by any large human modification on the coast as populations are less dynamic and communities tend to be monopolized by species associated with organic pollution. Besides providing useful data for the management of Araca Bay, our results also show that small-scale variation of environmental conditions can contribute to create distinct dynamics of populations and communities and should be addressed in assessments of environmental impacts on the coast.

We review the distribution of the Ornate Hawk-eagle, Spizaetus ornatus (Daudin, 1800), in the state of São Paulo, reporting localities with records of the species. Most locations where the species has been historically documented have no recent records, especially to the west of the large remnants of forest in the coastal mountain ranges. Most current records come from Serra de Paranapiacaba, southwestern São Paulo, whereas no records exist within the Cerrado domain. Unlike the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, where it is found in fragmented landscapes, in São Paulo, the species occurs exclusively within protected areas in large blocks of Atlantic Forest.

Although commonly overlooked, processes determining early patterns of species assembly may affect community dynamics and diversity at advanced states. In this study, we followed richness and community structure in experimental units pioneered by single or multiple species, within a given functional group—colonial ascidians, arborescent, and encrusting bryozoans. We tested the hypotheses that richness and community structure are positively affected by founder-richness at more advanced stages, and that such effect may depend on the functional traits of founders (more or less prone to facilitate other species). More diverse founding assemblages of arborescent bryozoans led to richer communities after 1 and 5 months of succession, with no effects observed for the other functional groups. Assemblages started by a single species were dominated by space monopolizers (encrusting bryozoans), while the ones founded by two species were characterized by a higher abundance of engineering forms (arborescent bryozoans), which may provide a physically complex substrate suitable to both the attraction and protection of other species recruits. Both effects on advanced-stage richness and community structure reflect the importance of facilitation through founder diversity and functionality in community organization.

Community assembly may not follow predictable successional stages, with a large fraction of the species pool constituted by potential pioneering species and successful founders defined through lottery. In such systems, priority effects may be relevant in the determination of trajectories of developing communities and hence diversity and assemblage structure at later advanced states. In order to assess how different founder species may trigger variable community trajectories and structures, we conducted an experimental study using subtidal sessile assemblages as model. We manipulated the identity of functionally different founders and initial colony size (a proxy of the time lag before the arrival of later species), and followed trajectories. We did not observe any effects of colony size on response variables, suggesting that priority effects take place even when the time lag between the establishment of pioneering species and late colonizers is very short. Late community structure at experimental panels that started either with the colonial ascidian Botrylloides nigrum, or the arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina, was similar to control panels allowed natural assembling. In spite of high potential for fast space domination, and hence negative priority effects, B. nigrum suffered high mortality and did not persist throughout succession. Bugula neritina provided complex physical microhabitats through conspecific clustering that have enhanced larval settlement of late species arrivals, but no apparent facilitation was observed. Differently, panels founded by the encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata led to different and less diverse communities compared to naturally assembled panels, evidencing strong negative priority effects through higher persistence and space preemption. Schizoporella errata founder colonies inhibited further conspecific settlement, which may greatly relax intraspecific competition, allowing resource allocation to colony growth and space domination, thus reducing the chances for the establishment of other species.

Starfish are important predators that may shape rocky shore communities, but their ecological role in unconsolidated substrate communities is still poorly known. We assessed the feeding niche overlap of two sympatric starfish, Astropecten marginatus and Luidia senegalensis , from the shallow subtidal zone in southeastern Brazil. During one year, we conducted monthly samples to compare diet composition, abundance and frequency of occurrence of each food item between species. With 24 of the 34 food items identified in this study consumed by both species, they exhibited generalist behaviors, with a more diverse diet during the warm periods, when the main prey items were abundant. However, A. marginatus showed more variation in abundance of prey consumed over time than L. senegalensis . The diet of A. marginatus consisted primarily of the bivalve Tivela mactroides and L. senegalensis of the bivalve Mulinia cleryana. The size of T. mactroides was positively correlated to the size of A. marginatus , while only small-sized individuals of L. senegalensis consumed this item, the most abundant prey in the area and an important food resource for local the community. The large quantity and variety of items consumed by both species support the structuring role of starfish in subtidal unconsolidated substrate communities, exerting a generalist top-down control, primarily on dominant bivalve populations. Temporal variation in the availability of the main prey may change how selective are both species. The differences in prey composition between species and the ontogenetic differences in prey selectivity by L. senegalensis may attenuate interspecific competition, facilitating their coexistence.

