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Accumulations of macroalgal wrack are important for adequate functioning of the beach ecosystem. However, the sudden beaching of seaweed masses smothers the coastline and forms decomposing piles on the shore, harming tourism-based economies, but also affecting the beach ecosystem metabolism. The decomposition of sudden pulses of wrack can modify the biogeochemistry of beach sands and increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The presence of invasive species in the wrack deposits can superimpose harmful effects on the beach functioning. We quantified the wrack biomass of Rugulopteryx okamurae, an invasive species of extreme impact, on five sandy beaches from the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain), and we tested the effects on in situ respiratory CO 2 fluxes using an infrared gas analyser. All the beaches showed massive accumulations of Rugulopteryx wrack deposits. However, the biomass changed significantly between beaches, ranging (mean ± SE) from 968.3 ± 287.7 kg m -1 to 9210 ± 1279.4 kg m -1 of wet weight. Wrack supported high respiration rates, with CO 2 fluxes averaging (±SE) 19.15 ± 5.5 μmol CO 2 m -2 s -1 across beaches, reaching astounding maximum peaks of 291 μmol CO 2 m -2  s -1 . The within-beach variability was related to the distance of the wrack deposits from the shoreline, as the average metabolic rates tended to increase significantly from the swash to the drift line. Thicker wrack and a more degraded algae stage showed significantly higher CO 2 fluxes. We estimated that the annual CO 2 flux of R. okamurae in our study area ranged between 0.39 (±0.01) and 23.30 (±11.33) kg C m -2 y -1 . We suggest that massive amounts of beach wrack can become a globally significant contributor to GHG emissions that can offset any potential carbon-sink capacity of macroalgal forests. However, the piles of wrack located several meters above the drift line showed non-measurable CO 2 efflux. Transferring beach wrack from swash to drier upper-beach areas, a common practice in many coastal regions suffering from massive wrack accumulations, might help reduce GHG emissions while removing the wrack stockpiles from the intertidal. However, this practice is not necessarily suitable for all beaches and can create ecological and conservation problems in the dune system. There is an urgent need to implement practical and sustainable management practices for massive wrack deposits capable of presenting various solutions to achieve a balance between conservation and recreation actions, answering the consequences of a problem that links both, environmental and economic issues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: IFR reports financial support was provided by Government of Andalusia. IFR reports financial support was provided by Spain Ministry of Science and Innovation. IFR reports financial support was provided by European Social Fund. IG reports financial support was provided by Government of Spain Ministry of Universities. ABI reports was provided by European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. IFR reports equipment, drugs, or supplies was provided by European Regional Development Fund. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: At the time of the emergence of COVID-19, denialist and anti-vaccine groups have also emerged and are shaking public confidence in vaccination., Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using online focus groups. Participants had not received any doses of vaccination against the disease. A total of five focus group sessions were conducted with 28 participants. They were recruited by snowball sampling and by convenience sampling., Results: The two major topics mentioned by the participants were adverse effects and information. The adverse effects described were severe and included sudden death. In the case of information, participants reported: (1) consultation of websites on which scientists posted anti-vaccination content; and (2) distrust., Conclusions: At a time when anti-vaccine groups pose a major challenge to public health in general, and to COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in particular, this study is a first step towards gaining deeper insight into the factors that lead to COVID-19 vaccine refusal., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is an important concern for mollusk fisheries, aquaculture, and public health. In Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula, such toxicity has been monitored for a long time using mouse bioassay. Therefore, little information exists about the precise toxin analogues and their possible transformations in diverse mollusk species and environments. After the change in the European PSP reference method, a refinement of the Lawrence method was developed, achieving a 75% reduction in chromatogram run time. Since the beginning of 2021, when this refinement Lawrence method was accredited under the norm UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025, it has been used in the area to determine the toxin profiles and to estimate PSP toxicity in more than 4500 samples. In this study, we have summarized three years of monitoring results, including interspecific, seasonal, and geographical variability of PSP toxicity and toxin profile. PSP was detected in more than half of the samples analyzed (55%), but only 4.4% of the determinations were above the EU regulatory limit. GTX1,4 was the pair of STX analogs that produced the highest toxicities, but GTX2,3 was found in most samples, mainly due to the reduction of GTX1,4 but also by the higher sensitivity of the method for this pair of analogs. STX seems to be mainly a product of biotransformation from GTX2,3. The studied species (twelve bivalves and one gastropod) accumulated and transformed PSP toxins to a different extent, with most of them showing similar profiles except for Spisula solida and Haliotis tuberculata . Two seasonal peaks of toxicity were found: one in spring-early summer and another in autumn, with slightly different toxin profiles during outbreaks in relation to the toxicity during valleys. In general, both the total toxicity and toxin profiles of the southernmost locations were different from those in the northern part of the Atlantic coast and the Cantabrian Sea, but this general pattern is modified by the PSP history of some specific locations.

