DSpace Angular :: Browsing by Author "Beldade, Ricardo"

Browsing by Author "Beldade, Ricardo"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Adaptive effects of parental and developmental environments on offspring survival, growth and phenotype
(2022) Cortese, Daphne; Crespel, Amelie; Mills, Suzanne C.; Norin, Tommy; Killen, Shaun S.; Beldade, Ricardo
Phenotypic adjustments to environmental variation are particularly relevant to cope with putative environmental mismatches often imposed by natal dispersal. We used an intergenerational cross-transplant field-based experiment to evaluate the morphological and physiological effects of parental and postsettlement water flow environments on the orange-fin anemonefish Amphiprion chrysopterus through ontogeny (at pre- and postsettlement stages). Offspring born from parents under high water flow had an 18% higher caudal fin aspect ratio (a compound measure of shape) at the presettlement stage, 10% slower growth after settlement, and 55% lower survival after settlement compared to offspring from low water flow parents. At the presettlement stage, caudal fin length was determined by parental caudal fin length. At the postsettlement stage, fish survived equally well with similar phenotypes in both high and low developmental flow environments. However, results suggest potential developmental phenotypic plasticity in caudal fin length, which increases more under low water flow during development. After settlement, growth was the only morphological or physiological trait that was associated with parental water flow, which was lower from parents under high flow, as was survival. These results give important insights into the parental contribution, both genetic and nongenetic, in determining early offspring phenotype and subsequent growth and survival. Our results also suggest that offspring may possess flexibility to cope with a wide range of local environments including those different from their parents. Overall, the findings of this study show the fitness consequences of living in different environments and the likely trade-offs between parental and offspring fitness in a wild population. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Aggression of an orange-fin anemonefish to a blacktip reef shark: a potential example of fish mobbing?
(2022) Schligler, Jules; Blandin, Agathe; Beldade, Ricardo; Mills, Suzanne C.
Deep Heat: A Comparison of Water Temperature, Anemone Bleaching, Anemonefish Density and Reproduction between Shallow and Mesophotic Reefs
(2021) Haguenauer, Anne; Zuberer, Frederic; Siu, Gilles; Cortese, Daphne; Beldade, Ricardo; Mills, Suzanne C.
French Polynesia is experiencing increasing coral bleaching events in shallow waters triggered by thermal anomalies and marine heatwaves linked to climate change, a trend that is replicated worldwide. As sea surface thermal anomalies are assumed to lessen with depth, mesophotic deep reefs have been hypothesized to act as refuges from anthropogenic and natural disturbances, the 'deep reef refugia hypothesis' (DRRH). However, evidence supporting the DRRH is either inconclusive or conflicting. We address this by investigating four assumptions of the DRRH focusing on the symbiotic association between anemones and anemonefish. First, we compare long-term temperature conditions between shallow (8 m) and mesophotic sites (50 m) on the island of Moorea from 2011-2020. Second, we compare the densities of the orange-fin anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus between shallow and mesophotic (down to 60 m) reefs across three archipelagos in French Polynesia. Finally, we compare the percentage of anemone bleaching, as well as anemonefish reproduction, between shallow and mesophotic reefs. We found that the water column was well mixed in the cooler austral winter months with only a 0.19 degrees C difference in temperature between depths, but in the warmer summer months mixing was reduced resulting in a 0.71-1.03 degrees C temperature difference. However, during thermal anomalies, despite a time lag in warm surface waters reaching mesophotic reefs, there was ultimately a 1.0 degrees C increase in water temperature at both 8 and 50 m, pushing temperatures over bleaching thresholds at both depths. As such, anemone bleaching was observed in mesophotic reefs during these thermal anomalies, but was buffered compared to the percentage of bleaching in shallower waters, which was nearly five times greater. Our large-scale sampling across French Polynesia found orange-fin anemonefish, A. chrysopterus, in mesophotic zones in two high islands and one atoll across two archipelagos, extending its bathymetric limit to 60 m; however, orange-fin anemonefish densities were either similar to, or 25-92 times lower than in shallower zones. Three spawning events were observed at 50 m, which occurred at a similar frequency to spawning on shallower reefs at the same date. Our findings of thermal anomalies and bleaching in mesophotic reefs, coupled with mainly lower densities of anemonefish in mesophotic populations, suggest that mesophotic reefs show only a limited ability to provide refugia from anthropogenic and natural disturbances.
