ECOLOGY OF RESOURCES AND ECOSYSTEMS
Reference
Lectured in
Complementary Course in Aquaculture and Fisheries
Theory
(A)
15.0
Lab practical
(B)
20.0
Training and
projects
(C)
10
Language of
instruction
English
Lecturer
Luís Chicharo and Alexandra Chícharo
Semester
Fall
Faculty/Department Faculdade de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente/DERV
Co-lecturers
Miguel Gaspar and Luis Miguel Neves dos Santos
Key Words Ecology, ecosystem, resources early life histories, production cycles,
global changes, recruitment, mortality, fisheries impacts, conservation
Objectives
The aim of this course is to provide an holistic approach to the ecological variability
(abundance and distribution) of fisheries resources associated with
aquatic ecosystems properties and fishing activities. The course is structured in 4
major topics: 1) the influence of ecologic factors on fisheries resources, with special
emphasis on the early life development phases; 2) the environmental impacts of
fisheries in the ecosystems; 3) the effects of global changes on fisheries resources and,
4) the ecologic based conservation and management of ecosystems and resources.
Teaching Methods


Theoretical: lectures
Exercises: practical experience in the laboratory and field trips
Evaluation Methods

Continuous evaluation in the classroom and in the laboratory based on class
participation and presentations, reports and test results.
Examination Methods


