Pedro Volkmer de Castilho

This study evaluated reproductive parameters and growth patterns of male and female franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei , in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, between Franciscana Management Area (FMA) II and III. We analyzed ovarian and testicular characteristics, counted the tooth growth layer groups, and constructed growth curves. For reproductive parameters and sexual maturity, the gonads of 112 franciscanas (58 females, 54 males) and teeth of 105 specimens (55 females, 50 males) were analyzed; and to estimate age and growth patterns, 297 individuals were analyzed (171 males, 126 females). All samples were collected from the monitoring of strandings on beaches between August 2015 and August 2020. Ovulation corpora were found in 20 females (34.5% mature) and in 38 individuals they were absent (65.5% immature). Histological analysis of the testes showed that 34 males were immature (63%) and 20 were mature (37%). Application of the Gompertz growth model identified distinct growth patterns between the sexes. While both showed an initial rapid phase, females attained a significantly larger asymptotic length (145.5 cm) than males (125.1 cm) and reached it at a later age (7 years vs. 5 years). These data will be useful in comparing reproductive parameters among FMAs.

This study analyses the use of marine mammals from a zooarchaeological perspective through a global systematic review of indexed scientific articles. To assess the scale of human–marine mammal interactions over time, searches were conducted in four databases (Scielo, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science) in 11 languages. The results were managed using StArt 3.0.3 and refined with 275 keywords, including scientific names of all known marine mammal species (n = 139). The review identified 60 articles reporting marine mammals in archaeological contexts. In total, 465 archaeological sites from 25 countries across five continents were recorded, representing 54 species. Pinnipeds and cetaceans were the most frequent taxa, indicating widespread and recurrent exploitation of marine mammals by past human societies worldwide.

When morphologically similar species, such as felids, coexist, resource sharing occurs across various niche dimensions-temporal, spatial, and trophic-to reduce competition. This study evaluated the circadian rhythm overlap between five Neotropical felid species and their most frequently recorded prey. Circadian rhythms were determined using Kernel density estimation based on camera-trap records. Pairwise comparisons between each felid and its prey were performed using overlap coefficients ($\Delta$), and differences in activity patterns were tested using the Mardia-Watson-Wheeler test. Overlap values between felids and their main prey were high for Puma concolor, Leopardus pardalis, and Leopardus wiedii. In contrast, Leopardus guttulus did not exhibit high overlap with its prey, and Herpailurus yagouaroundi did not yield the minimum records required for overlap analysis. The three larger felids synchronize their activity with the peak periods of their prey, suggesting that the benefits of successful foraging outweigh the costs of potential antagonistic encounters. The two larger species were influenced by the bottom-up effect, as expected. However, only one of the smaller species was influenced by the top-down effect, which may be related to the broader use of forest strata by L. wiedii, reducing its vulnerability to predation by larger felids.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan with worldwide distribution and is of significant importance for One Health due to its zoonotic potential. Although its presence in terrestrial environments is well documented, little is known about its circulation and genetic diversity in the marine ecosystem. This study investigated the occurrence of T. gondii in seabirds rescued from the southern coast of Brazil, focusing on bioassay and molecular characterization. Tissue samples (the heart, brain, liver, lung, and pectoral muscle) from 76 seabirds were received. Of these, 26 were from Larus dominicanus, one Macronectes giganteus, one Pachyptila vittata, five Phalacrocorax brasilianus, two Procellaria aequinoctialis, two Puffinus puffinus, 35 Spheniscus magellanicus, two Sterna hirundo, and two Sula leucogaster. The samples of each bird were processed in pool for peptic digestion. The product of each digestion was inoculated (1 mL/SC) into three mice per bioassay/bird. DNA was extracted for molecular characterization using the PCR-RFLP technique with markers SAG1, 5'-SAG2, 3'-SAG2, Alt. SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico. Brain cysts were detected in 16 bioassays. The ToxoDB #170 genotype was identified as an isolate of kelp gull (Larus dominicanus) while another bioassay from the same species did not match the database, suggesting a previously undescribed genotype. Infection occurred through ingestion of sporulated oocysts present in the environment or in fish, bivalves, and crustaceans, which have demonstrated parasitic bioaccumulation. This work highlights the dispersal and infection capacity of different classes of T. gondii hosts and the role of birds as environmental sentinels for marine contamination.

