Carlos Rosas

National Autonomous University of Mexico | UNAM · School of Science

This paper contributes to the knowledge of the reproductive biology of Octopus hubbsorum Berry 1953. Its reproductive season in Bahía Magdalena, Baja California Sur ranges from May to October. The increase of gonadosomatic index in females coupled with the decline in Guerra’s index and the increase in oocyte diameter in May and September were indic...

Background. As the demand for Octopus maya grows, sustainable farming practices become essential to prevent overexploitation. Thus, its farming development can be a sustainable alternative to traditional fishing. Understanding the digestive dynamics is essential for devising optimal dietary formulations in aquaculture, particularly the role of enzy...

The sea cucumber Isostichopus badionotus has been overfished along its Mexican distribution, but no abundance recovery has been observed despite management efforts. Restocking and sea ranching strategies can use releasing individuals, and magnitude of protected areas be related on species dispersion knowledge. We measured the short-term movement pa...

Anchialine systems are coastal groundwater habitats around the world which host a unique community of cave adapted species (stygobionts). Such communities are expected to be separated by haloclines into either fresh or saline groundwater communities, hence climate changes (e.g., eustatic sea level shifts) and anthropic driven changes (e.g., saliniz...

The reproductive process in Octopus maya was analyzed to establish the amount of reactive oxygen species that the embryos inherit from females, during yolk synthesis. At the same time, respiratory metabolism, ROS production, and the expression of some genes of the antioxidant system were monitored to understand the ability of embryos to neutralize...

This chapter describes past and present publication trends in octopus research following a systematic mapping approach. Publication rates in popular research topics such as life history and ecology are decreasing, while others are increasing and taking the spotlight. Interest in behaviour has seen a considerable uptick in recent years. Also, rapid...

Species are expected to migrate to higher latitudes as warming intensifies due to anthropogenic climate change since physiological mechanisms have been adapted to maximize fitness under specific temperatures. However, literature suggests that upwellings could act as thermal refugia under climate warming protecting marine ecosystem diversity. This r...

Octopus maya Voss & Solís-Ramírez, 1966 is an ocellate octopus endemic to the shallow waters of Campeche Bank off Yucatan in Mexico and is fished in large numbers off Yucatan and Campeche states, where it is abundant. It matures at a wide range of sizes by December, and size at maturity (BW50%) is 1024g body weight (BW) for females and 484 g for ma...

The vital survival, maturation, and reproduction rates of Octopus maya were formulated according to the thermal preferences in each stage (juvenile and adult) and the bottom temperature of the Yucatan shelf projected from different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs): SSP1-5, to describe the species population growth in shallow waters. The dispers...

There is evidence that indicates that temperature modulates the reproduction of the tropical species Octopus maya, through the over- or under-expression of many genes in the brain. If the oxygen supply to the brain depends on the circulatory system, how temperature affects different tissues will begin in the heart, responsible for pumping the oxyge...

The effects of two prepared feeds were tested on growth, survival, enzymatic activity, nutritive reserves in the digestive gland and oxygen consumption of Octopus maya juveniles. For the first time, a semihumid paste (HD, control) and a dry diet, in pelleted form (PD, experimental) with the same formulation were used for this species. The experimen...

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a well-documented strategy used by bacteria to enhance their adaptability to challenging environmental conditions. Through HGT, a group of conserved genetic elements known as mobile genetic elements (MGEs) is disseminated within bacterial communities. MGEs offer numerous advantages to the host, increasing its fitne...

Background As the demand for Octopus maya grows, sustainable farming practices become essential to prevent overexploitation. Thus, its farming development can be a sustainable alternative to traditional fishing. Understanding the digestive dynamics is essential for devising optimal dietary formulations in aquaculture, particularly the role of enzym...

Behavioural, physiological and biochemical mechanisms constitute the adaptive capacities that allow marine ectotherms to explore the environment beyond their thermal optimal. Limitations to the efficiency of these mechanisms define the transition from moderate to severe thermal stress, and serve to characterise the thermoregulatory response in the...

Embryos inherit ROS (reactive oxygen species) from females, suggesting they are produced in females due to the metabolic processes that occur in the ovary during the last part of the yolk synthesis and implying ROS production in females is a natural part of their reproductive processes. Embryos have a piece of genetic machinery to produce antioxida...

Patagonian red octopus, Enteroctopus megalocyathus, an interesting species for Chilean aquaculture diversification, requires the improving of their experimental technology to obtain early juveniles. The first objective of the study was to enhance aspects of feeding and temperature management in broodstock, egg incubation, paralarvae rearing, and ea...

Anthropogenic climate warming will change the thermal habitats of marine species worldwide. Species are expected to migrate to higher latitudes as warming intensifies since behavioral and physiological mechanisms have been adapted to maximize fitness under a specific range of temperatures. However, given the possible intensification of upwelling ec...

Benzophenone-3 (BP-3) is an active ingredient in sunscreen lotions and personal-care products that protects against the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays. Given its worldwide dissemination, it has been linked with harmful effects on aquatic biota; however, its impact is not fully understood calling for further studies. To understand the impacts...

