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The study of the recent colonization of a symbiont and its interaction with host communities in new locations is an opportunity to understand how they interact. The use of isotopic ratios in trophic ecology can provide measurements of a species' isotopic niche, as well as knowledge about how the isotopic niches between symbiont and host species overlap. Stable isotope measurements were used to assess the sources of carbon assimilated by the host species (the bivalves Mytilus galloprovincialis and Scrobicularia plana) and their associated symbiont pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi, which occurs within these bivalves' mantle cavities. The mixing model estimates suggest that all of them assimilate carbon from similar sources, particularly from pseudofaeces and particulate organic matter in this symbiotic system based on filter feeding. The symbiotic species occupy comparable trophic levels and its association seems to be commensal or parasitic depending on the duration of such association. The pea crab A. monodi reflects a sex-specific diet, where males are more generalist than the soft females because the latter's habitat is restricted to the host bivalve. The high isotopic overlap between soft females and M. galloprovincialis may reflect a good commensal relationship with the host., We acknowledge support for the publication fee from the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI). This work was partially funded by a grant from CSIC under the Intramural Research program 2018 with the grant number 201830I081 and the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I + D” and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014-53557-P). The MINECO also supported an FPI Postdoctoral contract for MPM (BES-2015- 072703).

Effects of temperature on the survival of the pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi, and on its realized fecundity (number of eggs) and actual fecundity (number of zoeas) were experimentally estimated on individuals from the Gulf of Cadiz (Huelva and Cadiz) at Southwestern Spain. The adult crabs of different demographic categories (soft females, hard females, and males) were cultured in seawater (salinity of 36) at six different temperatures: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 °C. After 42 days of culture, the three demographic categories survive at a wide range of temperatures (10 to 30 °C), although survival was high (88.5% to 98.8%, on average) for adults cultured at temperatures between 15 and 30 °C and moderate (69.4%, on average) for those cultured at 10 °C. When ovigerous females collected in winter (field temperature: 15 °C) were cultured at the four temperatures at which survival rates were high (15, 20, 25 and 30 °C), the actual fecundity average of the first brood decreased from 95.9% for females maintained at 15 °C to 3.2% for those maintained at 30 °C; whereas when females were collected in summer (field temperature: 23 °C) this actual fecundity average only displayed a moderate decrease from of 98.3% at 30 °C to 88.3% at 15 °C. Irrespective of the temperature, the number of eggs of the second brood of each female was on average smaller than that of the first brood. The duration of embryonic development was temperature dependent, becoming shorter as the temperatures increased between 15 °C and 30 °C. The embryonic plus larval development times in the Bay of Cadiz, estimated with a temperature dependent model, lasts from 105 days in winter to 43 days in summer. Besides, the effect of temperature on fecundity in the natural environment was estimated on ovigerous females seasonally collected from Cadiz and Huelva. The realized fecundity of A. monodi is higher than in most brachyurans and increases potentially with the size of the female; within females of the same size, there were no significant differences between seasons or locations, except in Huelva in autumn, when a decrease in fecundity was observed. Adult survivals and development time, expected for this species at the current seawater temperatures in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, suggest that northward expansion of A. monodi constitutes a potential risk to the mussel cultures and bivalve shellfishery catch in that area., This work was supported by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (Spain), Plan Nacional I + D” (Spain) and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014–53557-P), (Europe). The MINECO also supported a FPI Posdoctoral contract to MPM (BES-2015-072703). We want to thank to “Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible de la Junta de Andalucía“ and “Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio of Junta de Andalucía” by supporting the development of AFROBIV project.

The marine parasitic African pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi Manning, 1993 has well-established populations in the gulf of Cadiz, where it is invasive. In this study, its tolerance to temperature and salinity variation during larval development were studied in the laboratory. Larvae were reared in seawater (salinity 36) at different temperatures (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C). At 20 and 25 °C larval development was successfully completed, with the highest rate of survival to the megalopa stage occurring at 25 °C. At this optimal temperature larvae were reared at different salinities (15, 25, 36 and 45), and maximum survival to megalopa occurred at salinity 25. Additionally, the time required for larval developmental increased with salinity: the shortest (12 days) and the longest (25 days) development time occurred at salinities 25 and 45, respectively. In some of the treatments an extra stage (zoea V) was observed, but the only zoea V specimens that successfully moulted to megalopa were those reared at 25 °C and salinity 25. Temperature seems to be the main factor determining whether larval development is successfully completed, whereas salinity has an additional effect on duration of larval development under optimal temperature conditions. Our results suggest that A. monodi is well-adapted to withstand higher temperatures than currently present in Europe’s marine waters and, if temperatures keep increasing, this species may be able to expand successfully northward along the European Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts., This study was partially funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I+D” and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014-53557-P). The MINECO also supported an FPI PhD contract to MPM (BES-2015-072703). We want to thank “Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural” and “Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio” of Junta de Andalucía by supporting the development of AFROBIV project.

Some pea crabs are parasite of bivalves and may cause a significant effect on the host's condition. In this study, the prevalence of the pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi and its effect on host condition are assessed for two commercially important bivalves (the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the cockle Cerastoderma edule) from three natural beds of the Gulf of Cadiz (SW of Iberian Peninsula). The average prevalence of A. monodi ranged from 4.0% (Bay of Cadiz) to 51.4% (Carreras River) for cockles and from 30.5% (Bay of Cadiz) to 45.4% (Carreras River) for mussels. For both hosts, most bivalves were infested by a single pea crab (96.0% of cockles and 92.4% of mussels); among multiple infestations, one male and one female was the dominant combination (72.7% of cockles and 77.8% of mussels). Infested mussels showed a significantly decreased condition index (14.7%, on average), whereas crab infestation did not significantly affect the condition index of cockles (2.2%, on average). When the wet weight of the pea crab represented >5% of the wet weight of the host, an average condition loss of 12.7% and 15.9% were observed for cockles and mussels, respectively. As the relative condition loss of both mussels and cockles was negatively correlated with the relative size of the pea crab, the mentioned interspecific differences in the pea crab effects may be mainly due to the higher prevalence of soft females (larger size and obligatory parasitism) in mussels (70.6%, on average) and of hard females and males (smaller size and facultative parasitism) in cockles (81.1%, on average). This study highlights the importance of knowing the life cycle and host use of the pea crab A. monodi to ascertain the possible negative effect of this parasite on mussel farms and exploited cockle beds., This work was supported by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I+D” and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014–53557-P). The MINECO also supported a FPI PhD contract to MPM (BES-2015-072703). We want to thank “Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural” and “Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio of Junta de Andalucía” by supporting the development of AFROBIV project.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) with intraoperative use of mitomycin C (MMC) performed on thin corneas for the correction of myopia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 100 eyes with a preoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) thinner than 500 μ m that underwent LASEK + MMC with at least 6 years of follow-up. Stability of visual acuity and refraction and the efficacy, safety, and predictability at the examinations 3 months and the last annual postoperative visit were analyzed. RESULTS: Preoperative CCT was 482.9 ± 14.7 μ m (range: 433 to 499 μ m). Mean preoperative spherical equivalent was −4.09 ± 2.3 diopters (D). At the 3-month postoperative visit, mean CCT was 419.79 ± 32.6 μ m. The residual spherical equivalent showed a statistically significant regression ( P = .001) in the comparison between the 3-month and the last annual postoperative visit. The efficacy index showed a significant decrease ( P = .01) and the safety index remained stable around 0.96. Six or more years after the surgery, 85 eyes (85%) were within ±0.50 D and 94 eyes (94%) eyes were within ±1.00 D of emmetropia. The topography did not show signs of secondary corneal ectasia in any eye. CONCLUSIONS: LASEK with intraoperative use of MMC seems to be safe, effective, and predictable to correct myopia in corneas thinner than 500 μ m and with normal preoperative topography, providing good visual and refractive outcomes with no topographic signs of corneal ectasia in a mean 6.5-year follow-up. [ J Refract Surg . 2017;33(12):813–819.]