Paracoccidioidomycosis ceti (PCMC), also called lobomycosis, is a cutaneous disease affecting cetaceans worldwide. It is caused by Paracoccidioides ceti, an uncultivable fungal species recently classified within the Paracoccidioides genus. Although several molecular markers have been used to investigate the PCMC pathogen, the alpha-tubulin gene (TUB1), commonly utilized in genetic studies of cultivable Paracoccidioides, has remained unexplored in this taxon. In this study, we applied a nested polymerase chain reaction targeting TUB1 to amplify fungal sequences from two new cases of PCMC in Brazil: a Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) and a common bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus truncatus). Comparative analysis revealed that the sequences obtained from the infected dolphins were identical to each other and shared similarities with fungi belonging to the P. brasiliensis complex. In the haplotype analysis, P. ceti was found to be only a few mutational steps away from P. brasiliensis sensu stricto and P. americana. Notably, the latter shared the same cleavage sites as P. ceti in the in silico restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the nested PCR assay, originally developed for cultivable Paracoccidioides species, is also effective in amplifying TUB1 from P. ceti. Therefore, this method can be considered an additional tool for phylogenetic studies of this uncultivable species, contributing to a better understanding of this peculiar pathogen.

Beaked whales, deep-diving cetaceans from the family Ziphiidae, exhibit cryptic behaviors, and data on these species in Brazilian waters are limited to strandings and isolated sightings. This study characterizes the occurrence and acoustic behavior of beaked whales in the Foz do Amazonas Basin using combined visual and passive acoustic monitoring along the Brazilian Equatorial Margin. Audio files were analyzed to identify clicks with frequency-modulated pulses, a diagnostic characteristic of beaked whales. The PAMpal package in R was used to calculate acoustic parameters, including peak frequency, 3- and 10-dB bandwidths, and inter-pulse intervals. Three sightings, eight acoustic detections, and one combined visual-acoustic detection were recorded. Based on diagnostic features, sighting D01 likely corresponds to Mesoplodon europaeus, D05 may represent Mesoplodon, and D06 could belong to either Ziphius or Mesoplodon. Unsupervised clustering based on peak frequency and inter-pulse intervals revealed three distinct acoustic clusters, suggesting that at least three different beaked whale species were detected. Further acoustic classification studies are needed to determine the specific species associated with each cluster. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of the distribution and acoustic ecology of deep-diving beaked whales in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, a region where information on marine megafauna remains scarce.

Motivation: Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database.Main Types of Variables Included: The database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years.Spatial Location and Grain: Sampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size.Time Period and Grain: The earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample‐level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric.Major Taxa and Level of Measurement: The database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa.Software Format: csv and. SQL.

Este estudio investiga la fauna parasitaria de Mugil curema Valenciennes, 1836 (Mugilidae) de Laguna, en el sur de Santa Catarina, Brasil, siendo el primer relevamiento parasitológico de esta especie en la región. Se examinaron un total de 52 ejemplares en busca de ecto e endoparásitos. El examen externo reveló la presencia de ejemplares de Ergasilidae y huevos de copépodos en las branquias, mientras que se identificó el monogeneo Metamicrocotyla macracantha (Alexander, 1954). La prospección interna mostró la presencia de acanthocephala Neoechinorhynchus curemai Noronha, 1973 y de un digeneo no identificado de la familia Haploporidae. El análisis histopatológico reveló lesiones hepáticas e inflamación leve en el tejido intestinal. Estos hallazgos resaltan la importancia de los parásitos en M. curema, contribuyendo a la comprensión ecológica del parasitismo en peces marinos y sus posibles implicancias para la salud humana y el monitoreo ambiental.

The Great Shearwater, Ardenna gravis, is the largest and most abundant species of procellarid seabirds in the South Atlantic. A specimen of this shearwater was found dead and parasitized by a hard tick on Cima Beach, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. Morphological and molecular analyses confirmed the tick’s identity as Ixodes uriae. Molecular screening for Rickettsiales and Piroplasmida was conducted, and all results were negative, suggesting no immediate health threats. This study reports the first occurrence of this hard tick species parasitizing A. gravis in southern Brazil, highlighting the ecological and epidemiological implications of this finding. This record contributes to the understanding of tick-host interactions in migratory seabirds and emphasizes the need for further research on the ecological roles and health implications of ectoparasites in these avian populations.