Environmental DNA reveals temporal variation in mesophotic reefs of the Humboldt upwelling ecosystems of central Chile: Toward a baseline for biodiversity monitoring of unexplored marine habitats
(2024) Saenz-Agudelo, Pablo; Ramirez, Paula; Beldade, Ricardo; Campoy, Ana N.; Garmendia, Vladimir; Search, Francesca V.; Fernandez, Miriam; Wieters, Evie A.; Navarrete, Sergio A.; Landaeta, Mauricio F.; Perez-Matus, Alejandro
Temperate mesophotic reef ecosystems (TMREs) are among the least known marine habitats. Information on their diversity and ecology is geographically and temporally scarce, especially in highly productive large upwelling ecosystems. Lack of information remains an obstacle to understanding the importance of TMREs as habitats, biodiversity reservoirs and their connections with better-studied shallow reefs. Here, we use environmental DNA (eDNA) from water samples to characterize the community composition of TMREs on the central Chilean coast, generating the first baseline for monitoring the biodiversity of these habitats. We analyzed samples from two depths (30 and 60 m) over four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and at two locations approximately 16 km apart. We used a panel of three metabarcodes, two that target all eukaryotes (18S rRNA and mitochondrial COI) and one specifically targeting fishes (16S rRNA). All panels combined encompassed eDNA assigned to 42 phyla, 90 classes, 237 orders, and 402 families. The highest family richness was found for the phyla Arthropoda, Bacillariophyta, and Chordata. Overall, family richness was similar between depths but decreased during summer, a pattern consistent at both locations. Our results indicate that the structure (composition) of the mesophotic communities varied predominantly with seasons. We analyzed further the better-resolved fish assemblage and compared eDNA with other visual methods at the same locations and depths. We recovered eDNA from 19 genera of fish, six of these have also been observed on towed underwater videos, while 13 were unique to eDNA. We discuss the potential drivers of seasonal differences in community composition and richness. Our results suggest that eDNA can provide valuable insights for monitoring TMRE communities but highlight the necessity of completing reference DNA databases available for this region.
Evolutionary origin of the Atlantic Cabo Verde nibbler (Girella stuebeli), a member of a primarily Pacific Ocean family of antitropical herbivorous reef fishes
(2021) Beldade, Ricardo; Longo, Gary C.; Clements, Kendall D.; Robertson, D. Ross; Perez-Matus, Alejandro; Itoi, Shiro; Sugita, Haruo; Bernardi, Giacomo
Nibblers (family Girellidae) are reef fishes that are mostly distributed in the Indo-Pacific, with one exception: Girella stuebeli, which is found in the Cabo Verde Archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean. We capitalized on this unusual distribution to study the evolutionary history of the girellids, and determine the relationship between G. stuebeli and the remaining nibbler taxa. Based on thousands of genomic markers (RAD sequences), we identified the closest relatives of G. stuebeli as being a clade of three species endemic to the northwestern Pacific, restricted to the Sea of Japan and vicinity. This clade diverged from G. stuebeli approximately 2.2 Mya. Two alternative potential routes of migration may explain this affinity: a western route, from the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Tropical Western Atlantic, and an eastern route via the Indian Ocean and Southern Africa. The geological history and oceanography of the regions combined with molecular data presented here, suggest that the eastern route of invasion (via the Indian Ocean and Southern Africa) is a more likely scenario.
GABAergic role in the disruption of wild cleaner fish behaviour under high CO2
(2023) Paula, Jose Ricardo; Cascalheira, Ligia; Oliveira, Raul; Otjacques, Eve; Frazao-Santos, Catarina; Beldade, Ricardo; Mills, Suzanne C.; Rosa, Rui
Ocean acidification is considered to affect fish behaviour through the disruption of GABAergic neurotransmission in controlled laboratory conditions, but less is known of the GABAergic role on fish behavioural performance in the wild. Most coral reef fishes engage in complex cleaning interactions, where they benefit from ectoparasite removal and stress relief. Here, we tested whether potential ocean acidification impairment of wild cleaning interactions, between the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus and its clients, can be explained by the GABAAR model. We used, the GABAA receptor agonist (muscimol) and antagonist (gabazine) for the first time in the wild and tested their effects on cleaning behaviour in Moorea Island (French Polynesia) to address natural interactions and recovery capacity. After exposure to expected ocean acidification conditions, the proportion of time spent advertising cleaning services, a measure of motivation to interact, dropped significantly relative to controls. Furthermore, the GABAergic antagonist gabazine recovered most CO2-induced behavioural alterations to control levels, consistent with the GABAAR model of altered Cl- fiux in ocean acidification-exposed fish. However, muscimol treatment only produced the same behavioural alterations found with CO2 exposure in time spent advertising cleaning. Our results support the evidence that ocean acidification alters some components of cleaning behaviour through GABAA receptor modulation with potential cascading effects on coral reef health and structure. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/).
