Alvar Carranza

Universidad de la República de Uruguay | UdelaR · Centro Universitario Regional del Este - CURE

Background Ceriantharia is a subclass of the phylum Cnidaria, which comprises tube-dwelling marine invertebrates. This subclass is composed of three families, including Arachnactidae, with two known genera. Currently, the genus Arachnanthus has five valid species recorded from Australia, the Mediterranean Sea and both the Southern and Northern Paci...

The oceanographic dynamics on the continental shelf off southeastern South America are primarily controlled by the southward-flowing warm Brazil Current, converging with the northward-directed cold Malvinas (Falkland) Current, and interacting with the continental discharge of the Plata River. The seasonally reversing regional wind field together wi...

Assessing the extinction risk in marine invertebrates poses serious challenges to conservation biology, due to the magnitude of marine biodiversity, the inaccessibility of most of the marine realm, and the lack of appropriate data on population dynamics and ecology for most species. However, simple life history traits have a huge potential for prel...

Climate change impacts on fishery resources have been widely reported worldwide. Nevertheless, a knowledge gap remainsvfor the warm-temperate Southwest Atlantic Ocean—a global warming hotspot that sustains important industrial and small-scale fisheries. By combining a trait-based framework and long-term landing records, we assessed species’ sensiti...

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has become a priority for many states wanting to develop national blue economy plans and meet international obligations in response to the increasing cumulative impacts of human activities and climate change. In areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), MSP is proposed as part of a package of solutions for multi-secto...

The impacts of biological invasions remain poorly known for some habitats, regions and taxa. To date, there has been no comprehensive effort to review and synthesize the impacts of invasive mollusc species in South America. In this paper, we provide a synoptic view on what is known on documented socio-ecological impacts of aquatic no-native mollusc...

Introduction The Uruguayan Exclusive Economic Zone (U-EEZ) is still lacking a technically sound and institutionally agree Q8 d system for classifying marine benthic ecosystems. This fact, added to the growing anthropic pressure marine ecosystems face in the U-EEZ, increases the vulnerability of these ecosystems and their associated biodiversity. De...

Descripción y actividad del eMIAS (especialistas sobre Moluscos Introducidos en América del Sur)

The movement of species is among the most serious environmental threats of the new millennium, as the transplantation of species beyond their native or historical range has intensified in the last five decades. Traditionally, studies on bioinvasions have focused on species that have been introduced, deliberately or accidentally, to biogeographic re...

Veintinueve especialistas en Moluscos Introducidos de América del Sur (eMIAS), de siete países, trabajan en forma cooperativa desde el año 2016, con el objetivo incrementar y fortalecer el conocimiento de la malacofauna no-nativa y trasplantada, con la cual se busca prevenir y controlar los impactos que provocan estas especies. Cada uno de los inte...

Marine gastropods are key items in small-scale fisheries worldwide, generating employment and high economic value in international markets. In North Patagonian Gulfs (Southwestern Atlantic), gastropods are landed as by-catch in bivalve artisanal fisheries, and thus no official statistics are reported. Recently, the first regulation of marine gastro...

Digitally accessible Primary Biodiversity Data (PBD) are currently available through a number of web-based platforms. This information is allowing for a growing number of ecological, biodiversity informatics or conservation projects. Most of this information comes from Natural History Collections (NHC) worldwide. Despite well-known limitations, NHC...

The Uruguayan continental margin (UCM), located in the Southwestern Atlantic margin’s subtropical region, is positioned in a critical transitional region regarding the global ocean circulation (Río de la Plata (RdlP) outflow and Brazil-Malvinas Confluence), as also reflected in seafloor features (northernmost distribution of a large depositional co...

• Bivalve habitat restoration is growing in geographic extent and scale globally. While addressing the wide‐scale loss of these biogenic habitats is still a key motivation behind restoration efforts, stakeholders and funders are increasingly drawn to shellfish restoration for the many ecosystem services these habitats provide. • There is clear evid...

Farming of marine organisms (mariculture) represented 36% of global aquaculture, with mollusks representing 58.8% in live weight. Mollusk populations in some locations are, however, threatened by degradation of the ecosystems and/or over-fishing. This threat is increasingly being addressed through Restorative Shellfish Mariculture (RSM), as opposed...

The concept of Ecological Integrity (EI) refers to the capacity of a place to sustain and maintain the biota in such conditions that allows it to function as a balanced, integrated and adaptive system, and can be derived by comparing present vs. past or spatial reference baseline conditions. Here we assess the EI of Playa El Rivero (34°2’29.35”S, 5...

Aim: We evaluated whether patterns of species diversity (α, β and γ) of rocky shore assemblages followed latitudinal gradients (i.e. LDGs) along the South American coasts, and tested hypotheses related to potential processes sustaining or disrupting the expected LDG pattern at various spatial scales. Location: Coasts of South America. Taxon: Macroa...

