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ASSESSING IMPACTS OF OXYGEN MINIMUM ZONES (OMZS) ON HABITAT PREFERENCES OF PELAGIC SHARKS AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SPECIES SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EXPLOITATION

05 Jan 2018 - Marisa Vedor (AGE, CIBIO-InBIO/UP) | January 12, 2018 | 15h30 | CIBIO-InBIO’s Auditorium, Campus de Vairão
ASSESSING IMPACTS OF OXYGEN MINIMUM ZONES (OMZS) ON HABITAT PREFERENCES OF PELAGIC SHARKS AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SPECIES SUSCEPTIBILITY TO EXPLOITATION

STUDENT SEMINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION

 

 

Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) are poorly ventilated and highly productive layers in the water column where the dissolved oxygen (DO) decreases abruptly, found in several oceanic regions worldwide. In the tropical eastern North Atlantic, in the Cape Verde archipelago area is an OMZ between 200 – 700 m depth. In the core of the OMZ, the DO can be as low as 40 μmolO2/L, affecting most aerobic processes, constituting a physical barrier for most organisms. Pelagic top predators such as blue and mako sharks may have high energetic requirements, being constricted to shallower, more oxygenated waters. Likewise, OMZs tend to restrict most species to upper layers of the water column, highly increasing fisheries yield and attracting large pelagics. Therefore, OMZs are intensively targeted areas by longline fishing vessels. This project aims to study the effects of hypoxia on physiology and behaviour of blue and mako sharks, modelling possible adaptations to climate change. Therefore, the susceptibility of sharks to longliners in the present and in future scenarios will be assessed. Ultimately, effective fisheries management and conservation action plans can be drawn, as for instance, marine protected areas (MPAs).

 

Marisa Vedor graduated in Aquatic Sciences in the University of Porto, Portugal and holds a MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Lund, Sweden. Marisa has been integrating telemetry and physiology to study movements, behaviour and responses to the environment of marine species. Currently is enrolled on the 4th year of the BIODIV doctoral program under the supervision of Dr. Nuno Queiroz (CIBIO-InBIO, UP) and Dr. Rui Rosa (MARE, FCUL). The PhD project focuses on the study of blue and mako sharks behavioural and physiological responses to the habitat - with particular focus on the Eastern Tropical Atlantic OMZ in Cape Verde - and possible susceptibility to fisheries exploitation on a climate change perspective.

 

[Host: Nuno Queiroz, Ecology and Evolution of Aquatic Organisms]

 

Image credits: Gonzalo Mucientes

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