The spatial distribution of five phthalate esters (PAEs) and 17 organochlorine compounds (OCs) in wild and raft mussels from Galician littoral collected in 2020, and its relationship with anthropogenic activities was studied in this work. The Rías de Foz and Muros-Noia were the most polluted by PAEs, while the Rías de Ferrol and Barqueiro by PCBs. The highest levels of all contaminants were present in wild mussel, except DEHP that were predominant in raft mussel. The levels of most PAEs were negatively correlated with levels of the lower chlorinated PCBs and OCPs. The spatial distribution of pollutants confirmed by PCA was affected by the proximity to anthropogenic sources, phthalates by urban wastewater and PCBs by industrial inputs, mainly. The study of human exposure assessment suggests that Risk Quotient values were < 1, so the consumption of Galician raft mussels did not pose a risk to human health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Spirolides are cyclic imines whose risks to human health have not been sufficiently evaluated. To determine the possible impact of these compounds in Galicia (NW Spain), their presence and concentration in bivalve mollusk were studied from 2014 to 2021. Only 13-desmethyl spirolide C (13desmSPXC) and an isomer have been detected, and always at low concentrations. Mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, was the species which accumulated more spirolides, but the presence of its isomer was nearly restricted to cockle, Cerastoderma edule , and two clam species, Venerupis corrugata and Polititapes rhomboides . On average, the highest 13desmSPXC levels were found in autumn-winter, while those of its isomer were recorded in spring-summer. Both compounds showed decreasing trends during the study period. Geographically, the concentration tends to decrease from the southern to the north-eastern locations, but temporal variability predominates over spatial variability.

Twenty-five years of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxicity in Galician bivalves have been studied. PSP was detected in 4785 out of 73,740 samples of the commercially important bivalve species analyzed from 1995 to 2020. Its general prevalence in the area was 6.5%. Only 1.6% of all samples tested were over the regulatory limit (incidence). The maximum level of PSP in the area, 40,800 µg STX 2HCl-eq kg -1 , was recorded in raft mussels from Bueu (PON-II, Pontevedra) in December 2005. The highest maximum PSP values were found in mussels, which were mostly affected by Gymnodinium catenatum , but not those of prevalence and incidence which were recorded in clams, mostly affected by Alexandrium . Average levels in mussels were higher than in any other studied species. Spatially, in general, the prevalence, incidence, maximum, and average PSP toxicity during episodes tend to decrease from south to northeast, but some hot points with high levels can be identified. PCA analysis separates the southern rías, associated to G. catenatum blooms, from the middle and northern ones, associated to Alexandrium blooms. Along the year, two main peaks of the four variables are observed, the first one in late autumn-winter and the other in summer, the summer peak being much more important for the infaunal species than for raft mussels. In the seasonal pattern obtained by time series analysis of the average PSP toxicity, the autumn-winter peak was only maintained (and very reduced) in the southern rías, indicating that this peak is seasonally much less important than the summer peak. The observed seasonality is expected based on the timing of the blooms of the two PSP-producing phytoplankton groups present in the area. Over the 25 years of monitoring, large differences in PSP toxicity have been observed. Apart from some special years, an ascending trend in prevalence and incidence seems to be present from 2011 to 2020. No trend seems to exist during the same period for average or maximum toxicity.

Marine debris is a growing problem in recent years due to population growth around the world. The incorrect management of plastic waste causes these bodies reach the seas and oceans, becoming a worldwide problem. Once they reach the seas and oceans, they begin a long period of degradation, moving from a macro state (plastics whose diameter is greater than 0.5 cm) to a micro state (diameter less than 0.5 cm). The microplastics spread throughout the oceans, entering the food chain of marine species and, subsequently, of humans. Therefore, it is important to stop the problem while it remains at the macroscale. In this work, a validation of a recently developed Lagrangian computational model to track the movement of macro plastics in seas and oceans is presented. This validation is performed on a regional scale, in the Ría de Arousa, one of the most important estuaries for mussel cultivation in northwestern Spain. During mussel cultivation in rafts, a type of floating plastic stick are released, the mussel-pegs. The potential of this study is that we can compare the accumulation results of the model with the accumulation data collected on the Galician beaches. In a general framework, the influence of wind on the spatial distribution of the accumulations given by the model was observed. For the monitoring data, similar results were found for the accumulation trends over the entire total period. For the monthly representation, some discrepancies were observed. These differences can be attributed to particular synoptic situations, poor reproduction of the coastline or to the very orientation of the study area with respect to the intertidal dynamics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the late autumn of 2018 and 2019, some samples taken by the official monitoring systems of Cantabria and the Basque Country were found to be paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)-positive using a mouse bioassay. To confirm the presence of PSP toxins and to obtain their profile, these samples were analyzed using an optimized version of the Official Method AOAC 2005.06 and using LC-MS/MS (HILIC). The presence of some PSP toxins (PSTs) in that geographical area (~600 km of coast) was confirmed for the first time. The estimated toxicities ranged from 170 to 983 µg STXdiHCl eq.·kg -1 for the AOAC 2005.06 method and from 150 to 1094 µg STXdiHCl eq.·kg -1 for the LC-MS/MS method, with a good correlation between both methods (r 2 = 0.94). Most samples contained STX, GTX2,3, and GTX1,4, and some also had NEO and dcGTX2. All of the PSP-positive samples also contained gymnodimine A, with the concentrations of the two groups of toxins being significantly correlated. The PSP toxin profiles suggest that a species of the genus Alexandrium was likely the causative agent. The presence of gymnodimine A suggests that A. ostenfeldii could be involved, but the contribution of a mixture of Alexandrium species cannot be ruled out.