Currently, there are five species of pea crabs in European waters. In the context of the AFROBIV project, in which the effect of the African pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi on bivalve species of commercial interest is being studied, a sampling campaign has been carried out on bivalve species of the coasts of southwestern Europe. The results of this campaign are used in the present study to evaluate the current distribution of A. monodi and its degree of infestation in its various hosts, together with the distribution of native European pinnotherid species. Previously collected information has also been reviewed and included with the present results to establish a baseline so as to enable future changes in distribution and host use of European pinnotherid species to be compared and quantified. To enable the more accurate identification of species and detection of new species in the area, three genetic markers (16S, Cox1, and H3) for the current five European pinnotherid species have also been compiled from Genbank or obtained in the present work. The results showed the high abundance of A. monodi in a significant portion of the area studied. In contrast, few specimens of the native Pinnotheres pectunculi and P. pisum were collected. The northern limit of the current distribution of A. monodi extends to the Sado estuary (Portugal), and the species has been recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean (Alboran Sea). New records of P. pectunculi in the Alboran Sea confirm the presence of this species in the Mediterranean, and considerably expand the known distribution of the species, until now restricted to the coasts of Brittany., This study was partially funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I+D” and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014–53557-P). The MINECO also supported a FPI PhD contract to MPM (BES-2015-072703). We want to thanks “Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural” and “Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio” of Junta de Andalucía by supporting the development of AFROBIV project.

The first case of abnormal leucism in the European Sardine or Pilchard Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) is reported. A few sardines with abnormal pigmentation were captured by fishermen in the northern part of the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Atlantic coast), between Portugal and Spain, and one specimen was presented to the authors for examination. Species identification was verified using both morphological and genetic criteria. Despite the relative abundance of sardines along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, the current specimen represents the first known case of leucism in S. pilchardus. The observed colour aberration may have been caused by either heavy metal pollutants and/or a high level of endogamy in this heavily exploited local sardine stock., Financial support was given by CSIC through Intramural Research program 2018 under grant 201830I081 to EGO.

Observations of previously unrecorded non-native species in the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain), situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, have accelerated since 1980, and increased rapidly in the past 5 years. Four new records of decapod crustaceans have been detected in this region: the African snapping shrimp Alpheus sp., the West African cleaner shrimp Lysmata uncicornis, the Indo-West Pacific giant tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon, and the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus. The introduction and establishment of these species into the coastal waters of this region, the southernmost Atlantic coast of Spain may have been influenced by recent anthropogenic alteration of habitat, particularly estuaries and salt marshes, and by climate change facilitating the spread of warm water biota., This work was partially funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (PID2019-105978RA-I00).

12 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, After the recent detection, by both morphology and DNA barcodes, of the larval stages of an unknown species of pea crab (Pinnotheres sp.) in European waters, adults of this crab are herein reported and described as a new species. The current known geographic distribution of the species comprises the Gulf of Cádiz in the eastern Atlantic and the adjacent Mediterranean waters of the south of the Iberian Peninsula (Alboran Sea), where this crab is well-established inside the anomiid bivalve Anomia ephippium. In the Gulf of Cádiz, the species displayed a relatively high prevalence: on average, 55.6-77.7%, in A. ephippium samples. The dominant demographic categories of the new species were soft females (61.8-77.0%) with fewer males (17.7-21.10%). Most of the host bivalves carried only one crab; in bivalves harbouring two crabs, heterosexual pairs were collected more frequently than expected by chance, which suggests that they could be mated pairs. A strong correlation between host size and soft female size was found (r = 0.73, P < 0.01) indicating that space availability within hosts seems to be relevant in determining the size of the sedentary phase of the new crab species, This study was partially funded by the Spanish ‘Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Plan Nacional I + D’ and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014-53557-P), and the Project PB92-0415, supported by the Spanish M.E.C, DGICYT funds

Naturalised populations in estuaries are characteristic of non-native species tolerant to the salinity gradient. The non-native isopod Synidotea laticauda, since the first record in 1991 in a European estuary, has been continuously recorded in others (e.g. in 1994 in the Guadalquivir estuary). Possible links between physiology and its successful establishment in the Guadalquivir estuary were explored through the combination of physiological studies and field distribution (7 years). Survival, osmoregulation and potential respiration rate were estimated under different experimental salinity conditions. This non-native species is naturalised, with presence of juveniles and adults during most of the year. Spatial patterns were closely related to the salinity gradient showing the highest densities at its isosmotic point (salinity = 20). Survival experiments showed a high tolerance (survival > 80%) to salinity changes between 5 and 35 and no mortality close to its isosmotic point. In addition, acute salinity changes had a clear effect on the potential respiration rate. Overall, our results suggests that the weak osmoregulatory capacity of S. laticauda determined its salinity-dependent distribution pattern, showing high densities at physiologically more favourable salinities, minimizing the energy required for osmoregulation and therefore its mortality risk., This study was funded by the European Fisheries Fund through the Regional Government of Andalusia (Consejería Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural, Junta de Andalucía). EGO was funded by the Juan de la Cierva Research Program (MINECO-Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad) and CEI-MAR (International Campus of Excellence of the Sea).

The polychaete Oxydromus okupa lives in association with the bivalves Scrobicularia plana and Macomopsis pellucida in the intertidal of Río San Pedro (CI = Cádiz Intertidal) and adjacent to CHipiona (CH) harbour, and in the subtidal of the Bay of Cádiz (CS = Cádiz Subtidal). We analyse these populations morphometrically, ecologically (including infestation characteristics) and genetically (intertidal populations, 16S and ITS-1 genes). We consider “host”, “environment” and the combined “host and environment” as possible factors of interpopulation variability. Morphometry revealed three well-defined clusters for CI, CH and CS, showing intergroup phenotypic differences ranging from 35 to 50%. Hosts shell lengths ranged between 26 and 36 mm for S. plana and 20 and 28 mm for M. pellucida. The infestation of small M. pellucida by juvenile O. okupa suggests they show an active size segregation behaviour. The intertidal seems to be less favourable (infestation rate, Consolidated Research Group on Marine Benthic Ecology of the “Generalitat de Catalunya” (2017SGR378) and to the Research Project PopCOmics (CTM2017–88080), funded by the Spanish “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).

Essential fish habitats (EFHs) are all aquatic habitats and substrates fundamental for spawning, breeding, feeding and/or growing to maturity. Estuaries are a good example of this because they play an important role as nursery grounds for several marine species. Despite their importance for completing the life cycle of some fish stocks, little is known about how early stages of these species respond to changes within estuarine environments. Understanding the response of fish juveniles to combinations of multiple drivers in these highly dynamic ecosystems is not straightforward. By analysing an 18 yr time series of European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and 3 mysid species in the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain), we quantified the effects of both natural and anthropogenic factors on the early stages of this small pelagic fish and its prey. Of the factors assessed, freshwater discharges and turbidity—both influenced by human activities—showed a remarkable effect on the abundance of anchovy. Natural environmental variables such as temperature, salinity, winds and prey abundance were also important. The relationship between anchovy and mysids suggests that the Guadalquivir food web is predominantly resource-driven and that indirect environmental effects can cascade up through a web of interactions. This study provides empirical information on the response of anchovy to environmental changes within its main essential habitat in the Gulf of Cadiz. Since the human-influenced variables can be managed to some extent, we discuss their implications for maintaining a healthy EFH, which in turn would contribute to developing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the region.

XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019., Afropinnotheres monodi Manning, 1993 is one of the many African crustaceans that have been recorded on the coasts of the Iberian Peninsula. This crab belongs to the Pinnotheridae, a family that comprises 303 species of small marine brachyuran decapods. Pinnotherids live as symbionts in other invertebrates, very often in the paleal cavity of bivalve molluscs. The main objective of this project has been to determine the effect of A. monodi on bivalves of commercial interest in the Iberian Peninsula, especially mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and cockles (Cerastoderma spp.), which are the two species presenting the highest degree of infestation by this crab. In this study the distribution of A. monodi has been researched in the Gulf of Cádiz, and beyond its known limits (the south of Portugal and Strait of Gibraltar) to monitor its process of geographic expansion. Relevant aspects of its biology, that affect its reproductive success and dispersive capacity, have been also studied experimentally in order to predict the potential evolution of this species in the Iberian Peninsula.

XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019., As many other Pinnotherid crabs, the African pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi live in association with the mantle cavity of different bivalve species. This pea crab causes a significant reduction of the condition index of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. The greatest effects brought about for the infestation with soft females (larger size and obligatory parasitism) and/or multiple infestation (two or three pea crab inside the same host); whereas erosion of the gills and mantle of hosts have been also observed in mussels and cockles (Cerastoderma edule) infested by hard females and males which have smaller size than soft females and are facultative parasites (Perez-Miguel et al. 2018). To test the hypothesis that the prevalence of this pea crab in subtidal mussels depends on the degree of exposure/shallowness of their habitats and consequently of the coexistence of hosts of all crab demographic categories in a reduced area, in this study we assess the prevalence and demographic structure of A. monodi in the subtidal mussels attached to the submerged chains of the navigational buoys (lateral marks) of the Port Authority located along the navigable channel of the bay of Cadiz.

The African parasitic pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi lives in association with a high number of different bivalve species, although in its reproductive phase (soft females) a high prevalence has been observed infesting mainly intertidal Mytilus galloprovincialis. In recent years this pea crab has been recorded in the south of Iberian Peninsula, with well-established populations in the Gulf of Cadiz, and it has been observed that infested mussels showed a decrease of their condition index of 14.7%, on average. Until now, a high prevalence of A. monodi has been observed only in intertidal mussels inhabiting sheltered and relatively shallow habitats, but it has not yet been found in aquaculture farms located offshore in the surrounding zone. Considering the commercially-important mussel farms located in the Galician Rias and Ebro Delta (sheltered systems), the aim of this study was to test whether the prevalence of this pea crab in subtidal mussels depends on the degree of exposure/shallowness of their habitats and consequently on the coexistence of the primary hosts of all crab demographic categories in a reduced area. For this, we have assessed the prevalence of A. monodi in mussels attached to the submerged chains of the navigational buoys of the navigable channel of the Bay of Cadiz. The results show that A. monodi prevalence is correlated with the distance of mussels from the nearest inshore areas, where bivalves host the initial phases of this species (r = −0.92, p < .01). On average, the highest prevalence corresponded to B10 (the nearest inshore buoy sampled), with 74.5% of mussels hosting crabs and the lowest to B2 (the furthest buoy sampled) where only 17.0% of mussels hosted crabs. These results confirm that A. monodi infects subtidal mussels, in a condition similar to the cultured mussels in rafts and long-lines. Therefore, if the pea crab reaches sheltered areas where mussels are cultivated (i.e. the Galician Rias and Ebro Delta bays), it could become successfully established, with negative commercial consequences for these aquaculture farms., This work was supported by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) (Spain), Plan Nacional I + D” (Spain) and the European FEDER funds through project AFROBIV (CGL2014–53557-P), (Europe). The MINECO also supported a FPI Posdoctoral contract to MPM (BES-2015- 072703). We want to thank to the “Autoridad Portuaria de la Bahía de Cádiz” (Spain) by the permissions to take samples of mussels from the buoys of the navigable channel of the Bay of Cadiz and to “Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible de la Junta de Andalucía“ (Spain) by supporting the development of AFROBIV project.

The hesionid genus Parasyllidea differs from Oxydromus in lacking median antennae. It was originally described to include a single species, P. humesi, known only from its original description. This was based on specimens from mangrove swamps at Pointe-Noire (Republic of Congo, West Africa), living endosymbiotically with the bivalve Tellina nymphalis. Lately, the genus included P. blacki and P. australiensis. A new population of P. humesi was recently found at the upper intertidal level of Rio San Pedro salt marsh in Cadiz Bay (eastern Atlantic, Iberian Peninsula). It was also living endosymbiotically, but with another bivalve, Scrobicularia plana. Some Iberian and Congolese specimens revealed the presence of a small papilla-like central antenna associated with the prostomial median ridge, which raised some doubts on the validity of the genus Parasyllidea. A phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial COI and 16S and the nuclear 18S and 28S genes confirms Parasyllidea as a junior synonym of Oxydromus. Therefore, in this paper, P. humesi is fully re-described as Oxydromus humesi comb. nov. The worm has never been reported as free-living. Previously, the association appeared to be an obligate symbiosis, closer to parasitism, as infested hosts had lower relative biomasses than non-infested ones and the worm did not occur locally inside any other bivalve co-habiting the intertidal salt marsh. The finding of a highly infested population (> 85% in the specimens longer than 20 mm) of a new host at the lower subtidal part of Rio San Pedro mouth, the bivalve Psammotreta cumana, led us to discuss the host-specificity of O. humesi. In addition, the observation of living specimens during sampling and laboratory handling enabled detailed observations of the host-entering behaviour of the specimens living with S. plana, which are also described and illustrated. Living, uninfested specimens of P. cumana have not been obtained, preventing us from checking the host-entering behaviour in the new host. The significance of the intraspecific attacks observed in experimental conditions is also discussed. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London

In the Mediterranean-climate zone, recurrent drought events and increasing water demand generally lead to a decrease in freshwater input to estuaries. This water scarcity may alter the proper function of estuaries as nursery areas for marine species and as permanent habitat for estuarine species. A 12-year data set of the aquatic macrofauna (fish, decapod and mysid crustaceans) in a Mediterranean estuary (Guadalquivir estuary, South Spain) was analysed to test if water scarcity favours the nursery function of regional estuaries to the detriment of permanent estuarine inhabitants. Target species typically displayed a salinity-related distribution and estuarine salinisation in dry years resulted in a general upstream community displacement. However, annual densities of marine species were neither consistently higher in dry years nor estuarine species during wet years. Exceptions included the estuarine mysid Neomysis integer and the marine shrimp Crangon crangon, which were more abundant in wet and dry years, respectively. High and persistent turbidity, a collateral effect of water scarcity, altered both the structural (salinity-related pattern) and functional (key prey species and predator density) community characteristics, chiefly after the second drought period of the analysis. The observed high inter-year environmental variability, as well as species-specific effects of water scarcity, suggests that exhaustive and long-term sampling programmes will be required for rigorously monitoring the estuarine communities of the Mediterranean-climate region., This study was co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the projects REN2000-0822 MAR and SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065), and European Funds for Sustainable Fisheries through Consejería Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo Rural - Junta de Andalucía (CAD10-29).

