Dataset Information

Occurrence of Seahorses Hippocampus spp. in the Southernmost Part of Western Europe: A New Maximum Depth Record.

ABSTRACT: Achieving sustainable resource use is a priority to meet future challenges. The Gulf of Cádiz, located in the Atlantic waters of southern Europe, is home to a significant fishing fleet due to the richness and diversity of its ecosystems. Managing this area is complex due to the diversity of variables, including social, ecological, and oceanographic factors. Therefore, multidisciplinary approaches are proposed for implementing conservation strategies. One strategy for defining area-based management measures is through the use of flagship species, such as seahorses. These emblematic animals can assist in defining such measures. However, there is currently scarce information on the occurrence of seahorses in the Gulf of Cádiz. In this study, we present the first occurrence data of two species of the genus Hippocampus (H. hippocampus and H. guttulatus) in this area. The Gulf of Cádiz is not only described as the southernmost region of their distribution in continental Europe, but it is also a significant landmark for the genus Hippocampus, as one adult was captured at a depth of up to 101 m. Five management areas based on differentiated benthic habitats are proposed. We believe that our study has the potential to significantly improve conservation of seahorses and induce a positive impact on the ecosystem.

SUBMITTER: Ruiz-Jarabo I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11350901 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Occurrence of Seahorses <i>Hippocampus</i> spp. in the Southernmost Part of Western Europe: A New Maximum Depth Record.

Ruiz-Jarabo Ignacio I Hernández-Urcera Jorge J Pereira Sira S Sobrino Ignacio I López Juan A JA Planas Miquel M

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20240812 16

Achieving sustainable resource use is a priority to meet future challenges. The Gulf of Cádiz, located in the Atlantic waters of southern Europe, is home to a significant fishing fleet due to the richness and diversity of its ecosystems. Managing this area is complex due to the diversity of variables, including social, ecological, and oceanographic factors. Therefore, multidisciplinary approaches are proposed for implementing conservation strategies. One strategy for defining area-based manageme ...[more]

PMID: 39199862

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Project description:In briefReproductive microbiomes contribute to the successful embryogenesis of offspring but are poorly studied in non-mammalian species that exhibit pregnancy. This study characterises the male pregnant seahorse brood pouch microbiome and identifies potential microbial maternal contributions to the pouch, providing insights into the sources and adaptive value of the embryonic microbial environment.AbstractSeahorses demonstrate an unusual reproductive strategy, in which males incubate embryos inside a complex 'brood pouch' until parturition, analogous to mammalian viviparity. In many species, a 'normal' reproductive microbiome ensures successful embryogenesis and enables parents (usually mothers) to provide their offspring with their initial microbiome. In male-pregnant seahorses, embryos may receive microbiomes from both parents: from the paternal brood pouch and from the maternal eggs. Using the pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), we employed 16S rRNA sequencing to explore the reproductive microbiome. We aimed to compare the microbiome of the male pregnant pouch to the male non-pregnant pouch and external skin, and to identify bacterial taxa found exclusively in the pregnant pouch that could be derived maternally from the microbiome of eggs. Our findings demonstrate that the pregnant brood pouch microbiome is compositionally distinct from the non-pregnant pouch and external skin. The pouch microbiome also has characteristics of resistance to colonisation by pathogens, including a low species richness, high species evenness and diversity and very low abundance of Vibrio, a genus that includes fish skin pathogens. Thirteen bacterial taxa appear exclusively in the pregnant pouch, relative to the non-pregnant pouch, and seven of these overlapped with taxa present in or on the eggs. The possible supplementation of brood pouch microbiome with egg-associated micro-organisms hints at a maternal microbial contribution to male pregnancy. This characterisation of the pregnant seahorse pouch microbiome provides a platform for further research into its function and possible adaptive value during male pregnancy.

Dataset Information

Occurrence of Seahorses Hippocampus spp. in the Southernmost Part of Western Europe: A New Maximum Depth Record.

Publications

Occurrence of Seahorses <i>Hippocampus</i> spp. in the Southernmost Part of Western Europe: A New Maximum Depth Record.

Similar Datasets

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