Francisco Otero-Ferrer

Francisco Otero-Ferrer
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | ULPGC · IU - ECOAQUA

Doctor of Philosophy

About

96
Publications
24,557
Reads
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778
Citations
Additional affiliations
September 2006 - December 2014
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Position
  • Aquarium department

Publications

Publications (96)
Article
In a time of unprecedented coral reef decline, improved aquaculture protocols and high-quality live feeds may contribute to the sustainability of the ornamentals industry producing new valuable and stronger specimens bred under controlled conditions, mitigating the pressure on wild natural stocks. In the present study, the effect of microalgae enri...
Article
Full-text available
Current evidence suggests that macroalgal-dominated habitats are important contributors to the oceanic carbon cycle, though the role of those formed by calcifiers remains controversial. Globally distributed coralline algal beds, built by pink coloured rhodoliths and maerl, cover extensive coastal shelf areas of the planet, but scarce information on...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The Canary Islands and their adjacent seamounts represent a unique biodiversity "crossroad" within Atlantic and Mediterranean. The geographical separation of ca. 1000 km between the Western and Eastern volcanic islands and seamounts, generates a high variability of biodiversity scenarios, which are currently under threat due to the overexploitation...
Article
Full-text available
The worldwide implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been used as a conservation measure to preserve marine biodiversity. Due to technological limitations, many early designated MPAs often neglected the distribution of marine habitats. Marine remote-sensing techniques development represents an opportunity to reshape and rethink MPA des...
Article
Full-text available
Black corals are important components of mesophotic and deep-water marine habitats. Their presence at great depths (e.g., 50 to 200 m) makes accessibility difficult, limiting our understanding of the associated biodiversity. Amphipods dominate vagile epifauna in marine habitats around the world, fulfilling important ecosystem functions. However, th...
Article
Full-text available
Most emerging species in marine aquaculture and the aquarium industry have a sensitive and small-mouthed larval stage, and their culture is very challenging due to a lack of appropriate early feeding protocols. The use of copepods has been widely recognized as a good alternative to traditional fish live feeds (rotifers and Artemia spp.), especially...
Article
Full-text available
The present study aims at assessing the thermal tolerance of the black coral Antipathella wollastoni (Gray, 1857), which forms extensive forests in multiple Macaron-esian islands. Fragments of A. wollastoni were exposed for 15 d to temperature conditions ranging from 19 to 26.5 °C, and multiple endpoints were investigated. No mortality was observed...
Article
Global marine conservation remains fractured by an imbalance in research efforts and policy actions, limiting progression towards sustainability. Rhodolith beds represent a prime example, as they have ecological importance on a global scale, provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services, including biodiversity provision and potential climate...
Article
Sensitivity to ocean warming is generally expected to be lower in populations from more heterogeneous thermal environments, owing to greater phenotypic plasticity and/or genotype selection. While resilience of benthic populations from thermally fluctuating environments has been investigated at a variety of spatial scales, this has received limited...
Article
Full-text available
Understanding the multiple benefits (i.e. Ecosystem Services, ES) that marine habitats provide to society is key for adequate decision-making that maintains our well-being in the long-term. The main objective of this research was to map and assess, in the context of marine spatial planning, the ES supply of shallow and deep-sea habitats in the Cana...
Article
Full-text available
The degradation of shallow ecosystems has called for efforts to understand the biodiversity and functioning of Mesophotic Ecosystems. However, most empirical studies have been restricted to tropical regions and have majorly focused on taxonomic entities (i.e., species), neglecting important dimensions of biodiversity that influence community assemb...
Article
Full-text available
The black coral Anthipatella wollastoni forms marine animal forests in the mesophotic zone. The spatial extent of black coral forests is not well known in many regions. Due to its protein and chitin skeleton, the coral is difficult to image using acoustic remote sensing techniques compared to corals with carbonate skeletons. Several manufacturers h...
Article
Full-text available
Seagrasses store large amounts of blue carbon and mitigate climate change, but they have suffered strong regressions worldwide in recent decades. Blue carbon assessments may support their conservation. However, existing blue carbon maps are still scarce and focused on certain seagrass species, such as the iconic genus Posidonia, and intertidal and...