PURPOSE: To compare the visual and refractive results of femtosecond laser–assisted LASIK (FS-LASIK) with and without the adjuvant use of mitomycin C (MMC) to correct hyperopia. METHODS: A total of 152 consecutive hyperopic eyes were included in this retrospective, observational cohort study, comparing 76 eyes treated with FS-LASIK + MMC with 76 age- and refraction-matched eyes treated with FS-LASIK without MMC. Visual and refractive results were evaluated 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, and 15 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Preoperative mean spherical equivalent was +3.27 diopters (D) versus +3.50 D in the MMC and no MMC groups, respectively ( P > .05). Three months postoperatively, uncorrected distance visual acuity was significantly better in the MMC group (0.93 ± 0.2) than in the no MMC group (0.87 ± 0.2) ( P = .01). The residual spherical equivalent was significantly lower in the MMC group (+0.18 ± 0.40 D) than in the no MMC group (+0.42 ± 0.50 D) ( P = .01). Fifteen months postoperatively, including re-treated eyes, no significant differences were found in uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, and residual refraction. Slightly better outcomes were found in the MMC group in terms of efficacy, safety, and predictability; however, these small differences were not statistically significant. The incidence of re-treatments during the 15-month follow-up was significantly lower in the MMC group than in the no MMC group (6.6% vs 10.5%, respectively) ( P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: FS-LASIK with or without the intraoperative use of MMC is safe and effective to correct hyperopia. However, slightly better refractive outcomes and a lower incidence of re-treatments were observed when intraoperative MMC was used, at least in a 15-month follow-up. [ J Refract Surg. 2018;34(1):23–28.]

20 páginas, 1 figura, 3 tablas., Recent studies have reported an unusually high frequency of nonamplifying alleles at microsatellite loci in bivalves. Null alleles have been associated with heterozygous deficits in many studies. While several studies have tested for its presence using different analytical tools, few have empirically tested for its consequences in estimating population structure and differentiation. We characterised 16 newly developed microsatellite loci and show that null alleles are ubiquitous in the wedge clam, Donax trunculus. We carried out several tests to demonstrate that the large heterozygous deficits observed in the newly characterised loci were most likely due to null alleles.Wetested the robustness of microsatellite genotyping for population assignment by showing that well-recognised biogeographic regions of the south Atlantic and south Mediterranean coast of Spain harbour genetically different populations., CR was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education (Grant no PR2010-0601) and the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC). This research was financially supported by Organismo Autonomo de Parque Nacionales Grant OAPN122_2010 to CR, EM, JAC and PD. ADM was supported by the Strategic Research Themes of the University of the South Pacific.

The successful settlement of the African pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi in the Bay of Cadiz was analysed to gain new insights into the evolution of pea crab parasite life history traits. The pea crab lives symbiotically and with high prevalence in the bivalves Cerastoderma glaucum and Mytilus galloprovincialis, and with low prevalence in Scrobicularia plana. A remarkable monopolisation of the host (1 crab per bivalve) occurred irrespective of host species and crab demographic categories (males, hard females, soft females), probably as an optimisation of resources in small hosts. However, there was a clear asymmetry in host use by the different crab categories. A 1:1 sex ratio was found in crabs harboured by C. glaucum and S. plana, with most of the female crabs being small and hard specimens, whereas crabs inhabiting M. galloprovincialis were primarily large reproductive females. Ovigerous females were found throughout the year in M. galloprovincialis, and there was a strong correlation between female size and fecundity, suggesting that the females harboured by this host were the major contributors to the reproductive effort of the studied population. Conversely, most of the new crabs recruiting to the population were harboured by the remaining 2 host species. We hypothesise that such a generalist but asymmetrical usage of bivalve hosts by pea crabs may have clear benefits for species such as A. monodi, that are undergoing geographical expansion, facilitating their dispersal to new locations and their successful settlement in sheltered systems, such as the Bay of Cadiz. © Inter-Research 2014., This research work was funded by remnant funds of the PAI RNM108 research group.

Single and mixture toxicity tests on three pharmaceutical compounds, Diclofenac (DF), Ibuprofen (IB) and Carbamazepine (CBZ), were carried out with the freshwater shrimp Atyaephyra desmarestii. Lethal and sublethal responses were analyzed for single compounds. Lethal concentrations (LC50) obtained for each individual compound, after 96h of exposure, were 6.3mgL-1 for DF, 13.3mgL-1 for IB and 94.3mgL-1 for CBZ. The selected sublethal endpoints of food ingestion, osmoregulatory capacity and respiration rates were not affected by the exposures to environmentally-relevant concentrations. Based on mortality data obtained, the predictive no effect concentration (PNEC) was calculated for each of the compounds, and compared with predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) reported in surface waters. The environmental risk of each compound was estimated as the ratio between PEC/PNEC, and indicated that IB could represent a medium risk in freshwater environments. Additionally, binary and ternary mixture toxicity assays of the selected compounds were carried out. The data obtained was applied to two predictive toxicity models: Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA). Finally, risk assessment was estimated using risk quotients (RQ) for the compound mixtures based on EC50 and LC50 values. © 2013 Elsevier B.V., This study was sponsored under the projects SCARCE, Consolider-Ingenio 2010CSD2009-00065 and 0432_I2TEP_5_E from POCTEP.

10 páginas, 2 figuras, 5 tablas., In a resource management perspective, the understanding of the relative influence of the physical factors on species connectivity remains a major challenge and is also of great ecological and conservation biology interest. Despite the overfishing threat on the wedge clam Donax trunculus in Europe, relatively little information is known about its population genetic structure and connectivity and their consequences on conservation policies. We employed 16 microsatellite loci to characterise the genetic diversity and population structure of D. trunculus. A total of 514 samples from seven different localities along the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition, from the Atlantic (Gulf of Cádiz) to the north-western Mediterranean were genotyped. The analysis of the population genetic structure displayed a clear distinction along the Atlantic-Mediterranean transition with different clusters in the Atlantic Ocean, the Alboran Sea and the northwestern Mediterranean. Consequently, we recommend that these three areas should be considered as different management units. We showed that all populations seem to be at high long-term risk of extinction with the exception of the protected Doñana National Park population which still seems to have evolutionary potential. Therefore, our results emphasized the necessity of protection of this economic resource and the validity of molecular tools to evaluate the population dynamics., This research was financially supported by Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales Grant OAPN122_2010 to C.R., E.M., J.A.C. and P.D.

Recent studies have reported an unusually high frequency of nonamplifying alleles at microsatellite loci in bivalves. Null alleles have been associated with heterozygous deficits in many studies. While several studies have tested for its presence using different analytical tools, few have empirically tested for its consequences in estimating population structure and differentiation. We characterised 16 newly developed microsatellite loci and show that null alleles are ubiquitous in the wedge clam, Donax trunculus. We carried out several tests to demonstrate that the large heterozygous deficits observed in the newly characterised loci were most likely due to null alleles. We tested the robustness of microsatellite genotyping for population assignment by showing that well-recognised biogeographic regions of the south Atlantic and south Mediterranean coast of Spain harbour genetically different populations.

According to the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/CE), assessment methods for the biological quality element benthic invertebrates must include diversity, abundance and proportion of pollution sensitive/indicator taxa as indicative parameters. By one hand, the use of pollution sensitive/indicator taxa (indicator taxa indices) is criticized due to the lack of a reliable methodology to know the level at which indicator species can be well represented in unaffected communities. By the other hand, it is often remarked in the literature that the response of diversity measures may be biased by several methodological constraints. In the last few years, several multimetrics, combining both types of indices, have been proposed with the aim of providing a better picture of the response of benthic communities to disturbance gradients. In order to understand how different responses of diversity measures may affect the responses of multimetric indices, several biotic indices, including diversity measures, indicator taxa indices and multimetrics, were calculated for a set of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems affected by different ranges of organic matter content. Diversity measures did not show monotonic patterns of response to the gradient of organic content, particularly at the low end of its range, while strong correlations were found between indicator taxa indices and this pressure indicator gradient. The multimetric used in the study (M-AMBI) was more correlated with its diversity components (H′ and S) than with its indicator taxa component (AMBI) and, consequently, M-AMBI was always less correlated with the gradient of organic content than AMBI. In Mediterranean coastal water ecosystems naturally poor in sediment organic matter content, indicator taxa indices, such as MEDOCC, BOPA, AMBI or BENTIX, seem to give a more reliable picture of the response of benthic communities to moderate increments of organic content than diversity indices., The authors acknowledge Agència Catalana de L’Aigua, Govern de les Illes Balears, Generalitat Valenciana, Junta de Andalucia, EGMASA (Empresa de Gestión Medioambiental, S.A.), Comunidad Autónoma de la Region de Murcia, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Agency for Environment of the Republic of Slovenia for providing the framework of the case studies and the access to data.

