Patrício Ramalhosa

MARE - Centre of Marine and Environmental Sciences Department · ARDITI - Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação

It has been suggested that non-native species are more tolerant towards abiotic stress than ecologically comparable native species. Furthermore, non-native marine macroalgae should be under lower grazing pressure than native seaweeds, because they left their co-evolved enemies behind. As a consequence, they generally need to allocate less energy to...

Until very recently the Madeira Archipelago registered a total of eight Bugulidae species. In the present study we include descriptions of seven Bugulidae species, now with Scanning Electron Microscopy images, with four new records for the Archipelago: Bugulina fulva and Bugulina simplex for Madeira Island and Bugula neritina and Crisularia gracili...

During a study investigating the identity and abundance of fouling non-indigenous species in marinas from the Madeira Archipelago, three species of bryozoans were detected on experimental settlement plates. These three species are described and figured. Celleporaria inaudita was previously only known from Vanuatu (South Pacific Ocean) and Safaga Ba...

A survey to monitor for marine non-indigenous species in two marinas of the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) has detected the invasive caprellid Caprella scaura Templeton, 1836 in Madeira Island. This species was first described from Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean. During the 20th century, Caprella scaura has been detected in numerous locat...

During a field survey to monitor marine non-indigenous species in several marinas of the Archipelago of Madeira (Portugal), the invasive sabellid polychaete Branchiomma bairdi McIntosh, 1885 was detected for the first time on Madeira Island, reaching densities of 238–516 ind.m -2 . B. bairdi was originally described from the western Atlantic (from...

Coastal sprawl is among the main drivers of global degradation of shallow marine ecosystems. Among artificial substrates, quarry rock can have faster recruitment of benthic organisms than traditional concrete, which is instead more versatile for construction. However, the factors driving these differences are poorly understood. In this context, thi...

Marinas are hubs for non-indigenous species (NIS) and constitute the nodes of a network of highly modified water bodies (HMWB) connected by recreational maritime traffic. Floating structures, such as pontoons, are often the surfaces with higher NIS abundance inside marinas and lead the risk for NIS introduction, establishment and spread. However, t...

The synergistic effects of biological invasions have long been considered significant causes of biodiversity loss worldwide. Therefore, early detection monitoring is crucial in mitigating nonindigenous species (NIS) threats. In the marine environment, settlement plates were used as monitoring devices in ports, but this method was mainly applied to...

Portugal mainland and Atlantic archipelagos (Madeira and Azores) provide a wide array of coastal ecosystems with varying typology and degrees of human pressure, which shape the microbial communities thriving in these habitats, leading to the development of microbial resistance traits. The samples collected on the Portuguese northeast Atlantic coast...

The brown macroalgae Rugulopteryx okamurae is described as one of the most severe and threatening invasive marine macroalgae in European waters. This study reports the first record of R. okamurae in the Madeira archipelago, which represents a new southern distribution limit of this species in NE Atlantic European waters. Morphological and molecular...

Anthropogenic pressures such as the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) have impacted global biodiversity and ecosystems. Most marine species spreading outside their natural biogeographical limits are promoted and facilitated by maritime traffic through ballast water and hull biofouling. Propagule pressure plays a primary role in invasion...

Brown canopy-forming macroalgae species form complex assemblages known as marine forests, which are highly productive systems and provide multiple ecosystem services. In many regions worldwide, these key foundation species are being replaced by generalist species due to numerous underlying impacts acting at local, regional and global scales (i.e. o...

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We have already published a pictorial catalogue of the Perophoridae. Here are the other two families of the order Phelebobranchia at Madeira.

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We have already published pictorial catalogues of the shallow-water Clavelinidae, Polyclinidae, and Polycitoridae of Madeira. Here are the remaining two families of the order Aplousobranchia from Madeira.

Marinas are a gateway for the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species (NIS). In these habitats, competition and predation are crucial determinants for NIS establishment and invasiveness. However, fish trophic preferences and biotic effects inside marinas are poorly known. This study proposes a novel method that combines the deploym...

Aims The present study is the first attempt to grasp the scale and richness of marine biological invasions in Macaronesia. We pioneered a comprehensive non‐native species (NNS), inventory in the region to determine their diversity patterns and native distribution origins. NNS were defined here as the result of both introductions and range expansion...

Habitat loss and fragmentation, and biological invasions are widely considered the most significant threats to global biodiversity. While marine invasions have already shown dramatic impacts around the world’s coasts, many of these habitats are becoming increasingly urbanized, resulting in fragmentation of natural landscape worldwide. This study de...

The marine snail Xenophora crispa (d' Orbigny, 1847) is recorded for the first time in Madeira Island (NE Atlantic). This species is currently distributed throughout the central and western Mediterranean, western Atlantic from France (Gulf of Biscay) to North Africa (up to Morocco), including the Archipelagos of the Azores, Canary Islands, and now...

Sea urchins possess specialized adhesive organs, tube feet. Although initially believed to function as suckers, it is currently accepted that they rely on adhesive and de-adhesive secretions to attach and detach repeatedly from the substrate. Given the biotechnological potential of their strong reversible adhesive, sea urchins are under investigati...

Globally, there is growing concern regarding the effects of the increasing anthropogenic pressures in marine communities. Artificial structures such as marinas and aquaculture facilities serve as invasion hotspots; hence, monitoring fouling communities on these structures can be valuable for detecting new invasions. In the current study, 24 settlem...