Article
Full-text available
Citation: Pérez-Peris, I.; Navarro-Mayoral, S.; de Esteban, M.C.; Tuya, F.; Peña, V.; Barbara, I.; Neves, P.; Ribeiro, C.; Abreu, A.; Grall, J.; et al. Effect of Depth across a Latitudinal Gradient in the Structure of Rhodolith Seabeds and Associated Biota across the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. Diversity 2023, 15, 103. Abstract: Rhodolith seabeds are '...
Article
Full-text available
Accurate mapping of marine benthic habitats, using acoustic technologies such as Side-Scan Sonar (SSS), is a useful tool for marine conservation and management, as well as to support zoning processes of maritime activities in the coastal environment. Georeferenced habitat maps can improve management of isolated tropical coastal and marine ecosystem...
Article
Full-text available
Globally, elasmobranchs have suffered severe population declines and are, therefore, under an urgent necessity of protection, particularly along the Northeastern Atlantic realm. However, a lack of ecological (e.g., abundance) knowledge across this realm limits the implementation of adequate conservation and management actions. Here, we collected 4,...
Article
Full-text available
Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) has been widely applied on the European Union (EU) mainland, whereas the EU Overseas entities still bear potential for implementation. This paper presents novel applications of the MAES procedure in the EU Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories ("EU Overseas"). Eight c...
Article
Full-text available
Sharks play a key role in the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems. More ecological information is essential to implement responsible management and conservation actions on this fauna, particularly at a regional level for threatened species. Mustelus mustelus is widely found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and catalogued as "Vulnerable" by...
Article
Full-text available
Coralline algae are important components in a large variety of ecosystems. Among them, rhodoliths are a group of free-living coralline red algae that cover extensive coastal areas, from tropical to polar regions. In contrast to other ecosystem engineers, limited research efforts preclude our understanding of their physiology, underlying mechanisms,...
Article
Full-text available
Batoids, distributed from shallow to abyssal depths, are considerably vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Data deficiencies on the distribution patterns of batoids, however, challenge their effective management and conservation. In this study, we took advantage of the particular geological and geomorphological configuration of the Canary Islands,...
Article
Full-text available
Hatchery production is critical to the successful aquaculture of a species. This study describes the first captive breeding and reports on the embryonic development and early larval stages of the sea cucumber Holothuria sanctori, a species native to the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. Various induction methods were applied to obtain spawning in...
Article
Full-text available
Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows provide several socio-economically ecosystem services, including nurseries for numerous species of commercial interest. These seagrasses are experiencing a worldwide decline, with global loss rates approaching 5% per year, mainly related to coastal human activities. Cymodocea nodosa, the predominant seagrass in the...
Article
The Syngnathidae (seahorses and pipefishes) are a group of teleost fishes in which, uniquely, developing embryos are hosted throughout pregnancy by males, using a specialized brood pouch situated on the abdomen or tail. Seahorses have evolved the most advanced form of brood pouch, whereby zygotes and embryos are intimately connected to the host's c...
Article
Aim The influence of niche and neutral mechanisms on the assembly of ecological communities have long been debated. However, we still have a limited knowledge on their relative importance to explain patterns of diversity across latitudinal gradients (LDG). Here, we investigate the extent to which these ecological mechanisms contribute to the LDG of...
Article
Full-text available
The resilience of an ecological unit encompasses resistance during adverse conditions and the capacity to recover. We adopted a ‘resistance-recovery’ framework to experimentally partition the resilience of a foundation species (the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa). The shoot abundances of nine seagrass meadows were followed before, during and after simul...
Article
Full-text available
Coastal seascapes are often composed of a mosaic of interconnected habitats. Transitions between adjacent habitats are of special relevance to the ecology of many reef-associated organisms. In this study, we tested (i) whether the degree of similarity in the composition and structure of coastal fish assemblages differed between three interconnected...
Article
Full-text available
Black corals (order Antipatharia) are important components of mesophotic and deep-water marine communities, but due to their inaccessibility, there is limited knowledge about the basic aspects of their distribution and ecology. The aim of this study was to test methodologies to map and study colonies of a branched antipatharian species, Antipathell...