Hormonal and behavioural effects of motorboat noise on wild coral reef fish
(2020) Mills, Suzanne C.; Beldade, Ricardo; Henry, Laura; Laverty, David; Nedelec, Sophie L.; Simpson, Stephen D.; Radford, Andrew N.
Anthropogenic noise is an emergent ecological pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Human population growth, urbanisation, resource extraction, transport and motorised recreation lead to elevated noise that affects animal behaviour and physiology, impacting individual fitness. Currently, we have a poor mechanistic understanding of the effects of anthropogenic noise, but a likely candidate is the neuroendocrine system that integrates information about environmental stressors to produce regulatory hormones; glucocorticoids (GCs) and androgens enable rapid individual phenotypic adjustments that can increase survival. Here, we carried out two field-based experiments to investigate the effects of short-term (30 min) and longer-term (48 h) motorboat-noise playback on the behaviour, GCs (cortisol) and androgens of site-attached free-living orange-fin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus). In the short-term, anemonefish exposed to motorboat-noise playback showed both behavioural and hormonal responses: hiding and aggression increased, and distance moved out of the anemone decreased in both sexes; there were no effects on cortisol levels, but male androgen levels (11-ketotestosterone and testosterone) increased. Some behaviours showed carry-over effects from motorboat noise after it had ceased, and there was no evidence for a short-term change in response to subsequent motorboat-noise playback. Similarly, there was no evidence that longer-term exposure led to changes in response: motorboat noise had an equivalent effect on anemonefish behaviour and hormones after 48 h as on first exposure. Longer-term noise exposure led to higher levels of cortisol in both sexes and higher testosterone levels in males, and stress-responses to an additional environmental challenge in both sexes were impaired. Circulating androgen levels correlated with aggression, while cortisol levels correlated with hiding, demonstrating in a wild population that androgen/glucocorticoid pathways are plausible proximate mechanisms driving behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise. Combining functional and mechanistic studies are crucial for a full understanding of this global pollutant. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Long-term exposure to artificial light at night in the wild decreases survival and growth of a coral reef fish
(2021) Schligler, Jules; Cortese, Daphne; Beldade, Ricardo; Swearer, Stephen E.; Mills, Suzanne C.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasing anthropogenic pollutant, closely associated with human population density, and now well recognized in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, we have a relatively poor understanding of the effects of ALAN in the marine realm. Here, we carried out a field experiment in the coral reef lagoon of Moorea, French Polynesia, to investigate the effects of long-term exposure (18-23 months) to chronic light pollution at night on the survival and growth of wild juvenile orange-fin anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus. Long-term exposure to environmentally relevant underwater illuminance (mean: 4.3 lux), reduced survival (mean: 36%) and growth (mean: 44%) of juvenile anemonefish compared to that of juveniles exposed to natural moonlight underwater (mean: 0.03 lux). Our study carried out in an ecologically realistic situation in which the direct effects of artificial lighting on juvenile anemonefish are combined with the indirect consequences of artificial lighting on other species, such as their competitors, predators, and prey, revealed the negative impacts of ALAN on life-history traits. Not only are there immediate impacts of ALAN on mortality, but the decreased growth of surviving individuals may also have considerable fitness consequences later in life. Future studies examining the mechanisms behind these findings are vital to understand how organisms can cope and survive in nature under this globally increasing pollutant.
Near-future ocean warming and acidification alter foraging behaviour, locomotion, and metabolic rate in a keystone marine mollusc
(2020) Horwitz, Rael; Norin, Tommy; Watson, Sue-Ann; Pistevos, Jennifer C. A.; Beldade, Ricardo; Hacquart, Simon; Gattuso, Jean-Pierre; Rodolfo-Metalpa, Riccardo; Vidal-Dupiol, Jeremie; Killen, Shaun S.; Mills, Suzanne C.