For marine benthic communities, environmental heterogeneity at small spatial scales are mostly due to biologically produced habitat heterogeneity and biotic interactions, while at larger spatial scales environmental factors may prevails over biotic features. In this study, we investigated how community structure and &beta, diversity of hard-bottom-associated meio- and macrofauna varied in relation to small-scale (cm&ndash, m) changes in biological substrate (an algae &ldquo, turf&rdquo, dominated by the macroalgae Gelidium sp., the macroalgae Caulerpa racemosa and the sponge Hymeniacidon heliophile) in a rocky shore and in relation to larger-scale (10&rsquo, s m) changes in environmental conditions of the same biological substrate (the macroalgae Bostrychia sp) in different habitats (rocky shore vs. mangrove roots). Results showed that both substrate identity and the surrounding environment were important in structuring the smaller-sized meiofauna, particularly the nematode assemblages, whereas the larger and more motile macrofauna was influenced only by larger-scale changes in the surrounding ecosystem. This implies that the macrofauna explores the environment in a larger spatial scale compared to the meiofauna, suggesting that effects of spatial heterogeneity on communities are dependent on organism size and mobility. Changes in taxa composition between environments and substrates highlight the importance of habitat diversity at different scales for maintaining the diversity of the associated fauna.

Marinas create physical and biotic conditions distinct from those in natural habitats which can facilitate the establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS) in coastal ecosystems. Using a series of images spanning nine years, we detected the introduction and followed the expansion of the NIS Tubastraea coccinea and T. tagusensis populations at a recreational marina in a region of Southeastern Brazil where sun-corals are rarely found on natural substrates. Because sun corals are known to reduce diversity in natural invaded environments, we evaluated how different densities of sun-corals affected the benthic community. Overall, the NIS populations have grown exponentially from 2010 to 2019 inside the marina, occupying up to 60% of the available space. However, the population growth in the breakwater stopped in 2016. Local variation in the population growth across the marina might be associated with the high phytoplankton biomass and larval retention inside the marina, which are results of the lower hydrodynamics. The expansion of sun-coral coverage did not significantly affect the richness of benthic communities but was associated with a reduction of the native bryozoan Amathia brasiliensis, the overall abundance of mobile crustaceans, and an increase in the area covered by the exotic bryozoan S. errata. The fast substitution of a native ecosystem engineer for a NIS suggests signs of invasion meltdown associated with the expansion of Tubastraea spp.

The occurrence of sulfated steroids and phenolics in marine organisms is quite widespread, being typically reported from Echinoderms. In contrast, alkane and alkene aliphatic sulfates are considerably rarer with examples being reported from a diverse array of organisms including echinoderms, sponges and ascidians. While no ecological roles for these metabolites have been proposed, they do exhibit a diverse array of biological activities including thrombin inhibition; the ability to induce metamorphosis in larvae; antiproliferative, antibacterial and antifungal properties; and metalloproteinase inhibition. Of particular interest and an avenue for future development is the finding of antifouling properties with low or nontoxic effects to the environment. This review focuses on alkyl sulfates and related sulfamates, their structures and biological activities. Spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques that can be used to recognize the presence of sulfate groups are also discussed, data for which will enhance the ability of researchers to recognize this class of chemically- and biologically-interesting marine natural products.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:20:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-08-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Ceriantharians or tube-dwelling sea anemones are known for synthesizing soft and flexible tubes made of mucus, cnidae filaments (ptychocysts), and sediments found on the soft bottom. These tubes are used to house and protect them from danger, although many species of marine invertebrates use ceriantharian tubes as alternative substrates. Little is known about the organizational structure of ceriantharians in their own tubes. Although ceriantharians are always considered solitary animals, this study presents the first record of a ceriantharian colony of Botrucnidifer norvegicus Carlgren, 1912. Future studies regarding the population structure in ceriantharian aggregations may help to clarify this unusual habit for Ceriantharia. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Laboratório de Evolução e Diversidade Aquática – LEDA UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista FCL/Assis Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Laboratório de Evolução e Diversidade Aquática – LEDA UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista FCL/Assis Instituto de Biociências Departamento de Zoologia UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista FAPESP: 2015/24408-4 FAPESP: 2016/00689-7 FAPESP: 2016/04962-0 FAPESP: 2017/07870-1