Theory : an oral presentation of a scientific paper, related to the course, chosen
by the student, and a written exam (60%)
Practical: Scientific report (40%)
1
Detail Theoretical program:
1º lecture
Topics for the lecture:
a) Information about the Program of the discipline Ecology of resources and
ecosystems including: the aims, theoretical and practical program content, students
evaluation criteria and schedules, and articulation with other subjects in the Master
course structure.
b) Revision of ecologic concepts. Gaia Hypothesis.
c) Revision of the classification of marine organisms and their environments.
d) Early life histories of major fisheries resources.
e) The relation between plankton production cycles and fisheries.
f)Supply side ecology.
2º lecture
Topics for the lecture:
a) Impact of Global Change in plankton production cycles..
b) The importance of plankton vertical migration for marine ecosystem
c) Pelagic trophic cascade in different marine ecosystems: upwelling, deep sea,
coastal.
d)Pelagic benthic coupling.
e) Larval mortality and recruitment variability: Hjort hypothesis, Cushing Hypothesis,
Lasker Hypothesis, Sinclair hypothesis.
3º lecture
Topics for the lecture:
a) Nutritional indices as indicators of fisheries resource condition.
b) Morphometric, histological, physiologic and biochemical indices of nutritional
condition for early life histories of fishes
c) Nucleic acid derived indices: applications and methods of determination.
Limitations and solutions.
4º lecture
a) Human impacts on fishing grounds ecosystems. Major impacts and consequences.
b) Fishing impacts and changes in the food web. Consequences to the ecosystem of
discards and by –catch.
c) Indirect impacts from terrestrial origin: changes in river discharges and impacts on
coastal food web.
5º lecture
a) Impact of Global changes in fisheries
2
b) Consequences of global changes to mangrove, salt-marshes and coral reef
ecosystems
c) Ecological management of fisheries
6º lecture
a) Study cases of ecosystem based conservation and management in the Algarve
coast: creation of protection areas and implementation of artificial reefs
Detail Practical program:
Aims:
How fishery gear can stress the undersized target species and how can we measure its
effects?
Undersized bivalves will be subject to a similar stress of dredging through lab shaking
process. The behaviour stress will be measure through reburial time. The physiologic
stress will be measure through excretion, respiration and filtration ratios. The cellular
stress will be measured through nuclear acids indices. Results analysis and final report
will be done by the students
1º practical class
Preparation of bivalves stress experience, reagents and standard curves of nucleic
acids.
2º practical class
Dredging Stress simulation experiment. Reburial time measurements. Excretion,
respiration and filtration rates measurements.
3º practical class
Amonia determinations. Nucleic acids determinations. Extraction of RNA and DNA,
RNA digestion through incubation.
4º practical class
Espectrofotometric readings of Amonia concentrations in previous samples.
Flurometric reading of nucleic acids.
5º practical class
Final calculations of different indices. Data analysis. General discussion of results.
3
Bibliography
Bergeron, J.P. 1997 Nucleic acids in ichtyoplankton ecology: a review, with emphasis
on recent advances for new perspectives. Journal of Fish Biology, 51 (Supplement A):
284-302
Bode, A., Carrera, P., and Lens, S. 2003. The pelagic food web in the upwelling
ecosystem of Galicia (NW Spain) during spring: natural abundance of stable carbon
and nitrogen isotopes. – ICES Journal of Marine Sciences, 60: 11–22.
Chícharo, L.; Regala, J.; Gaspar, M.; Alves, F.& Chícharo M. A., 2002. Reburial
time and indirect mortality of Spisula solida clams caused by dredging Fisheries
Research 59 (1-2), 247-258.
Chícharo, L.; Regala, J.; Gaspar, M.; Alves, F.& Chícharo, M. A.,2002. Macrofauna
spatial differences within clam dredge-tracks and their implications for short-term
fishing effects studies. Fisheries Research, 54 (3): 349-353.
Chicharo, M. A., Amaral, A., Condinho, S., Alves, F., Regala, J., Gaspar, M., and
Chicharo, L. 2003. Adenylic-derived indices and reburying time as indicators of the
effects of dredging-induced stress on the clam Spisula solida. Marine Biology 142,
1113-1117.
Chicharo, M. A., Chicharo, L., Amaral, A., Condinho, S., and Gaspar, M. (2003).
Chronic effects of dredging-induced stress on the clam (Spisula solida): nucleic acid
and lipid composition. Fisheries Research 63, 447-452.
Chicharo, M. A., Esteves, E., Santos, A. M. P., dos Santos, A., Peliz, A., and Re, P.
(2003). Are sardine larvae caught off northern Portugal in winter starving? An
approach examining nutritional conditions. Marine Ecology-Progress Series 257, 303309.
Cushing, D.H. 1975. Marine Ecology and Fisheries. Academic Press. London
Grenne , C .H ,A . J . Per, Shing , B . C . Monge R ,M . C . B Enf I E Ld, E .G . Dur
B In , M . C . Casas. 2004. Supply Side Ecology And The Responses Of Zooplankton
To Climate-Driven Changes In North Atlantic Ocean. Oceanography Vol.17, No.3,
60-71.
Hall, S. J,. (1999). The effects of fishing on Marine Ecosystems and Communities.
Blackwell Science, London, 274 p.
Houde, E.D. 1987. Fish early life dynamics and recruitment variability. Am. Fish.
Soc. Symposium, 2: 17-29
Houde, E.D., C. Zastrow 1993. Ecosystem- and taxon-specific dynamic and
energetics properties of larval fish assemblages. Bulletin of Marine Science, 53(2):
290-335.
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Jenning, S., Keiser, M., Reynolds, J. 2001. Marine fisheries ecology. Blackwell
Science, UK.
Kaiser, M.J. & de Groot, S.J. 2000. Effects of fishing on non-target species and
habitats. Bioogical conservation and socio-economic issues. Blackwell Science,
London, 399 p.
Lalli, C.M., Parsons, T.R. 2002. Biological Oceanography an Introduction. 2nd
Edition, 314 p.
Lasker, R. (1981). Marine fish larvae: morphology, ecology and relation to
fisheries. Washington sea Grant (2ed).
Lindeboom, H.J., de Groot S.J. 1998. Impact II - The effects of different types of
fisheries on the North Sea and irish Sea Benthic communities. NIOZ-Rapport 1998-1,
RIVO-DLO Report C003/98, 404 p.
Lloret, J., Palomera, I., Salat, J., Sole, I. 2004. Impact of freshwater input and wind on
landing of anchovy
Monteiro C.C., Santos M.N. 2000. Portuguese artificial reefs. in Artificial
Reefs in European Seas. A.C.Jensen, K.J.Collins, A.P.M.Lockwood (Eds.),
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Chap. 15: 249-261.
Sabine, C.L., A. Feely, N. Gruber,M. Key, M. Lee, J. L. Bullister,R. W.C. S. Wong,
D.W. R. Wallace, B. Tilbrook, F. J. Millero, T.-H. Peng, A. Kozyr,T. Ono, A, F. Rios.
2004.The Oceanic Sink for Anthropogenic CO2. Science 305: 367-371
Santos M.N., Monteiro C.C., Gaspar M.B. 2002. Diurnal variations in the fish
assemblage at an artificial reef. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 59:
S32-S35.
Santos M.N., Monteiro C.C. 2001. The Portuguese experience on artificial
reefs: past and future. in Modern aquaculture in the coastal zone: lessons
and opportunities. Ed. João Coimbra, NATO Science Series, Serie A: Life
Sciences, Vol. 314: 281-294.
Santos M.N., Monteiro C.C.1998. Comparison of the catch and fishing yield
from an artificial reef system and neighbouring areas off Faro (south
Portugal). Fisheries Research, 39: 55-65.
Santos M.N., Monteiro C.C., Lasserre G. 1997. A four years overview of the fish
assemblages in two artificial reef systems off Algarve (south
Portugal). in The responses of marine organisms to their environment. Ed.
L.E. Hawkins & S.Hutchinson, with A.C. Jensen, J.A. Willimas & M. Sheader.
University of Southhampton: 345-352.
Santos M.N., Monteiro C.C. 1997. Olhão artificial reef system (south
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Portugal): fish assemblages and fishing yield. Fisheries Research, 30:
33-41.
Wolanski, E. 2001. Oceanographic Processes of Coral reefs. Physical and
Biological Links in the Great Barrier Reef. CRC Press. London, 356 p.
Abstract of activities
Ecology of Resources & Ecosystems
A. Chicharo
A.. Chicharo
A. Chicharo/A. Amaral
A. Chicharo/A.Amaral
A. Chicharo/A. Amaral
L. Chicharo/A. Amaral
L. Chicharo/A. Amaral
L.Chícharo
M. Gaspar/L. Neves Santos
L.Chícharo
L.Chícharo
Month Day Hour-Activity
Nov.
29 9:30-11:30-Lectures
30 9:30-11:30-Lectures
Dec.
2
9:30-12:30-Practical lab 2.51
3
9:30-12:30-Practical lab 2.51
6
9:30-12:30- Practical lab 2.51
7
9:30-12:30- Practical lab 2.51
10-12- Practical class
9 15-18 – Lectures
10 9:30-13:30- Lectures
21
22
10-12 Student presentations
10-12 test
6