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Content with tag marine ecosystem .

The six most important threats for petrels and shearwaters

Shearwaters and petrels are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all the world’s oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 120 species. They have bet-hedging life histories typified by extended chick rearing periods, low fecundity, high adult survival, strong philopatry, monogamy and long-term mate fidelity and are thus vulnerable to change. Here, 38 petrel conservation researchers summarize information regarding the most important threats according to the IUCN Red List...

The diet of the bottlenose dolphin described by stomach content and stable isotope analyses

The ecological role of species can vary among populations depending on local and regional differences in diet. This is particularly true for top predators such as the bottlenose dolphin, which exhibits a highly varied diet. Local dietary assessments are therefore critical to fully understand the role of this species within marine ecosystems. Here, stomach content analyses and stable isotope analyses were combined to describe bottlenose dolphins diet in the Gulf of Cadiz.

Chondrichthyans as sentinels of xenobiotics in the ecosystem

Sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras play an important role as predators in the ecosystems. These species could serve as potential sentinels for the presence of xenobiotics in marine ecosystems. In this study, liver carboxylesterase activity was determined for 20 species of chondrichthyans. Carboxylesterase activity is involved in the metabolism of pesticides, lipids and certain drugs, suggesting that this enzyme could contribute to species-specific differences in drug detoxification.