Higher diversity and dominance at lower latitudes has been suggested for colonial species. We verified the latitudinal pattern in species richness of ascidians, finding that higher colonial-to-solitary species ratios occur in the tropics and subtropics. At the latitudinal region with the highest ratio, in south-eastern Brazil, we confirmed that colonial species dominate the space on artificial plates in two independent studies of five fouling communities. We manipulated settlement plates to measure effects of predation and competition on growth and survivorship of colonial vs. solitary ascidians. Eight ascidian species were subjected to a predation treatment, i.e. caged vs. exposed to predators, and a competition treatment, i.e. leaving vs. removing competitors, to assess main and interactive effects. Predation had a greater effect on growth and survivorship of colonial compared to solitary species, whereas competition did not show consistent patterns between the two life histories. We hypothesize that colonial ascidians dominate at this subtropical site despite being highly preyed upon because they regrow when partially consumed and can adjust in shape and space to grow into refuges. We contend that these means of avoiding mortality from predation can have large influences on the diversification patterns of colonial species at low latitudes, where predation intensity is greater.

Summary Artificial shading has been highlighted as an important human disturbance, affecting both productivity and community organization. However, studies of shading have been poorly explored from an environmental impact perspective. We compared community structure on subtropical rocky shores in areas shaded by human constructions with those in unshaded areas. We then implemented a manipulative field experiment to determine the effects of shading on the macrobenthic community, biofilm biomass and larval recruitment. Shading consistently affected the biological community of rocky shores. The biomass and cover of macroalgae and the size of most sedentary grazers were smaller in shaded habitat. In the infralittoral fringe, we recorded a shift in dominance from macroalgae in unshaded habitats to invertebrate filter feeders in shaded ones. In a similar way, the community from the mesolittoral was also affected by shading but not at all locations. Experimental manipulation of shading led to a total loss of macroalgae from the infralittoral fringe and no community replacement over a period of 220 days. In the mesolittoral, oysters became more abundant in shaded conditions, while barnacles decreased in abundance. Larval recruitment was also affected, with oysters and barnacles recruiting more in shaded habitats. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate a clear impact of shading by artificial human-made structures on patterns and processes regulating biodiversity on rocky shores and thus consequences for coastal ecosystem functioning. We argue that shading by artificial coastal structures, such as those proposed in the port expansion in our study site in south-eastern Brazil, is potentially underestimated. Our work emphasizes the importance of careful evaluations of artificial structures in order to promote sustainable coastal development. As a result, we do not recommend the proposed expansion by suspended structures of the port of Sao Sebastiao, as the consequent shading will negatively affect the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of the Araca Bay and surrounding areas.