Environmentally-induced changes in fitness are mediated by direct effects on physiology and behaviour, which are tightly linked. We investigated how predicted ocean warming (OW) and acidification (OA) affect key ecological behaviours (locomotion speed and foraging success) and metabolic rate of a keystone marine mollusc, the sea hare Stylocheilus striatus, a specialist grazer of the toxic cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula. We acclimated sea hares to OW and/or OA across three developmental stages (metamorphic, juvenile, and adult) or as adults only, and compare these to sea hares maintained under current-day conditions. Generally, locomotion speed and time to locate food were reduced similar to 1.5- to 2-fold when the stressors (OW or OA) were experienced in isolation, but reduced similar to 3-fold when combined. Decision-making was also severely altered, with correct foraging choice nearly 40% lower under combined stressors. Metabolic rate appeared to acclimate to the stressors in isolation, but was significantly elevated under combined stressors. Overall, sea hares that developed under OW and/or OA exhibited a less severe impact, indicating beneficial phenotypic plasticity. Reduced foraging success coupled with increased metabolic demands may impact fitness in this species and highlight potentially large ecological consequences under unabated OW and OA, namely in regulating toxic cyanobacteria blooms on coral reefs.
Physiological and behavioural effects of anemone bleaching on symbiont anemonefish in the wild
(2021) Cortese, Daphne; Norin, Tommy; Beldade, Ricardo; Crespel, Amelie; Killen, Shaun S.; Mills, Suzanne C.
1. Climate change causes extreme heat waves that have induced worldwide mass coral bleaching. The impacts of temperature-induced bleaching events on the loss of algal endosymbionts in both corals and anemones are well documented. However, the cascading impacts of bleaching on animals that live in association with corals and anemones are understudied.
Spatio-temporal patterns of the crustacean demersal fishery discard from the south Humboldt Current System, based on scientific observer program (2014-2019)
(2023) Landaeta, Mauricio F.; Hernandez-Santoro, Carola; Search, Francesca, V; Castillo, Manuel, I; Bernal, Claudio; Navarrete, Sergio A.; Wieters, Evie A.; Beldade, Ricardo; Navarro Campoi, Ana; Perez-Matus, Alejandro
This study summarises six years of spatio-temporal patterns of the discarded demersal community fauna recorded by onboard scientific observer program for both artisanal and industrial crustacean fisheries between 2014 and 2019, from mesophotic to aphotic depths (96 to 650 m) along the southern Humboldt Current System (28-38 degrees S). In this period, one cold and two warm climatic events were observed during the austral summer 2014, 2015-2016 (ENSO Godzilla), and 2016-2017 (coastal ENSO), respectively. Satellite information showed that Chlorophyll-a concentration varied seasonally and latitudinally, associated with upwelling centres, while equatorial wind stress decreased southward of 36 degrees S. Discards were composed of 108 species, dominated by finfish and molluscs. The Chilean hake Merluccius gayi was dominant and ubiquitous (occurrence, 95% of 9104 hauls), being the most vulnerable species of the bycatch. Three assemblages were identified: assemblage 1 (similar to 200 m deep), dominated by flounders Hippoglossina macrops and lemon crabs Platymera gaudichaudii, assemblage 2 (similar to 260 m deep), dominated by squat lobsters Pleuroncodes monodon and Cervimunida johni and assemblage 3 (similar to 320 m depth), dominated by grenadiers Coelorinchus aconcagua and cardinalfish Epigonus crassicaudus. These assemblages were segregated by depth, and varied by year, and geographic zone. The latter represented changes in the width of the continental shelf, increasing southward of 36 degrees S. Alpha-diversity indexes (richness, Shannon, Simpson, and Pielou) also varied with depth and latitude, with higher diversity in deeper continental waters (> 300 m), between 2018-2019. Finally, at a spatial scale of tens of kilometres, and a monthly basis, interannual variations of biodiversity occurred in the demersal community. Surface sea temperature, chlorophyll-a, or wind stress did not correlate with discarded demersal fauna diversity of the crustacean fishery operating along central Chile.