Non-native species have been introduced at escalating rates during the last decades, mainly due to the dispersion generated by the increasing trade and transport worldwide. Mollusks, the second largest metazoan phylum in terms of species richness, are no exception to this pattern, but, to date, a comprehensive synthesis of non-native mollusk specie...

Non-native species have been introduced at escalating rates during the last decades, mainly due to the dispersion generated by the increasing trade and transport worldwide. Mollusks, the second largest metazoan phylum in terms of species richness, are no exception to this pattern, but, to date, a comprehensive synthesis of non-native mollusk specie...

Background Taxon- and/or ecosystem-based definitions of management units typically focus on conspicuous species and physical habitat limits; these definitions implicitly assume that these classification systems are related to the mechanisms that determine biodiversity persistence. However, ecological theory shows that this assumption may not be sup...

Biological invasions represent an important component of global change, with potentially huge detrimental effects on native biological biodiversity and ecosystems. Knowledge about invasion history provides information about the invasion process and the origin and genetic composition of invading populations. To clarify the source and invasive routes...

• The South American endemic corbiculid genus Cyanocyclas comprises about 15 nominal species described from Uruguay. Of these, only two are at present considered valid species. Several authors have reported population declines of these species after the settlement and spread of the invasive genus Corbicula, and even the disappearance of Cyanocyclas...

Detailed knowledge on migratory routes connecting distant breeding, developmental and foraging areas is a key prerequisite for the successful management of marine vertebrates. The present study combines stable isotopes analysis of carapace scutes and satellite tracking of juvenile green turtles as an experimental approach to understand the pre and...

The Southwestern Atlantic margin is characterized by several canyon systems incised on a huge Contourite Depositional System associated with the interaction of strong Antarctic water masses with the seafloor. So far, however, only one mega slide canyon (Cabo Polonio) has been described recently in the Uruguayan continental slope. In this work, sedi...

Se sintetiza a modo de memorias del IV Foro sobre Servicios Ecosistémicos relaiazado por el Grupo Interinstitucional de Trabajo sobre Servicios Ecosistemicos, coordinado por el IICA. Se presentan y discuten los avances en el conocimiento e investigación sobre Servicios ecosistémicos.

Adelomelon beckii (Broderip,1836) is the largest Volutidae from the Western Atlantic, and one of the largest marine gastropods worldwide. We analysed data from 516 trawls performed in the Uruguayan continental shelf between 5 and 300 m depth and developed a predictive species distribution model, identifying shelf areas in which fleet activity shoul...

An important ark clam (Arca zebra) artisanal fishery takes place in the east region of Venezuela. Besides the target species, trawling extracts a significant bycatch of several mollusk species including the gastropod Voluta musica, a threatened species according to the Venezuelan Red List of Endangered Species. In this paper we evaluate: 1) the com...

Recent high-resolution, multidisciplinary studies have provided models of modern and ancient sedimentary processes along the Uruguayan slope (34°S to 36°S), a strategic location in the Southwestern Atlantic margin (SAM). According to these models, modern surface sedimentation is controlled by the transition between the Subtropical Shelf Front and t...

The present study combines esophageal lavage (n = 74), stomach content (n = 52) and stable isotope analysis (n = 126) to understand the ontogenetic dietary shift of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting the temperate waters off Uruguay. Based on esophageal and stomach analysis, green turtles in the region start consuming macroalgae soon after r...

This study reports the first occurrences of the brown seaweed Myriogloea major Asensi (Chordariacea, Phaeophyceae) and the green seaweed Gayralia oxysperma (Kützing) K.L. Vinogradova ex Scagel et al. (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) along the Uruguayan coast. These new records could represent respectively a northward and southward range extension for M....

Marine Benthos: Biology, Ecosystem Functions and Environmental Impact is a book dedicated to show a series of case studies about how benthic habitats are organized and how they function as a tool for any environmental impact studies. The present book documents how the natural condition of these communities is and aims to expand our present knowledg...

Rocky shores are areas of high diversity and productivity providing goods and services. Since humans are altering nature at an unprecedented rate, producing shifts in important parameters for life such as temperature, habitat availability, water quality, among others, it is expected that species will respond by changing their natural distributions...

A total of 52 cephalopod beaks were found in the 15 stomachs and intestines of 17 out of 54 green turtles, Chelonia 16 mydas, stranded on the Uruguayan coast between 2009 and 17 2013 (frequency of occurrence=31.5 %). Upper and lower 18 beaks were assigned to at least six Oegopsid species of four 19 different genera, Chiroteuthis, Histioteuthis, Ony...

Synthetic plastics have become an indispensable component of modern life, and the amount of plastics disposal has increased dramatically as a result. With human population increasing, it is expected that the prevalence of plastic debris in the environment will also increase, unless sustainable daily habits are incorporated, waste management improve...

Monitoring small-scale fisheries (SSFs) is challenging due to the limited information available and their underlying socioeconomic characteristics. This constitutes a serious impediment to assess the compliance level of Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT). The European Union has committed itself to include an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management...