Predation plays a fundamental role in shaping marine fouling communities. However, its consequences for species diversity and community organization depend on several intrinsic properties of predators and prey. To evaluate how predators of different sizes affect the organization of sessile communities during their development, we deployed an experiment in which PVC plates were assigned to one of four predation exclusion treatments: partial exclusion cage (2.4 cm mesh), total exclusion cage (0.5 cm mesh), and two respective controls. We evaluated community richness and structure after 30, 90, and 150 days. Regardless of size, predation did not affect total species richness. After 30 days, communities on plates protected against all predators had less free space than any other treatments, but their structure was similar to those protected to large predators only. Therefore, the addition of predators smaller than 2.4 cm to the pool of consumers may intensify predation effects rather than change species dominance and composition. After 90 days, intensified consumption by smaller predators had no longer measurable effects. Our data suggest that the removal of dominant species by predation does not increase species richness but modulates the interaction among species. The removal of ascidians seems to facilitate the dominance of predator-resistant bryozoans.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:33:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Fractionation of extracts from the culture broth of the marine-derived fungus, Paecilomyces sp. 7A22, resulted in the isolation of the harzialactone A (HA), a known compound previously isolated from fungi of marine environments. The chemical structure of HA was determined by spectroscopic analyses. Upon evaluation of HA on antileishmanial assays against Leishmania amazonensis, HA exhibited significant activity against promastigotes forms with IC50 of 5.25 µg mL−1 and moderate activity against intracellular amastigotes with IC50 of 18.18 µg mL−1. This is the first report on the antileishmanial activity of HA, and the effects of HA presented in this work suggest that this class of compounds are suitable for future biological in vitro and in vivo studies for the search of natural products with activity against Leishmania spp. Furthermore, the present results corroborate marine-derived fungi as a promising source of natural products with antiparasitic activity. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas UNESP–Univ. Estadual Paulista Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas Universidade de Franca Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas Universidade Federal do ABC Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas UNESP–Univ. Estadual Paulista Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos

Species diversity is regulated by historical, neutral and niche processes, with species tolerance, dispersal and productivity guiding diversity at larger scales, while habitat heterogeneity and biotic interactions acts in smaller scales. In rocky shores, several organisms provide secondary substrates for mobile fauna, with macroalgae being the most abundant and diverse ones. The patchiness promoted by different macroalgae hosts enhances small-scale heterogeneity and may increase and maintain the diversity of the mobile organisms, since there is a close relationship between the associated fauna and its hosts. In this study we selected three morphologically different macroalgae that coexist in the same rocky shore height in the Araçá Bay, an area under the threat of the nearby harbor expansion, and evaluated the fauna associated to each algal host. Even under similar abiotic pressure (same rocky shore height), the associated fauna of each algal host varied in number and composition, revealing a close relationship. The poorly branched foliose Ulva lactuca sustained a lower density of organisms and was dominated by isopods, while the heavily branched turf and Bostrychietum community showed a high density of organisms, with a dominance of peracarid crustaceans and annelids on the turf and more resistant groups, such as bivalves, acaris and terrestrial insects on the Bostrychietum. Previous studies in the Araçá Bay already revealed a large spatial heterogeneity in the processes and sessile organisms distribution, and here we highlight that this heterogeneity can be observed in an even smaller scale, with different algal hosts mediating the turnover of species in a scale of centimeters and meters, resulting in diversity maintenance of the associated fauna. Since the harbor expansion may prevent the occurrence of macroalgae as a result of light limitation by suspended platforms, we may expect not only a decrease in algal cover but also in the total diversity of the associated fauna in the Araçá Bay. Resumo A diversidade de espécies é regulada por processos históricos, neutros e de nicho, com a tolerância das espécies, dispersão e produtividade do sistema guiando a diversidade em grandes escalas, enquanto a heterogeneidade do habitat e as interações bióticas atuam em escalas menores. Em costões rochosos uma série de organismos funciona como substrato secundário para a fauna móvel, sendo macroalgas o tipo mais abundante e diverso de substrato. O mosaico formado pelas diferentes macroalgas hospedeiras aumenta a heterogeneidade em pequena escala e pode aumentar e manter a diversidade dos organismos móveis, uma vez que existe uma relação próxima entre a fauna associada e seus hospedeiros. Neste estudo nós selecionamos três macroalgas diferentes morfologicamente e que coexistem na mesma altura no costão rochoso na Baía do Araçá, uma área sob a ameaça de expansão do porto que fica nas proximidades, e analisamos a fauna associada a cada alga hospedeira. Mesmo sob pressões abióticas similares (mesma altura no costão rochoso), a fauna associada a cada alga variou em número e composição, revelando de fato uma relação próxima entre fauna e alga. Ulva lactuca, uma alga foliosa com pouca ramificação, apresentou uma baixa densidade de organismos e foi dominada por isópodes, enquanto que o turf e o Bostrychietum, algas altamente ramificadas e mais complexas, apresentaram uma alta densidade de organismos, com uma dominância de crustáceos peracáridos e anelídeos no turf e grupos mais resistentes como bivalves, ácaros e insetos terrestres no Bostrychietum. Estudos anteriores conduzidos na Baía do Araçá já mostraram uma grande heterogeneidade espacial nos processos ecológicos e na distribuição dos organismos sésseis, e aqui nós ressaltamos que esta heterogeneidade pode ser observada numa escala ainda menor, com as diferentes algas mediando o turnover de espécies numa escala de centímetros a metros, resultando na manutenção da diversidade da fauna associada. Como a expansão do porto pode impedir a ocorrência das macroalgas devido à limitação de luz que será imposta pelas plataformas flutuantes, nós podemos esperar não apenas uma diminuição da cobertura de macroalgas mas também da diversidade total da fauna associada na Baía do Araçá.