Article
Full-text available
Crustaceans are a key component of the fauna living in rhodoliths, but patterns in their distribution and abundance remain largely unknown. This paper assessed spatio-temporal variability of Brachyura associated with rhodoliths. A seasonal study was conducted at three depth layers (18, 25, and 40 m), throughout two years (December 2015 to October 2...
Article
The arrival of non-indigenous species into new areas is one of the main processes altering the oceans globally. Macrorhynchia philippina is a large-sized colonial hydrozoan of an invasive nature. To obtain a deeper understanding of the process of colonization of new areas, it is essential to describe the ecological pattern through scales of tempora...
Article
Crustaceans are a key component of the fauna living in rhodoliths, but patterns in their distribution and abundance remain largely unknown. This paper assessed spatio-temporal variability of Brachyura associated with rhodoliths. A seasonal study was conducted at three depth layers (18, 25, and 40 m), throughout two years (December 2015 to October 2...
Article
Full-text available
Rhodolith seabeds are habitats underpinned by free-living calcareous macroalgae. We partitioned the relevance of the scale of temporal (four seasons throughout two successive years) and spatial (three depth strata: 18, 25 and 40 m) variation on the diversity, structure and abundance of amphipod assemblages living in rhodolith seabeds from Gran Cana...
Article
Rhodolith seabeds are habitats underpinned by free-living calcareous macroalgae. We partitioned the relevance of the scale of temporal (four seasons throughout two successive years) and spatial (three depth strata: 18, 25 and 40 m) variation on the diversity, structure and abundance of amphipod assemblages living in rhodolith seabeds from Gran Cana...
Article
Full-text available
The arrival of non-indigenous species into new areas is one of the main processes altering the oceans globally. Macrorhynchia philippina is a large-sized colonial hydrozoan of an invasive nature. To obtain a deeper understanding of the process of colonization of new areas, it is essential to describe the ecological pattern through scales of tempora...
Article
Similar to altitudinal gradients in terrestrial habitats, subtidal habitats experience abrupt environmental gradients across depth. The objective of this study was to understand how variation with depth of environmental factors (water temperature, light availability, water motion and sedimentation) affected the structure (size and morphology) of rh...
Article
Black corals (order Antipatharia) are important components of mesophotic and deep-water marine communities, but due to their inaccessibility, there is limited knowledge about the basic aspects of their distribution and ecology. The aim of this study was to test methodologies to map and study colonies of a branched antipatharian species, Antipathell...
Article
Coastal seascapes are often composed of a mosaic of interconnected habitats. Transitions between adjacent habitats are of special relevance to the ecology of many reef-associated organisms. In this study, we tested (i) whether the degree of similarity in the composition and structure of coastal fish assemblages differed between three interconnected...
Article
Full-text available
Sex role reversal is not uncommon in the animal kingdom but is taken to the extreme by the Syngnathidae, in which male pregnancy is one of the most astonishing idiosyncrasies. However, critical and time-dependent environmental effects on developing embryos, such as those extensively studied in mammalian pregnancy, have not been investigated in the...
Article
Full-text available
In recent decades, numerous marine species have changed their distribution ranges due to ocean warming. The Spotfin burrfish, Chilomycterus reticulatus, is a reef fish with a global distribution along tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate areas of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. In this work, we analyzed the presence of this species, be...
Article
This study assessed the effect of starvation on survival and nutritional status of newborn juveniles H. erectus (<10 days) to optimize rearing protocols, thereby helping to reduce wildlife exploitation. Maximum starvation time (MST) was estimated through the survival of juveniles continuously starved from birth. Resistance to starvation and the eff...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The spatial configuration of rhodolith seabeds in oceanic islands provides an ideal system to assess whether environmental drivers regulate the structure and functioning of rhodolith seabeds across a depth gradient. Similar to altitude in terrestrial habitats, subtidal habitats experience abrupt environmental gradients (e.g. light, temperature, wat...
Article
Full-text available
New data on the presence in the Canary Islands of the Tripletail, Lobotes surina-mensis (Bloch, 1790), are provided, based on 15 records throughout the archipelago. One specimen caught in Gran Canaria was analyzed in detail for its taxonomic identification as well as the study of its morphometric and meristic characteristics. The possible coloniza-...