14 páginas, 8 figuras., Estuaries are used as nursery grounds by numerous marine species despite being usually subject to strong anthropogenic disturbances. Abundances of marine recruits (fish and crustacean decapods) and their main prey (mysids) were monitored by monthly sampling, from June 1997 to February 2009, in the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain). During that period, unusually high and persistent turbidity events (HPTEs) were observed twice. Both HPTEs started with strong and sudden freshwater discharges after relatively long periods of very low freshwater inflow. Data from this time-series were used to test the hypothesis that HPTEs may negatively impact the nursery function of estuaries either by decreasing prey availability or by decreasing survival/arrival of marine recruits. During HPTEs, the commonest mysid (Mesopodopsis slabberi), a key species in the estuarine food web, showed a significant decrease in abundance. Likewise, some marine recruits that prey on M. slabberi and whose peaks of abundance within the estuary occur in summer–autumn (Engraulis encrasicolus and Pomadasys incisus) were less abundant during HPTEs. It is also suggested that HPTEs might have triggered a shift in the distribution of the most euryhaline prey (Neomysis integer) and predator (Dicentrarchus punctatus and Crangon crangon) species, towards more saline waters. This could have contributed to an increase in the inter-specific competition (for food/habitat) within the estuarine nursery area. The results discussed in this study call attention to the need to reduce as much as possible the anthropogenic pressures that may stimulate the occurrence of high and persistent turbidity events (HPTEs) in order to preserve the nursery function of temperate estuaries., The study was supported by the Spanish MCYT projectREN2000-0822 MAR, the Environmental and Fishery Agency of Autonomous Andalusia Government (“Consejería de Medio Ambiente” and “Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca: Junta de Andalucía”) and EU Fishery Grant.

12 páginas, 5 páginas, 1 tabla., Mysids are an important component of estuarine hyperbenthos and a major prey item in the food web of many estuaries. Understanding the abiotic and biotic mechanisms determining mysid distributions is therefore important to comprehend the general processes structuring estuarine communities. We carried out field surveys and exposure-survival experiments for three species of mysids, Neomysis integer Leach Mesopodopsis slabberi van Beneden and Rhopalophthalmus tartessicus Vilas-Fernandez, Drake and Sorbe, to link salinity tolerances of different sex and life stages (adults and juveniles) to their spatial distributions within the Guadalquivir estuary, SW Spain. Despite being euryhaline, the three species of mysids were unevenly distributed along the saline gradient, with salinity being the environmental variable which best explained structure changes in the estuarine mysid assemblage. R. tartessicus remained confined to the outer and more marine part of the estuary and showed a higher temporal variation in its salinity-related distribution (position within the salinity gradient). M. slabberi and N. integer displayed wider estuarine distributions but remained associated with intermediate and low salinities, respectively. We found considerable inter- and intra-specific differences in tolerance to sudden salinity changes: N. integer, and juveniles of M. slabberi and R. tartessicus, showed a high tolerance to sudden salinity changes, whereas adults of M. slabberi and R. tartessicus were only tolerant to salinities close to their isosmotic points. For the less euryhaline species M. slabberi and R. tartessicus acclimation to unfavourable salinities decreased survival after exposure to sudden salinity changes. Both location and strength of the salinity gradient were important factors in determining spatial distribution, either directly to avoid osmotic stress and mortality risk (R. tartessicus and M. slabberi) or indirectly to reduce inter-specific mysid competition (N. integer). We suggest inter- and intra-specific euryhalinity differences determine the spatial distribution of mysids and the specific strategies they use to maintain this spatial structure in a highly variable environment., The study was supported by the Spanish MCYT project REN2000-0822 MAR, the Environmental and Fishery Agency of Autonomous Andalucia Government (“Consejería de Medio Ambiente” and “Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca: Junta de Andalucía”) and grants to C.V. from Spanish MCYT Pre-doctoral Fellow Program (FPI 2001-2005) and Post-doctoral Fellow Program (2006-2008) from the Spanish foundation Fundación Alfonso Martin Escudero.

Physiological responses (oxygen consumption) and behavioral responses (feeding and activity) of the mud snails Hydrobia ulvae and Hydrobia glyca at different salinities (20‰–80‰) and temperatures (20° and 30°C) were studied. After 24 h under experimental conditions, both Hydrobia species already showed maximal activities (>90%) for a wide salinity range (30‰–70‰), with significant differences in activity between species only outside the usual salinity range of the studied lagoon. In contrast, egestion rates of H. glyca were significantly higher at the lowest salinities tested (30‰ and 40‰) irrespective of water temperature, whereas egestion rates of H. ulvae were always significantly higher (57% on average) at 20°C than at 30°C and at the usual salinities found in the field (40‰ and 50‰). Both species showed an oxyregulatory response to dissolved oxygen concentrations ranging from saturation to 1.5 mg O2 L−1, although specific oxygen consumption rates were significantly higher at 30°C than at 20°...

Clibanarius erythropus (Latreille, 1818) is the dominant hermit crab in intertidal rocky habitats of the Gulf of Cádiz (southwestern Spain). Three different populations of this species were sampled during the reproductive (July 2014) and non-reproductive (October 2014) periods to assess shell use patterns in the field by different demographic groups in absence of interspecific competition for shell-resource use. Irrespective of sampling sites and periods considered, sex ratios were female-biased (2.3 on average), and mean sizes of males were greater than those for females. At least shells from 31 different gastropods were used by C. erythropus in the Gulf of Cádiz. Shell selection was largely determined by the sizes of the hermit crab and shells. As result, a generalist pattern of shell use was displayed by this species. Most hermit crabs with shield length >4.5mm were males and the less abundant larger shells were occupied by these large males. Statistically significant sex-related (males vs. females) and size-related (small males vs. large males) differences in shell use were observed at two sampling sites with higher shell diversity, suggesting partial intraspecific partitioning of shell resource. There was a negative effect of carrying relatively heavy/large shells on the stage condition (males and females) and on clutch size of ovigerous females, suggesting that protection from predators was prioritised.

We assessed the role of euryhalinity and life-history traits on the population genetic structure of the four main caridean shrimp species from the Iberian Peninsula (Atyaephyra desmarestii, Dugastella valentina, Palaemon varians and Palaemon zariquieyi) able to complete their life cycle in freshwater/oligohaline habitats. Seawater exposure experiments indicated that A. desmarestii, D. valentina and P. zariquieyi are more sensitive to high salinity waters than P. varians and confirm the relationship between osmolality regulation and spatial distribution of species. The limited or no survival in seawater could explain the restricted distributions observed in D. valentina and P. zariquieyi, whereas the current A. desmarestii distribution could be due to either past river dynamics and/or human-mediated water transfers. Conversely, the high tolerance of P. varians to a large salinity range (euryhalinity) could explain its capacity to colonize geographically distant estuaries. In agreement with osmoregulation results, the phylogeography patterns of the cytochrome oxidase 1 (Cox 1) gene fragment revealed significant genetic differentiation among river systems whatever the species considered. Atyidae species presented higher nucleotide diversity levels than Palaemonidae species, while isolation-by-distance patterns were only found for the latter. Our results have important implications for the management and conservation of freshwater species, since the inter-catchment connectivity may affect the speciation processes., This study was co-funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, through the projects VAGEPODE (CGL2004-1083) and SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065).