Direct and indirect effects on ecological processes caused by natural and anthropogenic disturbances may alter the composition and relative abundance of marine benthic communities . Trampling is a source of impact that can lead to the removal of individuals, breakage or damage of structural components and alterations of physiological performance of sessile organisms, possibly affecting the population dynamics and indirectly promoting structural changes in the entire community. To better support management strategies for coastal environments and to evaluate the anthropogenic impacts on a seaweed bed dominated by species of the genus Sargassum inhabiting the subtidal rocky shores in southeastern Brazil, we used an experimental approach to assess the physiological responses of this seaweed to trampling. We applied different intensities of trampling expected during summer vacation and throughout different periods of the year and quantified the fluorescence and pigment concentration of Sargassum beds. Changes caused by trampling are reflected in the health status of Sargassum , showing a decrease in chlorophyll a fluorescence and concentration of photosynthetic pigments depending on the site where this kind of impact occurs.

Historical processes affecting biological organization are rarely considered when predicting the effects of disturbance on community structure. In order to assess the relative importance of historical and post-disturbance conditions as determinants of community structure, we undertook reciprocal transplants, at different successional stages, of sessile communities developing at recreational piers that were previously observed to show contrasting fish predation pressure and settlement rate in the Sao Sebastiao Channel, Brazil. Regardless the direction of state shift, after 15 weeks communities converged to the destination site structure, substantially drifting away from the path observed at origin, therefore revealing high susceptibility to environmental change. Although converging, transplanted communities never matched the destination standard in both transplant directions, suggesting that history still mattered, as providing some legacy that lasted, at least, for 15 weeks. The taxonomic groups resisting community drift were hard-bodied invertebrates, which could eventually provide some resilience to these communities through ecosystem engineering.