A novel general model has been developed to fit biomass growth data of coleoid cephalopods as a function of time and temperature from hatching to maximum size in a single curve. This model has been obtained formally from a formulation of product‐integral, solves the discontinuity problem present in two‐phase growth models and describes both asympto...

High temperatures alter the physiological condition of Octopus maya embryos, juveniles, and adults, and the time of exposure could have a key role in their thermal tolerance. The present study evaluates the effects of temperature and exposure time on octopus juveniles obtained from a thermally stressed female and a control female when exposed to op...

No ecotoxicological information exists on phenanthrene (Phe) exposure in cephalopods, animals of commercial and ecological importance. This study investigated the effect of Phe on two B-esterases, Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Carboxylesterases (CbE), in Octopus maya embryos. Octopus embryos were exposed to different treatments: control (seawater...

Anthropogenic global warming generates profound metabolic alterations in marine ectotherm invertebrates capable of leading a wide range of these species to extinction. To evaluate the cross-generational effect of thermal stress on the cephalopod Octopus maya, groups of females were exposed at 24 and 30 °C until spawn. After, embryos of each female...

Ocean warming is expected to occur due to anthropogenic climate change bringing a spatial shift of marine communities. Experimental data that characterize the aerobic power budget via an aerobic scope, thermal metabolic scope, or thermal preferences have been proposed as tools that can describe species distribution since they characterize species f...

The Novel Object Recognition task (NOR) is widely used to study vertebrates' memory. It has been proposed as an adequate model for studying memory in different taxonomic groups, allowing similar and comparable results. Although in cephalopods, several research reports could indicate that they recognize objects in their environment, it has not been...

Dissolved oxygen (DO) and water temperature vary in coastal environments. In tropical regions, the ability of aquatic ectotherms to cope with hypoxia and high-temperature interactive effects is fundamental for their survival. The mechanisms underlying both hypoxia and thermal tolerance are known to be interconnected, therefore, the idea of cross-to...

Historically, behavior studies have focused mainly on animals of two phyla in particular: Craniata and Arthropoda, however, behavioral research on alternative phyla like mollusks has been increasing because of the potential for research that these models present. When we talk about mollusk behavior, cephalopods are the first group that stands out,...

Current understanding of cephalopod digestive tract physiology is based on relatively “old” literature and a “mosaic of data” from multiple species. To provide a background to the discussion of methodologies for investigating physiology we first review the anatomy of the cephalopod digestive tract with a focus on Octopus vulgaris, highlighting stru...

Mitochondrial respirometry is key to understand how environmental factors model energetic cellular process. In the case of ectotherms, thermal tolerance has been hypothesized to be intimately linked with mitochondria capability to produce enough adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to respond to the energetic demands of animals in high temperatures. In a r...

High temperatures alter the physiological condition of Octopus maya embryos, juveniles, and adults, and the time of exposure could have a key role in their thermal tolerance. The present study evaluates the effects of temperature and exposure time on octopus juveniles obtained from thermal-stressed and non-stressed females when exposed to optimal (...

We studied benthic assemblages through X-Batún, a continental freshwater cenote and its associated submerged cave located in San Antonio Mulix (Yucatán, Mexico). Using cave diving techniques, we collected sediment samples at four zones of the system. We extracted and counted individuals of benthic species in three replicates of 5 grams of wet sedim...

The anchialine environment is characterized by a vertical stratification of water masses with different salinities. Cave shrimps of the genus Typhlatya are widespread inhabitants of the aquifer in fresh, brackish, and marine groundwater. Here we describe physiological aspects of three of the most abundant and widespread Typhlatya species that thriv...

The octopus optic glands are the source of multiple signalling molecules that control the transitions through different physiological stages, such as maturation, ageing and death. This study focused on the role of the optic glands during the reproductive phase of Octopus maya, investigating the molecular mechanisms that prevent reproduction at elev...

Hippocampus erectus inhabiting the shallow coastal waters of the southern Gulf of Mexico are naturally exposed to marked temperature variations occurring in different temporal scales. Under such heterogeneous conditions, a series of physiological and biochemical adjustments take place to restore and maintain homeostasis. This study investigated the...

Current anthropogenic global warming generates profound metabolic alterations in marine ectotherm invertebrates capable of leading a wide range of these species to extinction. The most worrying and devastating consequence may be that the effect of thermal stress overpasses the individual generations. To evaluate the transgenerational effect of ther...

Yearly embryo fitness of the red octopus, Octopus maya (Voss and Solis, 1966), and Brazil reef octopus, Octopus insularis (Leite and Haimovici, 2008) reflects fishery landings trends

In cephalopod hatchlings there is a transitional period considered critical, in which the digestive system undergoes morphophysiological changes associated with the passage from the consumption of vitelline reserves to an independent feeding. During this period, the characterization of the digestive dynamics and growth is key information to define...

Background Elevated temperatures reduce fertilization and egg-laying rates in the octopus species. However, the molecular mechanisms that control the onset of fertilization and egg-laying in the octopus’ oviducal gland are still unclear; and the effect of temperature on the expression of key reproductive genes is unknown. This study aims to better...