Trabajo presentado en ECSA 56 (Coastal systems in transition: From a 'natural' to an 'anthropogenically-modified' state), celebrado en Bremen del 4 al 7 de septiembre de 2016.

Within the Guadalquivir estuary, young recruits of marine species seem to respond to changes in freshwater flow by moving with the mass of estuarine water that is most “suitable” for them. The control of the river flow, from a dam 110 km upstream from the river mouth, has an immediate effect on the estuarine salinity gradient, displacing it either seaward or upstream. Consequently, there is a reduction or enlargement of the estuarine area that is used as nursery grounds. The analysis of the temporal estuarine recruitment and spatial distribution of young stages of marine species, during six annual cycles, provides evidence that the estuarine zone used as nursery grounds is mainly that part situated seaward from an isohaline value of 5. The relationship between the position of that isohaline (D5) and the freshwater discharges from the dam was also examined during high and low tides. It was found that a high percentage of the isohaline position variation (75% and 73% at high and low tides, respectively) can be explained by the freshwater volume discharged from the dam during the previous week. These preliminary results suggest that an accurate model of the relationship between these two variables may be a useful tool for future management strategies of freshwater discharges to the estuary. 2

The spatio-temporal distribution of the anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in its early life stages was related to environmental conditions within the Guadalquivir River estuary (south-west, Spain) by monthly field surveys during nine periods of recruitment (May 1997 to December 2005). Anchovy post-larvae showed a consistent seasonal pattern of abundance throughout the study period: each year, a high anchovy recruitment period (HARP) occurred from late May to November, with a main peak in July, coinciding with the period when environmental conditions were more stable. Results of stepwise multiple regression analysis indicates that density of its main prey, Mesopodopsis slabberi, explained 45% of total anchovy density variance. Furthermore, after removing the effect of this variable, interannual differences in the anchovy estuarine recruitment were not significant. Clear spatial and tidal trends were also observed for both prey and predator: at each sampling date, density decreased from the outer to inner estuary; at each sampling site, density was higher during ebbs than during floods. Field distributions related to environmental gradients during HARP indicated that the populations of E. encrasicolus and M. slabberi seemed to hold a steady position at a point on the salinity gradient by longitudinal displacement within the estuary. Since freshwater management actions affect the longitudinal position of the salinity gradient as well as the input of nutrients to the estuary and adjacent coastal areas, it is hypothesized that this factor may also be relevant to anchovy recruitment.

Lethal and sublethal responses of the shrimp Atyaephyra desmarestii exposed to three pharmaceutical compounds, Diclofenac (DF), Ibuprofen (IB) and Carbamazepine (CBZ), individually and in mixtures, were evaluated under two temperature scenarios. LC50 (96 h) values were obtained individually at 20° and 25 °C. At 25 °C, mortality in binary and ternary mixtures is higher than at 20 °C. The toxicity of the mixtures was predicted on the basis of individual mortality data using two toxicity models: Concentration addition (CA) and Independent action (IA). Our results showed that neither CA nor IA unequivocally predicted the observed toxicity of binary and ternary mixtures. For sublethal toxicity, selected endpoints were: ingestion rate, osmoregulatory capacity and respiration rate. Regarding osmoregulatory capacity, no significant differences were found. The highest ingestion rates were recorded in organisms exposed at 25 °C, irrespective of the compound, after 30 and 60 min of exposure. At 20 °C, there was a significant decrease in respiration rate (Dunnett́s test p < 0.05) under conditions of severe anoxia (1 mg O2 L−1) in organisms exposed to 13.3 μg L−1 of DF. At 25 °C a significantly lower respiration rate with respect to the control (Dunnett́s test p < 0.05) was found in organisms exposed to 13.8 μg L−1 of CBZ under conditions of moderate hypoxia and well-oxygenated water (3 and 5 mg O2 L−1, respectively). The respiratory independence of organisms exposed to the higher temperature (25 °C) also decreased. This study shows that CBZ and DF individually, even at relatively low concentrations, may produce respiratory deficiencies in the freshwater shrimp, Atyaephyra desmarestii under certain temperature and water oxygenation conditions, thus reducing its ability to function., This study was sponsored under the project SCARCE, Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065, by the PIE 20143E072 (CSIC) and by the NET-SCARCE (CTM2015-69780-REDC).

Decapod crustacean megalopae were sampled weekly (spring/neap tides) during late-spring/summer of 1998 by using two planktonic nets located close to the surface and the bottom, at a fixed station in the mouth of the Rio San Pedro inlet (SW Spain). Sampling was carried out during 25 h cycles to ascertain the flux of megalopae in relation to the main environmental (diel, tidal, tidal amplitude) cycles. The hypothesis that megalopae of some species may be using tidal-stream transport as a mechanism of re-invading the inlet was tested and the relationship between megalopal behaviour and life history strategy was analysed. In general, the flux of megalopae was higher during spring tides, but such differences were only statistically significant for Pisidia longicornis and Liocarcinus sp.2 due to the considerable interdate variation. With the exception of Macropodia sp., megalopae were more abundant close to the bottom. The diel/tidal flux of most abundant species suggested two different patterns of behaviour: megalopae of Liocarcinus spp., Panopeus africanus , Uca tangeri and Brachynotus sexdentatus seemed to be re-invading the inlet (specially at nocturnal floods), while megalopae of Ilia nucleus , Nepinnotheres pinnotheres and Macropodia sp. may have been just looking for a suitable place for settlement. The first group corresponded to the species whose zoeal development occurs in open sea, and the second one to species that complete their life cycle within the studied system, suggesting a relationship between the duration of the larval phase and the life cycle strategy of the species.

14 pages, 1 figure, 3 tables, [EN] Almost 50 years have passed since a group of reputed carcinologists (viz. Lipke B. Holthuis, Isabella Gordon and Jacques Forest) finished the posthumous work of Ricardo Zariquiey Álvarez (1968) on decapod crustaceans of the Iberian Peninsula. No lists of decapod fauna specifically covering this area have been published since then, and an update is needed. The current list of brachyuran crabs of the Iberian Peninsula comprises 140 species, which is 35 species more than the 105 valid species listed in Zariquiey Álvarez (1968). Systematic changes have affected the original classification, so now there are 20 superfamilies, 36 families and 77 genera. Additional species have been recorded in Iberian waters due to natural range expansions from nearby areas (Mediterranean and Atlantic), introductions by anthropogenic activities, and description of new taxa. Also, two species were synonymized. Several of these changes, based on evidence from larval morphology and/or molecular data, are detailed in this review. Although descriptions of crab species new to science are not expected to occur at a significant rate, an increase in the number of species in the Iberian Peninsula is expected to result from the introduction of alien species. © 2015 CSIC, ES] Han pasado casi 50 años desde que un grupo de reputados carcinólogos (viz. Lipke B. Holthuis, Isabella Gordon y Jacques Forest) finalizaran la obra póstuma de Ricardo Zariquiey Álvarez (1968), “Crustáceos decápodos de la Península Ibérica”. Desde entonces no se ha publicado una lista de la fauna de decápodos que cubra específicamente este área, y era necesaria una actualización. La lista actual de braquiuros de la Península Ibérica consta de un total de 140 especies, 35 especies más de las 105 especies válidas enumeradas en Zariquiey Álvarez (1968). Los cambios en la sistemática han afectado la clasificación original, por lo que ahora hay 20 superfamilias, 36 familias y 77 géneros. Otras especies han sido citadas en aguas ibéricas debido a expansiones naturales de su rango de distribución desde áreas cercanas (Mediterráneo y Atlántico), a las introducciones mediadas por las actividades antropogénicas y a la descripción de nuevas especies. Además, se han sinonimizado dos especies. Varios de estos cambios, basados en evidencias de la morfología de las larvas y/o datos moleculares, se detallan en esta revisión. Aunque no se espera que las descripciones de nuevas especies de cangrejos para la ciencia se produzcan a un ritmo significativo, si es esperable un incremento en el número de especies en la Península Ibérica como resultado de la introducción de especies exóticas, This research was carried out within the framework of the MEGALOPADN project (CGL2009-11225) funded by the “Ministerio de Economía y Competividad (MINECO)” Spanish Plan R+D+I and FEDER. Marco-Herrero acknowledges the pre-doctoral FPI Fellowship (BES-2010-033297), and the present study was carried out as part of her PhD Thesis