EnglishIn this paper we intend to perform a constitutional analysis of infringement of intellectual property, commonly known as piracy. The research, based on the supremacy of the constitution and its effectiveness will begin with the definition of the geographical concept of piracy, starting then to its legal definition. Outdated definition of terms will be identified infra legislation on the subject, focusing on its criminal treatment. Next will be found constitutional interests favorable to the protection of intellectual property and contrary to his overprotective. Having defined the legal treatment of piracy, it will be analyzed the constitutionality of its repression performing a balancing of interests through the proportionality rule. Following the criterion of Robert Alexy, will be checked initially, the adequacy of protective legal measures of intellectual property, that is, whether the ends pursued by the state are legitimate and whether the means adopted are suitable for promoting the objectives pursued by the measure state under investigation. In the second stage the analysis recommended by the sub-rule of necessity will be held, that is, if among the many possible measures to achieve a certain purpose, the state opted for causing less restrictions on rights. Finally, the proportionality test will be held in strict sense, which seeks to reveal whether the measure protects maios rights viola. In this way, we intend to reach a judgment regarding the constitutionality of state repression piracy. portuguesNo presente trabalho pretende-se realizar uma analise constitucional da violacao da propriedade intelectual, popularmente denominada pirataria. A investigacao, pautada na supremacia da constituicao e na sua efetividade, iniciar-se-a com a definicao do conceito geografico de pirataria, partindo-se em seguida para a sua definicao juridica. Ultrapassadas as definicoes terminologicas, sera identificada a legislacao infraconstitucional sobre o tema, com enfoque em seu tratamento penal. Em seguida serao localizados os interesses constitucionais favoraveis a protecao da propriedade intelectual e os contrarios a sua superprotecao. Uma vez definido o tratamento juridico da pirataria, sera analisada a constitucionalidade da sua repressao realizando-se uma ponderacao de interesses por meio da regra da proporcionalidade. Seguindo-se o criterio de Robert Alexy, sera verificada, inicialmente, a adequacao das medidas legais protetivas da propriedade intelectual, isto e, se os fins perseguidos pelo Estado sao legitimos e se os meios adotados sao aptos para a promocao dos fins pretendidos pela medida estatal sob investigacao. Na segunda etapa sera realizada a analise preconizada pela sub-regra da necessidade, ou seja, se dentre as multiplas medidas possiveis para a consecucao de uma determinada finalidade, o Estado optou pela que causa menos restricoes a direitos. E por fim, sera realizada a analise da proporcionalidade em sentido estrito, que busca revelar se a medida protege maios direitos que viola. Desta forma, pretende-se alcancar um juizo de constitucionalidade em relacao a repressao estatal a pirataria.

South Atlantic studies referring to non-native taxa are mostly restricted to Argentinean, Brazilian, and South African coasts. In this study we examined the literature to provide a list of sessile marine invertebrates along the Angolan coast, to infer its introduction status according to their biogeographical distribution and natural history. We reported 29 non-native and 7 cryptogenic species, a small number when compared to other South Atlantic regions of similar extension. Half of the non-native species were reported for Luanda. The majority of the introduced species had a northern hemisphere origin, a consequence of the main introduction route being from the North Atlantic/Mediterranean Sea during the Portuguese colonization. This is the first comprehensive assessment of this kind for the Angolan coast and the diversity of introduced species is certainly underestimated. Regular and rigorous assessments and monitoring of introduced marine species will help to understand the vectors, routes and time of introductions.

Ascídias são organismos marinhos que, em sua maioria, vivem fixados a substratos consolidados desde as regiões costeiras até às grandes profundidades. Apesar de serem cordados, apresentam um plano corporal adulto muito modificado em função de seu hábito de vida. O Estado de São Paulo é o que apresenta o melhor conhecimento da fauna de ascídias, tanto em termos de sua biodiversidade como em aspectos ecológicos. No estado, a região do município de São Sebastião foi a mais estudada em função da presença do Centro de Biologia Marinha da USP, que atraiu muitos pesquisadores desde a década de 1960. Nos últimos 50 anos houve um crescimento constante no conhecimento da fauna paulista de ascídias, que conta atualmente com 66 espécies registradas. No entanto, ainda existem lacunas importantes, pois o extremo norte e o litoral sul do estado ainda têm uma fauna de ascídias praticamente desconhecida, especialmente aquela relacionada às ilhas costeiras. As regiões mais profundas da plataforma continental e talude também foram pouco exploradas. Há necessidade de formação de recursos humanos para manter a continuidade dos estudos de biodiversidade, pois atualmente não existe nenhum grupo de pesquisa consolidado trabalhando com Ascidiacea no estado. Ascidians are marine organisms that, for the most part, are found adhered to hard substrates from coastal to abyssal regions. Despite being chordates, their body plan is very modified to suit their life-style. In Brazil, ascidians are best studied in the State of São Paulo, both in terms of biodiversity and ecology. In that state, coastal waters of the municipality of São Sebastião are particularly well studied because the Marine Biology Research station of the University of São Paulo established there has attracted researchers since the 1960s. Knowledge of ascidians has been increasing continuously during the last 50 years, and today, 66 species are recorded from the state of São Paulo. Nonetheless, there are still important areas that need study, such as the extreme north and south in that state, where the ascidians have almost never been sampled, especially on the many coastal islands. Also, deeper regions of the continental shelf and slope are also poorly studied. Developing additional human resources is necessary for the continuity of biodiversity studies and today, no research group is studying ascidians in the State of São Paulo.