Global warming is increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme events such as marine heat waves (MHWs). The effects of MHWs include a variety of negative environmental impacts. Extreme weather events can interact with other environmental stressors such as invasion by marine non-indigenous species (NIS). The aim of this study was to (...

Rising sea surface temperatures affect the feeding behaviour and reproductive success of many coastal benthic invertebrates. This experimental study investigated the effects of ocean warming on macroalgal food consumption rates in the sea urchins Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus from Madeira Island to assess how the feeding pressure they ex...

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cc8a8MvAtqOZ5 (ONLINE FREE DOWNLOAD LINK FOR 50 DAYS, until 10/04/2021) Ascidians are recognized as major invaders on a global scale, found from the poles to the tropics and from shallow to deep sea waters with approximately 3000 known described species worldwide. However, to date only a few opportunistic studies fo...

To evaluate the impact of successful invasions of marine ecosystems by non- indigenous species (NIS) in a future climate change scenario, we analysed how an increase in temperature may affect biotic interactions between resident species and newcomers. In this context, we examined the effect of temperature on interference competition (i.e. displacem...

Seagrass meadows are globally recognized as important coastal habitats due to the various ecological functions and ecosystem services they provide. Substantial global decline of seagrass habitats has been recorded over the last decades, underlining the need for extensive studies, including monitoring and mapping these habitats across their distribu...

In recent decades, maritime traffic has been increasing globally. Introduction vectors involving ships, hull fouling and ballast water are often cited as having high risk for introducing marine non-indigenous species (NIS) worldwide. Due to its geographical location, Madeira Island (Portugal) had a significant role in past maritime connections, wit...

We have already published a pictorial catalogue of the shallow-water Clavelinidae of Madeira. Here are two more families of the order Aplousobranchia from Madeira.

Microbial biofilms can be key mediators for settlement of macrofoulers. The present study examines the coupled effects of microbial biofilms and local environmental conditions on the composition, structure and functioning of macrofouling assemblages. Settlement of invertebrates over a gradient of human-impacted sites was investigated on local biofi...

The detection of marine non-indigenous species (NIS) continues to increase worldwide, and this is also the case in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. Considering that the major vector of NIS introductions in these archipelagos is marine traffic and given the absence of legislation on hull biofouling management, the number of NIS intr...

Assessing the resistance of fouling communities to anthropogenic disturbances is an important goal for the development of effective management and control strategies. In this context, we conducted a manipulative experiment on natural and artificial habitats to examine fouling communities that developed outside and inside a marina on Madeira Island...

The archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) is located in the NE Atlantic and belongs to the biogeographical region of Macaronesia. The aquaculture industry is an emerging activity in the island, accounting for 60% of national sea bream production. Given the physical and oceanographic features of this outermost region, and the lack of information regardi...

Rocky intertidal communities have proved to be tractable systems for experimental ecology, contributing much to our general understanding of population and community ecology. Physical environmental factors are usually considered strong structuring elements for these assemblages. In this study, we adopted a mixed model sampling design to study the e...

Plastic debris is one of the most extensive pollution problems our planet is facing today and a particular concern for marine environment conservation. The dimension of the problem is so large that it is possible our current era will generate an anthropogenic marker horizon of plastic in earth's sedimentary record. Here we present a new type of pla...

Hull fouling has been a driving force behind the development of most modern marine antifouling coatings that mainly contain copper based biocides to inhibit growth of fouling organisms. Despite these efforts, several non-indigenous species continue to be transferred via hull-fouling worldwide. In this study we designed a disturbance gradient with t...

The introduction of non‑indigenous species (NIS) in new environments represents a major threat for coastal ecosys‑tems. A good understanding of the mechanisms and magnitude of the impact of NIS colonisation on native eco‑systems is becoming increasingly crucial to develop mitigation measures and prevent new invasions. In this present study, we aske...

Biotic interactions, particularly predation/grazing and competition, are key factors limiting the introduction success of non-indigenous species (NIS). In addition, positive interactions are considered important drivers of community structure, and both positive and negative interactions between native and NIS can determine the ability of communitie...

While exploring the presence of non-indigenous fouling species colonizing settlement plates deployed in local marinas in Madeira Island (north-eastern AtlanticOcean), two non-indigenous species (NIS) of free-swimming crustaceans, Paracerceis sculpta (Holmes, 1904) and Sphaeroma walkeri Stebbing, 1905 (Isopoda: Sphaeromatidae), were detected. Parace...

Biological invasions are a major threat to the world's biota and are considered a major cause of biodiversity loss. Therefore, world marine policy has recognized the need for more marine protected areas (MPAs) as a major tool for biodiversity conservation. The present work experimentally evaluated how protected communities from an offshore island c...

The crab Pisa carinimana (Crustacea, Decapoda, Epialtidae) is an Eastern Atlantic species, with a previously recorded range from Malaga in the south of Spain to Angola along the west coast of Africa. As part of a field survey to monitor marine non-indigenous species in several marinas and ports of the archipelago of Madeira, Portugal, a specimen of...

Grazing has been shown to play a very important role in determining diversity, abundance and species composition of plant communities in marine ecosystems. In marine environments, generalist herbivores, such as sea urchins and fishes, are often the dominant grazers and they can have major impacts on the abundance and species composition of benthic...

Stable isotope analyses have been used to determine the carbon (13C) and nitrogen (15N) isotope signatures of: the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor, sediments and phytoplankton on different sites in South East England. Nereis are found in shallow and brackish waters in Europe and North America, and serve as good biological models used in diffe...