The Hidden Diversity of Temperate Mesophotic Ecosystems from Central Chile (Southeastern Pacific Ocean) Assessed through Towed Underwater Videos
(2023) Campoy, Ana Navarro; Perez-Matus, Alejandro; Wieters, Evie A.; Alarcon-Ireland, Rodrigo; Garmendia, Vladimir; Beldade, Ricardo; Navarrete, Sergio A.; Fernandez, Miriam
The largely unexplored diversity in temperate mesophotic ecosystems (TME, similar to 30-150 m depth) has attracted much attention over the past years. However, the number of studies and knowledge of TME diversity and ecology remains limited and geographically restricted. The absence of information on how assemblages vary across environmental gradients and with depth for most regions also limits our capacity to delimit conservation areas and devise management plans effectively. This study focuses on TME from central Chile and describes the depth distribution of reef fishes and benthic invertebrates and algae for the first time. Through the analysis of towed underwater video surveys between 4.7-95.5 m in multiple sites, we show that total reef fish density and richness decrease with depth but increase with local topographic complexity. The depth-related density varies among fish species and trophic groups, and it reverses in the case of Sebastes oculatus, which increases in density with depth. Sponges and gorgonians dominate benthic assemblages below 20 m depth, and brachiopods and anemones increase below 40 and 60 m, respectively. Some of these species form animal forests which, to some extent, replace the shallow-water kelp forests as structural habitat providers. Nevertheless, the reef fish and benthic community do not show a clear structure with depth or across studied sites. We highlight the urgency to intensify and expand the quantitative characterization of these communities, through this and other methodologies, to better define ecological patterns and advance towards conservation plans for TME, including the Souteastern Pacific region.
Variability in oceanographic conditions affecting Mesophotic Ecosystems along the South Eastern Pacific: Latitudinal trends and potential for climate refugia
(2024) de la Maza, Lucas; Wieters, Evie A.; Beldade, Ricardo; Landaeta, Mauricio F.; Perez-Matus, Alejandro; Navarrete, Sergio A.
Oceans have been changing at the fastest pace since the beginning of the Holocene. The South Eastern Pacific (SEP), including the Humboldt Upwelling Ecosystem (HUE) is subject to changes in upwelling winds, temperature, El Nin o, and the ever-increasing local anthropogenic stressors, all of which have been documented for surface coastal waters where in-situ and remote observations are readily available. Temporal and spatial changes in the adjacent deeper waters where diverse Mesophotic Ecosystems are found have been scarcely documented. These marine ecosystems have been the focus of ecological studies for less than two decades. Here we provide an overview of the thermal variability at mesophotic depths and assess their potential as climatic refugia along all SEP ecoregions. We analyzed a time series of temperature and salinity from a 19 yr reanalysis based on remote and in-situ observations (CTD, ARGO, XBTs, moorings) to quantify variability in the Tropical (0 -5 degrees S), Northern Warm Temperate (5 -30 degrees S); Southern Warm Temperate (30 -39.5 degrees S) and Magellanic subregions (39.5 -45 degrees S), at two mesophotic depth strata (50 and 100 m), and a reference surface (5 m) depth. We assessed variability in the seasonal, interannual (El Nin o) and 'long-term ' (ca. 20 yr) scales, and the relationship with wind velocities. The thermal depth gradient between surface and mesophotic depths did not change smoothly with latitude but peaked within the northern portion of the warm temperate subregion, decreasing towards lower and higher latitudes. Seasonal variation in temperature was also largest in the north and south temperate subregions and minimal in the Magellanic subregion. Depth dampening of seasonal temperature variation was also strengthened at intermediate latitudes and much reduced in the tropics, where seasonal variation at mesophotic depths was similar to that at the surface. The strong interannual El Nin o events were identified at all depths in tropical and temperate subregions, with stronger standardized effects at mesophotic layers than at the surface. Long-term (ca. two decades) temperature trends were significant and changed direction from warming to cooling along the SEP but were generally patchier at mesophotic layers. Spatial temperature gradients have remained relatively stable over the past two decades and were stronger at the surface than at mesophotic depths, and stronger within the tropics than in all other subregions. Surprisingly, the velocity of climate change was patchier and generally faster at mesophotic layers than at the surface. We conclude that, judging solely by physical environmental conditions, mesophotic ecosystems may be used by species with very different temperature affinities in temperate subregions, while in the tropics, more overlap in temperature affinities of component species may be found. Importantly, while the seasonal amplitude is reduced at mesophotic depth in most subregions, except the tropics, interannual disturbances affect mesophotic depths at least as strongly as they do surface waters and climate change velocities are faster at mesophotic depths than at surface. Thus, these ecosystems are not sheltered from inter-annual and longer-term forcing and their biotas might be more vulnerable to climate change than shallow coastal ecosystems.

Browsing by Author "Beldade, Ricardo"

Results Per Page

Sort Options