Summary 1. Many organisms respond to threats such as stress and predation by expressing a defended phenotype (phenotypic plasticity) or inducing the expression of a defended phenotype in offspring (transgenerational phenotypic plasticity). While defended phenotypes can increase resistance to a predator or stress, in the absence of the inducing agent defended phenotypes often have poorer performance. Producing a defended phenotype unnecessarily has been termed a phenotype-environment mismatch. 2. Most studies have focused on the benefits of a defended phenotype along a single environmental gradient (i.e. the presence/absence of the inducing agent) but in nature, organisms must face conditions that vary across a number of environmental gradients simultaneously. By focusing on the costs and benefits of a defended phenotype in a single dimension alone we risk underestimating the strength and likelihood of phenotype-environment mismatches. 3. For the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina, we examined the performance of individuals with an induced, defended phenotype (pollution resistance) relative to individuals with an undefended phenotype across a number of different environments. We found that individuals with the defended phenotype were more sensitive to osmotic stress, but surprisingly, were less susceptible to predation than individuals with the undefended phenotype. 4. Our findings suggest that the costs and benefits associated with expressing a defended phenotype are more complex than previously realized because the full consequences of induced phenotypes are only unmasked when performance in multiple environments is examined.

Ascidians, like most encrusting organisms, present polymorphisms in shape and color that are frequently attributed to the environmental conditions in which the adults live. In southeastern Brazil, the ascidian Trididemnum orbiculatum presents 2 morphotypes that occur along different parts of the rocky shoreline. Between the intertidal and subtidal zones, the morphotypes differ in numerous characters, such as the pigmentation of zooids, growth pattern of the colony and abundance of spicules. We assessed the differentiation between the morphotypes using morphological and allozyme data. Characters traditionally used in ascidian taxonomy did not separate the morphotypes into distinct species, but the intertidal morphotype presented consistently smaller zooids, larvae and colony thickness, possibly caused by the harsh conditions of this zone. Although most of this divergence could be caused by phenotypic plasticity, clear genetic structure was observed between morphotypes. We propose that the morphotype from the subtidal zone constitutes a different species from that in the intertidal zone. In addition, morphological and genetic data suggest that colonies from the intertidal zone constitute more than one genetic entity.

Individual fitness and the structure of marine communities are strongly affected by spa- tial competition. Among the most common space holders are the colonial ascidians, which have the ability to monopolize large areas of hard substrate, overgrowing most other competitors. The effects of competition on colony growth and on gonad production of the ascidian Didemnum perlucidum were studied in southeastern Brazil by experimentally removing surrounding competitors. Colonies of D. perlucidum competing for space exhibited a growth rate 9 times less than that of colonies that were competitor free. Among the colonies subject to competition, growth rates were unrelated to the percentage of colony border that was free of competitors. However, the identity of the competitor was important in the outcome of border contacts. At the beginning of the experiment, most border encounters of D. perlucidum were with solitary organisms, which in most cases were overgrown. These were progressively replaced by colonial ascidians and bryozoans, resulting mostly in stand-off interactions. Besides reducing asexual growth, spatial competition also affected female gonad pro- duction. Colonies free of competitors had a significantly higher proportion of zooids with ovaries. Thus, our findings show that spatial competition reduces both ascidian colony size and gonad production.