Hermit crab behaviour has been widely studied, including aspects related to reproduction, olfactory attractants, association with other species, daily movements and migrations, clustering and, profusely, shell selection and utilization (Bertness, 1980, 1981; Hazlett, 1981; Gherardi & Vannini, 1989; Gherardi, 1990; Gherardi et al., 1991; Turra & Leite, 2000; Calado et al., 2006). Studies have focussed mainly on the intertidal zones, because of both accessibility and the role that this changing environment plays in behavioural adaptations. Intertidal species have to have physiological tolerance to extreme changes of salinity, temperature and air exposure in short periods of time. Also, the intertidal habitat is a high-risk zone, because of predation from marine and terrestrial predators (Vanini & Chelazzi, 1985). Hermit crabs are one of the most successful groups in the intertidal zone, probably due to the shell association that provides them with movable shelter, offers protection from physical stress and helps to maintain micro-climatic conditions (Reese, 1969; Hazlett, 1981). Shells also play an important role in the social structure of hermit crabs (Hazlett, 1966; Gherardi et al., 1994). The dependence association between hermit crabs and shell has strongly extended into almost all aspects of their biology (Hazlett, 1981); for this reason there are numerous works studying the relation between hermit crabs and gastropod shells and the behaviour related with shell selection and utilization (García & Mantelatto, 2001 and references herein).

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of temperature on the survival and duration of larval development in the African pea crab Afropinnotheres monodi, as well as to describe its larval stages. We studied larvae reared in the laboratory and also specimens collected from plankton from the Gulf of Cádiz at two different temperatures. According to the results of this study, larval development of A. monodi involves four zoea stages and one megalopa and lasts around 25 days at 25°C, and longer than 40 days at 19°C. Such a temperature-related duration of this dispersive phase may be causing a higher recruitment to parental populations during the summer, but a higher dispersal to new locations during the rest of the year, a seasonal pattern of dispersion which could favour the successful expansion of this non-native species into European waters. The identification of both larval phases from plankton samples and adult specimens was carried out using morphological characters and molecular techniques. Both the 16S mtDNA sequences of this species, now available in GenBank, and the larval descriptions provided by this study could help to establish an early alert for the detection of this African species in its northward expansion., The research was carried out within the framework of the projects MEGALOPADN [CGL2009-11225], ‘Transporte y reclutamiento larvario de crustáceos bentónicos litorales: importancia de los agentes forzadores costeros y regimen mareal’ [CTM2005-00024/MAR] and AFROBIV [CGL2014-53557-P], co-financed by the ‘Ministerio de Economía y Competividad (MINECO)’ Spanish Plan R+D+I and ERDF, European Union. Elena Marco-Herrero acknowledges a pre-doctoral FPI Fellowship supported by MINECO [BES-2010-033297].

Planktonic larvae of decapod crustaceans were collected monthly from July 1991 to June 1992 by pumping during nocturnal flood and ebb tides to establish seasonal larval abundance patterns in an inlet of the Bay of Cadiz. Additional 24 h series of samples were collected seasonally (July 1991, October 1991, January 1992 and May/June 1992) during spring and neap tides to analyse larval abundance in relation to the main environmental cycles (diel, tidal and lunar phases) and vertical position in the water column. First zoeae were the most abundant stage for most species, represent- ing 97.6% of all individuals collected. Zoea I abundance was higher in spring and summer and, on most sampling occasions, there was a net output from the inlet to the bay. Five species (Liocarcinus arcuatus and Liocarcinus vemalis, Uca tangeri, Diogenes pugilator and Panopeus africanus) repre- sented 60% of total individuals caught. The seasonal occurrence of first zoeae of the most abundant species indicated two different reproductive patterns: species with a short reproductive period and species spawning year round. Zoea I of several species (Panopeus africanus, Uca tangeri, Pachygrap- sus marmoratus, Processa spp.) were significantly more abundant during ebb tides and their later larval stages were scarcely collected, suggesting that these larvae are released in the inlet and exported to the bay. Conversely, a net input of first zoeae was observed for other species (D.pugilator and Pinnotheres pinnotheres), but their later larval stages were also scarcely collected. Such importation could be a larval rhythm artifact due to release of larvae in the bay that drifted into the inlet by tidal currents. The crab Ilia nucleus, whose later larval stages were collected frequently, was the only species that seemed to complete its life cycle within the bay. These results suggest that the studied inlet was primarily used by decapods as an adult habitat and spawning ground, while larval develop- ment occurred in open sea. Since vertical migration was not observed for exported larvae, the tidal synchronization of female release seemed to be the most probable mechanism of larval exportation. There were no significant differences between larval release during spring and neap tides.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the ecological consequences of individual trait variation within populations. Given that individual variability arises from evolutionary dynamics, to fully understand eco-evolutionary feedback loops, we need to pay special attention to how standing trait variability affects ecological dynamics. There is mounting empirical evidence that intra-specific phenotypic variation can exceed species-level means, but theoretical models of multi-trophic species coexistence typically neglect individual-level trait variability. What is needed are multispecies datasets that are resolved at the individual level that can be used to discriminate among alternative models of resource selection and species coexistence in food webs. Here, using one the largest individual-based datasets of a food web compiled to date, along with an individual trait-based stochastic model that incorporates Approximate Bayesian computation methods, we document intra-population variation in the strength of prey selection by different classes or predator phenotypes which could potentially alter the diversity and coexistence patterns of food webs. In particular, we found that strongly connected individual predators preferentially consumed common prey, whereas weakly connected predators preferentially selected rare prey. Such patterns suggest that food web diversity may be governed by the distribution of predator connectivity and individual trait variation in prey selection. We discuss the consequences of intra-specific variation in prey selection to assess fitness differences among predator classes (or phenotypes) and track longer term food web patterns of coexistence accounting for several phenotypes within each prey and predator species.

10 páginas, 7 figuras, 2 tablas., Adult females of Panopeus africanus A. Milne Edwards, 1867 and Uca tangeri (Eydoux, 1835) were sampled fortnightly from April 1989 to November 1991 in the Rio San Pedro inlet (SW Spain) to estimate the seasonal timing of their reproductive periods. Planktonic larvae were collected monthly from July 1991 to June 1992 by pumping during nocturnal flood and ebb spring tides to establish seasonal larval abundance patterns. Additional 24 h series of samples were collected in July 1991 and May/June 1992 to analyse larval abundance in relation to the main environmental cycles (diel, tidal and lunar phases, and vertical position in the water column). Both species showed a short, late-spring/summer reproductive period: mature and ovigerous females peaked from May to July. Seasonal occurrences of first zoea larvae also indicated short reproductive periods for both species. First zoea was the most abundant stage, representing 99.5% (P. africanus) and 99.9% (U. tangeri) of all individuals collected. On most sampling occasions, there was a net output of zoea I of both species from the inlet, suggesting that larvae are released in the inlet and exported to the bay. The abundance of the first zoea of P. africanus was higher during high and ebb tides, at night and at the surface of the water column. For this species, there was a significant interaction between lunar phase and diel phase: zoea I were most abundant during nocturnal neap tides. Zoea I of U. tangeri showed greater density at ebb tides; they were more abundant at the surface of the water column during ebb than at high tide, suggesting a vertical migration between these tidal phases. Considerable short-term (consecutive or alternate days) and long-term (interannual) variation in the abundance of larvae was observed for both species. The comparison of our results with the scarce information available on the reproductive periods and larval patterns of both species suggests that, at the northern limit of their latitudinal ranges, water temperature may control the seasonal timing of reproductive periods, but populations under different hydrodynamic regimes (different water conditions) might show peaks of larval release during different diel/tidal/lunar phases; this association of larval release with rhythmic cues may serve as a mechanism that may aid escape of larvae from unsuitable environmental conditions., This research was supported financially by Junta de Andalucía and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.