Article
Full-text available
Diverging semi‐isolated lineages either meet in narrow clinal hybrid zones, or have a mosaic distribution associated with environmental variation. Intrinsic reproductive isolation is often emphasized in the former and local adaptation in the latter, although both reduce gene flow between groups. Rarely are these two patterns of spatial distribution...
Article
High complexity habitat traits (i.e. high heterogeneity and/or size of discrete habitat units) often promote larger abundances of fauna. Sandy and rhodolith sea bottoms are typically interspersed as mosaics within coastal landscapes. The aim of this study was to experimentally assess the effect of two complexity attributes of rho-dolith nodules (i....
Article
In recent decades, numerous marine species have changed their distribution ranges due to ocean warming. The Spotfin burrfish, Chilomycterus reticulatus, is a reef fish with a global distribution along tropical, subtropical and warm-temperate areas of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. In this work, we analyzed the presence of this species, be...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Similar to altitude in terrestrial habitats, subtidal habitats experience abrupt environmental gradients (e.g. light, temperature, water motion, etc.) across narrow vertical (depth) scales. The spatial configuration of rhodolith seabeds in the Canary Islands provides an ideal system to assess whether environmental drivers across depth regulate the...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The role of habitat complexity determining patterns in the richness and abundance of associated fauna has received considerable attention in the ecological literature. High complexity habitat traits (i.e. high heterogeneity and/or size of discrete habitat units) often promote larger abundances of fauna. Sandy and rhodolith sea bottoms are typically...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The cartography of seabeds, using acoustic technologies for mapping marine benthic communities is increasing and highly demanded in the management of subtropical and tropical environments where rapid anthropogenic development often occurring in coastal zones. The side-scan sonar (SSS) is an effective tool with greater use in several nautical discip...
Preprint
Full-text available
Diverging semi-isolated lineages either meet in narrow clinal hybrid zones, or have a mosaic distribution associated with environmental variation. Intrinsic reproductive isolation is often emphasized in the former and local adaptation in the latter, although both can contribute to isolation. Rarely these two patterns of spatial distribution are rep...
Article
Fertilized and unfertilized eggs and embryos of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi were collected at different stages of development and provided the basis for a description of morphological development from fertilization until release from the paternal pouch. Images of fertilized eggs, as well as their rupture after a few minutes in seawater...
Article
Full-text available
Accurate taxonomy, population demography, and habitat descriptors inform species threat assessments and the design of effective conservation measures. Here we combine published studies with new genetic, morphological and habitat data that were collected from seahorse populations located along the European and North African coastlines to help inform...
Article
Full-text available
Natural history collections from museums and private institutions can play an important role supporting decisions in biodiversity conservation. Seahorse populations have suffered a worldwide decline, while many areas remain data deficient including areas subjected to heavy commercial trading, such as the coasts of West Africa. In this work, seahors...
Article
Full-text available
Information about early development after male release lags behind studies of juveniles and adult seahorses, and newborn seahorses, similar in shape to adults, are considered juveniles or fry. During early life, Hippocampus hippocampus present behavioural (shift in habitat, from planktonic to benthic) and morphological changes; for this reasons, th...
Article
Natural history collections from museums and private institutions can play an important role supporting decisions in biodiversity conservation. Seahorse populations have suffered a worldwide decline, while many areas remain data deficient including areas subjected to heavy commercial trading, such as the coasts of West Africa. In this work, seahors...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The seahorse populations have suffered a worldwide progressive decline trend in the last decades. In particular the knowledge about African populations of seahorses are poor understood even if some species are heavily trade. The information concerning seahorse wild stocks in Canary Islands is insufficient to make an assessment of their risk of exti...
Article
Full-text available
Morphometric and genetic analyses confirmed the first records of the West African seahorse Hippocampus algiricus at Gran Canaria Island (north-east Atlantic Ocean), and also the first evidence of interspecific hybridization in seahorses. These results provide additional data on the distribution of H. algiricus that may help to establish future cons...
Article
Little is known about the nutritional requirements of ornamental fish and the effects which they may have on fish histology. Because of this, 45 young, captive-bred seahorses (1.37 g ± 0.51) were randomly divided and put into fifteen, 35-L, glass aquariums. Three experimental diets were tested in triplicate: live enriched Artemia (LEA); frozen enri...