Organisms living in tide pools in the intertidal zone are exposed to daily and abrupt changes in temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and salinity, during tidal cycles. Fish assemblages in tide pools are usually very different from those in surrounding areas; resident species exhibit morphological and ecological adaptations to deal with such a variable environment. In this study, we described the environmental conditions and the fish diversity and composition from four tide pools at the continental margin of the São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião (23º41'-23º54'S; 45º19'-45º30'W), in southeastern Brazil. Monthly, from January to December 2011, we sampled four tide pools (12 samples per pool), applying a standard protocol to record environmental variables, and visual censuses to record abundance, richness and composition of fish assemblages. Environmental and fish data were compared among tide pools and periods throughout the year (warm and cold) using both univariate and multivariate analyses of variance. Tide pools showed significant environmental differences, mainly in area, volume and complexity of substrata. We observed 13 species of fishes (10 families), which belong to five trophic guilds (roving herbivores, territorial herbivores, mobile invertebrate feeders, omnivores and carnivores). Density and richness of fish were almost constant during the studied period, except for a reduction in fish density in São Francisco's Beach during a cold period. However, assemblages from the sampled tide pools differed from each other in composition and relative abundance of species, resulting in four distinct assemblage structures. Bathygobius soporator was the dominant species in most of the tide pools, corresponding to 66% of all recorded fish. The tide pool from Baleeiro's Point was intermediate in size, but was covered by a complex algae community and supported the most diverse fish assemblage, suggesting that habitat complexity may contribute to the diversity of fish. Resumo Organismos que habitam poças na zona entre marés estão sujeitos a mudanças diárias e abruptas na temperatura, oxigênio dissolvido, pH e salinidade durante os ciclos das marés. Por isso, as assembleias de peixes dessas poças são geralmente bem distintas daquelas das áreas adjacentes, do infralitoral, apresentando espécies residentes com adaptações morfológicas e ecológicas para lidar com tal ambiente variável. Neste estudo, descrevemos e comparamos as condições ambientais e a diversidade e composição da ictiofauna de quatro poças de marés verdadeiras na margem continental do Canal de São Sebastião, São Sebastião (23º41'-23º54'S; 45º19'-45º30'W), sudeste do Brasil. Mensalmente, de janeiro a dezembro de 2011, amostramos quatro poças (12 amostras por poça), aplicando um protocolo padrão para registrar as variáveis ambientais, e censos visuais para registrar a abundância, riqueza e composição da assembleia de peixes. Dados abióticos e da ictiofauna foram comparados entre poças de maré e períodos do ano (quente e frio) usando análises de variância univariadas e multivariadas. As poças de marés diferiram uma das outras principalmente em área, volume e complexidade do substrato. Observamos 13 espécies de peixes (10 famílias) pertencentes a cinco guildas tróficas (herbívoros vágeis, herbívoros territoriais, invertívoros, onívoros e carnívoros). A densidade e riqueza de peixes foram praticamente constantes ao longo do período estudado, exceto pela redução na densidade de peixes observada na poça da Praia de São Francisco durante o período frio. Entretanto, as assembleias das quatro poças de maré diferiram uma das outras quanto à composição e abundância relativa das espécies, resultando em quatro poças com diferentes estruturas de assembleias. O amboré Bathygobius soporator foi a espécie dominante na maioria das localidades, correspondendo a 66% de todos os peixes registrados. A poça da Ponta do Baleeiro apresentou tamanho intermediário, mas esteve coberta por uma complexa comunidade de algas e abrigou a assembleia de peixes mais diversa nesse estudo, sugerindo que a complexidade de habitat pode contribuir para a diversidade de peixes.

Orientadores: Luiz Francisco Lembo Duarte, Vera Nisaka Solferini Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia Mestrado Ecologia Mestre em Ecologia