The respiratory response of six caridean shrimp species under different salinity and dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) has been carried out at 20 and 25°C. The lowest mean specific oxygen consumption rates (MO2) were found for the less active benthic crangonids Crangon crangon and Philocheras monacanthus; whereas the highest ones corresponded to the two more mobile native palaemonids Palaemon longirostris and Palaemonetes varians. The level of oxygen regulation displayed by the different native species was mainly related with environmental characteristics of their common habitats: species with temporal (C. crangon) or permanent (P. varians) estuarine habitats tended to be more tolerant of salinity changes and/or hypoxia, than are fully marine (P. monacanthus) or freshwater (Atyaephyra desmarestii) species. The estuarine P. longirostris showed moderate oxygen independence, but rather independent of salinity and temperature fluctuations. The exotic shrimp P. macrodactylus seemed to have higher tolerance to hypoxia that its native counterpart P. longirostris at brackish waters, but only under moderate temperature (at 20°C). Results of this study suggest that a simultaneous evaluation of respiration rates and their dependence on DO could be an integrative way of determining the potential effects of increased salinity, temperature and hypoxia on aquatic species with different mobility and/or from different habitats. © 2013 Elsevier B.V., This research work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project Consolider-Ingenio 2010 (CSD2009-00065). Financial support to E. González-Ortegón was given by Marie Curie fellowship with European funds.

Three field predator exclusion experiments were conducted in 1992 on a lagoonal muddy pan of the Bay of Cadiz to measure the effects of large epibenthic predators (fish and crustacean decapods) on the benthic macroinvertebrate community at different periods of the year (May–June, August–September, November–December). At the end of each field experiment (30–31 days), benthic macrofaunal communities within exclosures and control plots (three replicates for each treatment) were compared. There were no considerable exclosure artifacts in all three experiments, but a great heterogenity in the spatial macrofaunal distribution was observed especially in the late autumn experiment. No systematic change in overall faunal characteristics was observed with the exclusion of epibenthic predators, except significantly greater mean individual sizes (all experiments) and lower total densities (June and December) within exclosures. For several benthic species, a statistically detectable increased density and larger mean individual size were also observed within exclosures in May–June and August–September experiments but not in December, probably related to the higher predatory activity during the warm season. Conversely, the amphipod Microdeutopus gryllotalpa showed lower density but also larger mean size when epibenthic predators were excluded. An algal cover (Ulva) was present at three field experiments and had a mixed effect on the density of benthic macrofauna. Some epifaunal species (or epifaunal stages) were positively affected by the algal biomass, while some infaunal species were negatively affected.

Trabajo presentado en el PRIMO 17 (Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms), celebrado en Faro (Portugal) del 5 al 8 de mayo de 2013., Changes in the structure of benthic assemblages subject to gradients of sediment metal and organic contamination are usually assessed employing traditional univariate and multivariate analyses. However, artificial neural networks (ANNs) may be able to reveal different effects of pollution and spatiotemporal variations in environmental conditions. A 4-­year annual sediment survey was performed along the Sancti Petri tidal channel (Bay of Cadiz, SW Spain) in order to compare the performance of univariate community descriptors, traditional multivariate techniques and AANs in the assessment of infaunal responses to moderate levels of sediment metal contamination, in organically enriched environments. Despite the potential difficulty to separate natural from anthropogenic stress in the Sancti Petri channel, both traditional multivariate approaches and ANNs revealed spatiotemp oral patterns of environmental and biological variables that allowed suggesting a causal relationship between them, and highlighted subsets of taxa and sediment variables as potential main drivers of those patterns identified. For instance, high values of non-­natural metals and organic content prompted high abundances of opportunists, while high values of natural metals yielded typical tolerant assemblages of organically enriched areas. The SOM ANN, combined with the K-­means clustering algorithm, allowed reaching results identical to ones obtained with the traditional multivariate approach, but needing considerably less analytical and interpretational effort. Although this ANN approach may be a promising tool for the assessment of the ecological quality of estuarine infaunal communities, further work is needed to ensure the accuracy of the method., This work was supported by the Ministerio Ciencia Innovacion (SCARCE project, Consolider‐Ingenio, CSD2009-­00065).

Background: Recently, some US cohorts have shown a moderate association between red and processed meat consumption and mortality supporting the results of previous studies among vegetarians. The aim of this study was to examine the association of red meat, processed meat, and poultry consumption with the risk of early death in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Included in the analysis were 448,568 men and women without prevalent cancer, stroke, or myocardial infarction, and with complete information on diet, smoking, physical activity and body mass index, who were between 35 and 69 years old at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the association of meat consumption with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Results: As of June 2009, 26,344 deaths were observed. After multivariate adjustment, a high consumption of red meat was related to higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.28, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day), and the association was stronger for processed meat (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.66, 160+ versus 10 to 19.9 g/day). After correction for measurement error, higher all-cause mortality remained significant only for processed meat (HR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.25, per 50 g/d). We estimated that 3.3% (95% CI 1.5% to 5.0%) of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than 20 g/day. Significant associations with processed meat intake were observed for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and ‘other causes of death’. The consumption of poultry was not related to all-cause mortality. Conclusions: The results of our analysis support a moderate positive association between processed meat consumption and mortality, in particular due to cardiovascular diseases, but also to cancer.

The present study aimed to assess short-term effects of intertidal bait digging on macrobenthic assemblages of two south Iberian Atlantic coastal systems: the Ria Formosa (RF) lagoon and the Bay of Cádiz (BC). Within each system, two different areas were selected. In each area, six plots were randomly located at least 1m apart from each other. Half of the plots were left undisturbed (control) and the other three were dug (disturbed). Three macrobenthic core samples were taken from each plot, immediately before, one, four and seven days after digging. Samples for analyses of grain-size and organic matter content (OM) were also collected from the top 2cm sediment layers in each sampling period. The effects of bait digging were site specific and were related to sediment and biological composition of the areas before disturbance. Macrobenthic assemblages from the area with proportionally less mud content (RF1), which presented the greatest infaunal diversity and evenness values before disturbance, showed minor effects of digging and assemblages generally recovered within 7 days. On the other hand, the areas located in the Bay of Cádiz, which before disturbance presented the greatest mud content and macrobenthic assemblages dominated by only a few species, were the most affected and did not show signs of total recovery within 7 days after digging. The abundance of sedentary polychaetes from families Spionidae, Capitellidae and Cirratulidae decreased after digging. In contrast, in some areas the abundance of the gastropods Bittium spp., Haminoea hydatis and Retusa truncatula increased after bait digging indicating that they are less affected by this activity. Differences were detected in the response of benthic assemblages to the same intensity, frequency and nature of disturbance between and within coastal systems. Therefore, generalizations of the effects of bait digging and in the recovery of macrobenthic assemblages in the south of Iberian Peninsula are not possible. © 2011 ., S. Carvalho benefited from a post-doctoral grant awarded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/26986/2006).