The temperate zone of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean (23–42°S), which includes the Patagonian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem and the Subtropical Convergence Zone, is one of the most productive areas of the Southern Hemisphere. Key features of this region are a wide continental shelf, the convergence of cold and warm currents, and continental freshwa...

Este informe complementa el plan de estudios de corto y mediano plazo propuesto para profundizar en la caracterización biótica del sitio seleccionado para la construcción del puerto de aguas profundas (PAP). Presenta además una breve evaluación del proceso de caracterización biótica del entorno del PAP y una serie de reflexiones que surgen de esa e...

Este informe describe el resultado de la revisión de la información biótica disponible sobre el sitio seleccionado para la construcción de un Puerto de Aguas Profundas en el Departamento de Rocha. Se describen la metodología y criterios utilizados para identificar y seleccionar la información disponible y se incluye un listado completo de la biblio...

The present study draws attention to the current state of knowledge of bivalve reef, an important but historically overlooked habitat type. Recent interest has led to the explicit recognition of this habitat type under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention), an international treaty that has widespread governm...

Artisanal fisheries in Uruguay involve directly or indirectly more than 5,000 people and constitute the main source of income in several coastal communities. However, and despite its economic and environmental importance, this activity is poorly documented. As such, this scarcity of information constrains the understanding and effective management...

Este informe describe la metodología a utilizar para caracterizar de forma preliminar los componentes bióticos del entorno del sitio seleccionado para la construcción de un Puerto de Aguas Profundas en el Departamento de Rocha (PAP). Para eso primero se explicita las definiciones a utilizar para interpretar el alcance de las tareas que se listan a...

Passive dispersal of organisms rafting on artificial items floating over the sea surface may account for the transport of animals to areas otherwise unavailable by other natural dispersal mechanisms (Thiel and Gutow 2005). Rafting can be the main mechanism of dispersal for some species and an alternative for others (Donlan and Nelson 2003). Due to...

Alvar Carranza "La implementación de AMP basadas en el cumplimiento de objetivos políticos basados en la cantidad de área puede resultar en una inadmisible pérdida de tiempo y dinero". NOAA Los países de la región enfrentan retos que dificultan la protección del 10% de sus áreas marinas establecida por el CDB Basar la protección de ecosistemas mari...

In Uruguayan coastal waters immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) occur year round and present a narrow size distribution, which suggests that these waters host foraging and developmental neritic grounds for individuals recruiting just after the oceanic phase of their life cycle. In other regions, this habitat transition is accompanied by a dieta...

First experience to evaluate a selective fishing gear for shrimp Pleoticus muelleri artisanal fishing in the Uruguayan atlantic coast. The low selectivity of the bottom trawl nets used in the shrimp fishery and the high fraction of organisms caught incidentally are a direct threat to marine biodiversity. In this work the first experience to evaluat...

Este informe propone una aproximación conceptual a utilizar para caracterizar los componentes bióticos del ambiente receptor en el sitio seleccionado para la construcción de un puerto de aguas profundas en el departamento de Rocha (PAP). La normativa vigente en Uruguay requiere explícitamente la caracterización del medio biótico como componente fun...

The increasing occurrence of imposex in marine gastropods has been related to their exposure to the tri-substituted organotin compounds tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT), which have been widely used as antifouling agents, and has been documented for more than 200 gastropod species. Odontocymbiola magellanica, a large benthic neogastropod, s...

Cerro Verde (Rocha, Uruguay), ha sido recientemente declarada Área Marina Protegida (AMP), sin embargo el conocimiento de la diversidad de invertebrados marinos en el área es incipiente y dispar. En particular, los crustáceos decápodos tienen un rol ecológico muy relevante, siendo una fracción importante en la dieta de especies de interés comercial...

The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Global Environmental Changes (GEC) are occurring quicker than at any other time over the last 25 million years and impacting upon marine environments (Bellard et al., 2012). There is overwhelming evidence showing that GEC are affecting both the quality and quantity of the goods and...

The hydrology of the Southwestern Atlantic margin is dominated by the confluence of water masses with contrasting thermohaline properties, generating a frontal zone that extends from the Malvinas–Brazil Confluence zone (BMC) in the open ocean to the Subtropical Shelf Front (STSF) on the continental shelf. However, the hydrodynamics of the transitio...

We report the finding of monospecific scleracti-nian (i.e. Lophelia pertusa) reefs from the Uruguayan outer shelf and slope during an exploratory joint research cruise onboard the R/V 'Miguel Oliver' during January–February 2010. Acoustic mapping of the seafloor allowed the detailed analysis of 8,944 km 2 , where some 17 structures identified as mo...

This study provides information on length‐weight relationships for 14 marine fish species. Specimens were collected between 2006 and 2010 from the Uruguayan coastal zone (depth Stellifer rastrifer, whose distribution range has been extended southwards recently.