Annalisa Sambolino

MARE | Marine Environmental Science Centre/ARDITI - University of Madeira

Wide-ranging connectivity patterns of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trunca-tus) are generally poorly known worldwide and more so within the oceanic archipelagos of Macaronesia in the North East (NE) Atlantic. This study aimed to identify long-range movements between the archipelagos of Macaronesia that lie between 500 and 1,500 km apart, and...

The whale-watching industry can represent a critical anthropogenic stressor for the targeted populations. Identifying and characterizing the individual exposure to wildlife tourism in island-associated cetacean communities is especially relevant in small, remote oceanic regions relying on tourism. This study characterized the spatial and temporal v...

In the present study, the ammonium formate version of the QuEChERS method, considered highly advantageous in relation to instrument maintenance and other issues, was applied for the first time to extract a group of twelve phthalic acid esters (PAEs, i.e. dipropyl phthalate, DPP; diisobutyl phthalate, DIBP; dibutyl phthalate, DBP; diisopentyl phthal...

The ingestion of microplastics (MPs - plastic particles <5 mm) by planktivorous organisms represents a significant threat to marine food webs. To investigate how seasonality might affect plastic intake in oceanic islands' ecosystems, relative abundances and composition of MPs and mesozooplankton samples collected off Madeira Island (NE Atlantic) be...

The increasing concentration of plastic debris in the oceanic environment represents a significant threat to marine organisms. Their fragmentation in small particles (< 5mm), defined as “microplastics” (MPs), raises concerns about the high likelihood of these contaminants entering marine food webs. The physical resemblance of MPs to zooplankton, an...

Knowledge of the role of individual associations has provided an insightful understanding of the structures of animal societies, especially in highly social mammals such as primates. Yet, this is unbalanced towards marine mammals, particularly to beaked whales, due to their elusive nature. In addition, information on the fundamental drivers of the...

The coastal and open oceans represent a major, but yet unconstrained, sink for plastics. It is likely that plastic-biota interactions are a key driver for the fragmentation, aggregation, and vertical transport of plastic litter from surface waters to sedimentary sinks. Cruise SO279 conducted sampling to address core questions of microplastic distri...

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are a group of endocrine disruptors, usually used as plasticizers in various kinds of chemical products, toxic to many marine organisms. The objective of this work was: (i) determine the phytoremediation potential of the Nannochloropsis gaditana of three common PAEs (diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-buthyl phthalate (DBP) a...

• The conservation of marine megafauna presents numerous difficulties owing to their high mobility over difficult-to-access oceanic areas that impairs the collection of basic, but essential, biological information. • The Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is one of the most elusive species of baleen whales, and although it is known to be a seasonal...

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) occur year-round in the waters off the Madeira Archipelago, and present island-associated populations, yet no literature is found about their diet composition in this region. Bottlenose dolphins usually are opportunistic feeders inhabiti...

The whale-watching industry considerably increased worldwide in the last decades, leading the scientific community to urge for more studies and assessments. Indeed, several studies suggested that the cumulative effect of repeated exposure of cetacean populations to this disturbance can affect their behaviour, reproductive success and even mortality...

The use of ferries as platforms of opportunity for cetacean monitoring is wide spreading from several years. This is a cost-effective and efficient system, allowing a regular and continuous effort, both in space and in time, through fixed transect surveys. In order to start a long-term monitoring programme in the ferry route between Madeira and Por...

The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is the most abundant species in Mediterranean. According to the IUCN Red List, the Mediterranean subpopulation is classified as vulnerable, because it is facing several threats, such as morbillivirus infections and organochlorine pollutants associated with immunosuppressive effects. Genetic diversity is a...