Land-locked coastal lagoons are naturally stressed environments that consequently constrain biolo... more Land-locked coastal lagoons are naturally stressed environments that consequently constrain biological communities that colonize these systems, through direct or indirect influence. This study investigated the influence of groundwater outflows and catchment runoff on the fish community of Melides and Santo André, two land-locked coastal lagoons in southwest Portugal. Sampling of the fish communities was conducted during the closed period of the lagoons, using fyke net arrays placed at growing distances from the interface of freshwater discharges to the lagoonal areas not directly influenced by freshwater discharges, with the concomitant analysis of nutrients and several environmental parameters. The fish communities of these lagoons are mainly dominated by marine juvenile migrants and tolerant species, the latter including diadromous migrants and resident species. The structure of fish communities only showed longitudinal spatial differences, between upstream and downstream areas. H...
Mangroves are some of the most productive coastal systems on the planet and provide valuable ecos... more Mangroves are some of the most productive coastal systems on the planet and provide valuable ecosystem services (ES). They are especially important in threatened ecosystems and developing countries, where they are likely to have direct impacts on local communities. An approach based on ES allows assessing ecosystems across the domains of ecology, sociology and economy. This study focused on the evaluation of ES in mangroves and started by creating a comprehensive global list of mangrove ES based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. These services were then quantified using the best available indicators for mangrove systems. The mangroves of Diogo Nunes, São João dos Angolares and Malanza, located in the São Tomé Island, were used to illustrate the challenges in applying ES indicators in this type of ecosystems. The obtained results confirmed that mangroves can provide important and diverse services. However, the high variability among mangrove systems affects their ability to del...
ABSTRACT Landlocked lagoons are naturally stressed environments. They are strongly influenced by ... more ABSTRACT Landlocked lagoons are naturally stressed environments. They are strongly influenced by freshwater input which not only varies naturally, but which is also impacted by anthropogenic activities. This study investigated the direct influence of freshwater discharges on the distribution patterns and abundance of benthic communities in two neighbouring landlocked coastal lagoons, assessing the whole system and the confluence area of each tributary. Sampling occurred in the wet and dry seasons of 2011 at two distances from freshwater discharge locations. Both lagoons were colonized by species from two different pools, freshwater and marine. Freshwater flow rates had a direct influence on the spatial structure of the benthic communities of brackish-water/freshwater interface areas, where also specific taxa can act as early indicators of freshwater input variations. The intensity of this influence is highly dependent on lagoon size, creating spatial heterogeneity or affecting the entire system. The benthic fauna at the confluence of the tributary that depends almost exclusively on groundwater showed the lowest variability, suggesting that the biogeochemical nature of the groundwater may be a central cause for setting specific ecotones. The results suggest that benthic communities of landlocked coastal lagoons can be highly impacted by flow reduction from freshwater aquifers under drought conditions or water abstraction activities.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2011
This paper reports on preliminary nuclear microprobe data of particulate matter in EBC. The sizes... more This paper reports on preliminary nuclear microprobe data of particulate matter in EBC. The sizes and the elemental contents of particles suspended in EBC of workers of a lead processing industry and in EBC of non-exposed individuals were inspected. Results demonstrated that EBC ...
8.º Congresso Ibérico de Gestão e Planeamento da Água, Dec 2, 2013
ABSTRACT O principal instrumento da política da União Europeia relativa à água, a Directiva Quadr... more ABSTRACT O principal instrumento da política da União Europeia relativa à água, a Directiva Quadro da Água tem como principal objectivo atingir o “bom” estado ecológico das massas de água, dando grande importância aos componentes biológicos dos ecossistemas. No âmbito desta directiva, o Índice Português de Invertebrados do Sul, que avalia a qualidade ecológica com base nas comunidades de macroinvertebrados bentónicos, foi aplicado às bacias hidrográficas de Santo André e de Melides. De modo a obter uma abordagem integrada foram também tidas em conta a qualidade físico-química, a qualidade da galeria ripícola e a qualidade do habitat fluvial. Constatou-se que dos treze locais de amostragem apenas três atingiram o objectivo da Directiva Quadro da Água. Contudo, chegou-se à conclusão que o índice bentónico tem uma baixa eficiência para a avaliação do estado ecológico em ambientes lênticos e/ou com fontes de água subterrânea, o que pode levar a uma subestimação neste tipo de habitats.