The Novel Object Recognition task (NOR) is widely used for the study of memory in vertebrates and has been proposed as a solid candidate for evaluating memory in different taxonomic groups, allowing similar and comparable evaluations between them. Although, in cephalopods, several research reports could indicate that they recognize objects in their...

Mitochondrial respirometry is key to understand how environmental factors model energetic cellular process. In the case of ectotherms, thermal tolerance has been hypothesized to be intimately linked with mitochondria capability to produce enough adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to respond to the energetic demands of animals in high temperatures. Recent...

The optic glands (OG) of cephalopods are a source of molecules associated with the control of reproductive traits and lifecycle events such as sexual maturation, reproductive behavior, feeding, parental care, and senescence. However, little is known about the role of the optic gland in Octopus maya adults during mating and egg laying. RNA sequencin...

Correlative ecological niche models have been widely used to infer the organisms' environmental suitability; nevertheless, the relationship between this estimated suitability and their abundance is less clear. The ecological theory proposes that the internal structure of a species niche determines its abundance. Specifically, abundance should decre...

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is a widespread ectothermic species that supports large fisheries. Physiology of temperate and subtropical populations of blue crabs are well studied; however, a lack of information exists on tropical populations. Given the low locomotion capabilities of C. sapidus adult blue crabs, natural selection should favor t...

The present study was designed to assess the performance of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium tenellum in optimal and sub‐optimal dissolved oxygen conditions, considering increasing environmental pressures. Thermal tolerance and thermal metabolic scope (TMS) with related integrated biomarker response (IBR) were measured in prawns exposed to normox...

Fisheries play critical roles in food supply and income for human communities worldwide. Unfortunately, the fishery distribution have been changing due to anthropogenic climate change (CC). In this sense, this study analyses were directed to predict the suitability and distribution of red octopus (Octopus maya), an endemic and commercially importan...

The brain optic glands (OPT) and the reproductive oviducal glands (OVI) are key modulators of the reproductive physiological stages of octopus’ life such as maturation, fertilization, senescence, and death. Octopus maya is an ectothermic organism, then its reproductive success depends on the temperature; thermal stress causes a reduction in fertili...

This study determined the physiological and metabolic responses of cultivated Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) juveniles in accordance with their recent thermal history. The fish were acclimated at 20, 23, 26, 29 and 32 °C for 21 days to determine the final preferred temperature, thermal tolerance and the effect of acclimation temperatures on...

Since thermal stress enhances the energy demands, it is possible to hypothesize that the harmful effects of high temperatures observed in Octopus maya are the result of the limited capacity of adults to channel more energy that reproductive activity demands. The present study was designed to know how temperature modulates the energy physiology of O...

The entire skin surface of octopus embryos, hatchlings and juveniles bears scattered tufts of tiny chitinous setae within small pockets, from which they can be everted and retracted. Known as Kölliker’s organs (KO), they disappear before the subadult stage. The function of these structures during the early life of the octopus is unknown, despite ha...

The octopuses are an emergent group for marine aquaculture diversification. One of the main factors limiting their commercial production is the absence of pelleted or extruded diets that are capable of promoting adequate survival and growth. We tested a pelleted diet with ingredients dried at 40°C and a semi‐moist diet based on of raw ingredients (...

Temperature is recongnised as the main factor controlling the species fitness and performance. Naturally, the thermal preferences (TP) of aquatic organisms obtained in controlled conditions have been used to relate physiological performance with field data since they are a good proxy to the fundamental niche. Literature suggests that dispersal capa...

Using data related to thermal optimal and pejus of the embryos of Octopus americanus from Brazil and O. insularis and O. maya from Mexico, this study aimed to project the potential distribution areas in the Gulf of Mexico and predict distribution shifts under different Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP 6 and 8.5) for the years 205...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00697.].

ABSTRACT. An Octopus briareus specimen was recorded off Port Sisal, Yucatán, Mexico. This finding represents the first record of O. briareus in the southern Gulf of Mexico, expanding the currently known westernmost distribution area for this species on the American continent. The specimen was captured by scientific divers performing routine mainten...

This study aimed to explore different substances (or cold sea water) as potential anesthetic agents to facilitate short-term handling in Octopus maya juveniles. We investigated oxygen consumption before (baseline), during (first 600 s of exposure) and after anesthesia (recovery) of octopuses (n = 98; 1.67 ± 0.5 g) exposed to cold sea water (SW; 11...

The determination of in vitro digestibility of acid proteases in the digestive gland (DG) of adult O. vulgaris (> 1.2 kg) was performed, using the flesh of four different prey species (mackerel, Scomber scombrus; green crab, Carcinus maenas; swimming crab, Necora puber; Shortfin squid, Illex coindetii). For each, four processing treatments were app...

The abundance of the alien, Indo-Pacific damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos on an oil-loading platform in the southwest Gulf of Mexico indicates that widely distributed platforms could facilitate the expansion of its geographic range across the western and northern fringes of the Gulf. From there it likely will spread to other areas of the Greater...