Land-locked coastal lagoons are naturally stressed environments that consequently constrain biolo... more Land-locked coastal lagoons are naturally stressed environments that consequently constrain biological communities that colonize these systems, through direct or indirect influence. This study investigated the influence of groundwater outflows and catchment runoff on the fish community of Melides and Santo André, two land-locked coastal lagoons in southwest Portugal. Sampling of the fish communities was conducted during the closed period of the lagoons, using fyke net arrays placed at growing distances from the interface of freshwater discharges to the lagoonal areas not directly influenced by freshwater discharges, with the concomitant analysis of nutrients and several environmental parameters. The fish communities of these lagoons are mainly dominated by marine juvenile migrants and tolerant species, the latter including diadromous migrants and resident species. The structure of fish communities only showed longitudinal spatial differences, between upstream and downstream areas. H...
Mangroves are some of the most productive coastal systems on the planet and provide valuable ecos... more Mangroves are some of the most productive coastal systems on the planet and provide valuable ecosystem services (ES). They are especially important in threatened ecosystems and developing countries, where they are likely to have direct impacts on local communities. An approach based on ES allows assessing ecosystems across the domains of ecology, sociology and economy. This study focused on the evaluation of ES in mangroves and started by creating a comprehensive global list of mangrove ES based on the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. These services were then quantified using the best available indicators for mangrove systems. The mangroves of Diogo Nunes, São João dos Angolares and Malanza, located in the São Tomé Island, were used to illustrate the challenges in applying ES indicators in this type of ecosystems. The obtained results confirmed that mangroves can provide important and diverse services. However, the high variability among mangrove systems affects their ability to del...
ABSTRACT Landlocked lagoons are naturally stressed environments. They are strongly influenced by ... more ABSTRACT Landlocked lagoons are naturally stressed environments. They are strongly influenced by freshwater input which not only varies naturally, but which is also impacted by anthropogenic activities. This study investigated the direct influence of freshwater discharges on the distribution patterns and abundance of benthic communities in two neighbouring landlocked coastal lagoons, assessing the whole system and the confluence area of each tributary. Sampling occurred in the wet and dry seasons of 2011 at two distances from freshwater discharge locations. Both lagoons were colonized by species from two different pools, freshwater and marine. Freshwater flow rates had a direct influence on the spatial structure of the benthic communities of brackish-water/freshwater interface areas, where also specific taxa can act as early indicators of freshwater input variations. The intensity of this influence is highly dependent on lagoon size, creating spatial heterogeneity or affecting the entire system. The benthic fauna at the confluence of the tributary that depends almost exclusively on groundwater showed the lowest variability, suggesting that the biogeochemical nature of the groundwater may be a central cause for setting specific ecotones. The results suggest that benthic communities of landlocked coastal lagoons can be highly impacted by flow reduction from freshwater aquifers under drought conditions or water abstraction activities.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2011
This paper reports on preliminary nuclear microprobe data of particulate matter in EBC. The sizes... more This paper reports on preliminary nuclear microprobe data of particulate matter in EBC. The sizes and the elemental contents of particles suspended in EBC of workers of a lead processing industry and in EBC of non-exposed individuals were inspected. Results demonstrated that EBC ...
8.º Congresso Ibérico de Gestão e Planeamento da Água, Dec 2, 2013
ABSTRACT O principal instrumento da política da União Europeia relativa à água, a Directiva Quadr... more ABSTRACT O principal instrumento da política da União Europeia relativa à água, a Directiva Quadro da Água tem como principal objectivo atingir o “bom” estado ecológico das massas de água, dando grande importância aos componentes biológicos dos ecossistemas. No âmbito desta directiva, o Índice Português de Invertebrados do Sul, que avalia a qualidade ecológica com base nas comunidades de macroinvertebrados bentónicos, foi aplicado às bacias hidrográficas de Santo André e de Melides. De modo a obter uma abordagem integrada foram também tidas em conta a qualidade físico-química, a qualidade da galeria ripícola e a qualidade do habitat fluvial. Constatou-se que dos treze locais de amostragem apenas três atingiram o objectivo da Directiva Quadro da Água. Contudo, chegou-se à conclusão que o índice bentónico tem uma baixa eficiência para a avaliação do estado ecológico em ambientes lênticos e/ou com fontes de água subterrânea, o que pode levar a uma subestimação neste tipo de habitats.
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