Prevalence, impact on shellfish resources and interspecific, spatial, and temporal variabilities of domoic acid (DA) in bivalves from Galicia (NW Spain) have been studied based on more than 25 years of monitoring data. The maximum prevalence (samples in which DA was detected) (100%) and incidence (samples with DA levels above the regulatory limit) (97.4%) were recorded in Pecten maximus , and the minimum ones in Mytilus galloprovincialis (12.6 and 1.1%, respectively). The maximum DA concentrations were 663.9 mg kg -1 in P. maximus and 316 mg kg - 1 in V enerupis corrugata . After excluding scallop P. maximus data, DA was found (prevalence) in 13.3% of bivalve samples, with 1.3% being over the regulatory limit. In general, the prevalence of this toxin decreased towards the North but not the magnitude of its episodes. The seasonal distribution was characterized by two maxima, in spring and autumn, with the later decreasing in intensity towards the north. DA levels decreased slightly over the studied period, although this decreasing trend was not linear. A cyclic pattern was observed in the interannual variability, with cycles of 4 and 11 years. Intoxication and detoxification rates were slower than those expected from laboratory experiments, suggesting the supply of DA during these phases plays an important role., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Gymnodimine A has been found in mollusks obtained along the whole northern coast of Spain from April 2017 to December 2019. This is the first time that this toxin is detected in mollusks from the Atlantic coast of Europe. The prevalence of the toxin was, in general, low, being detected on average in approximately 6% of the obtained samples (122 out of 1900). The concentrations recorded were also, in general, low, with a median of 1.3 μg kg -1 , and a maximum value of 23.93 μg kg -1 . The maxima of prevalence and concentration were not geographically coincident, taking place the first at the easternmost part of the sampled area and the second at the westernmost part. In most cases (>94%), gymnodimine A and 13-desmethyl spirolide C were concurrently detected, suggesting that Alexandrium ostenfeldii could be the responsible producer species. The existence of cases in which gymnodimine A was detected alone suggests also that a Karenia species could also be involved. The geographical heterogeneity of the distribution suggests that blooms of the producer species are mostly local. Not all bivalves are equally affected, clams being less affected than mussels, oysters, and razor clams. Due to their relatively low toxicity, and their low prevalence and concentration, it seems that these toxins do not pose an important risk for the mollusk consumers in the area., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This work details the creation, development and integration of the FISICOVID-DXTGALEGO tool. Its main objective is to detect situations of potential contagion of COVID-19 in sport, as well as to propose contingency measures trying to reduce residual risk to a minimum. This article describes the operation of the tool within the sports system of the autonomous community of Galicia, made up of 300 sports specialties in 58 regional federations collaborating with the regional sports administration (Secretaría Xeral para o Deporte, Xunta de Galicia). It is a tool that implies a methodological and educational process with all the agents of the sports system to identify the large number of interactions that occur in sports action and everything that surrounds it in training, competition and its organization.

During a histopathological survey of Mytilus galloprovincialis in Galicia (NW Spain), microcells were observed infecting several organs of the symbiont copepod Mytilicola intestinalis. Positive results of PCR assay with specific primers for genus Mikrocytos and a clear signal of in situ hybridization with MACKINI-1 digoxigenin- labelled DNA probe (DIG-ISH) indicated a protozoan parasite of Mikrocytos genus. The ultrastructural study revealed intra and extracellular locations, polymorphic nuclei, intracellular round vesicles in the cytoplasm and absence of mitochondria. The present paper reports the characterization of the Mikrocytos sp. infecting M. intestinalis and proposes a novel species in the genus: Mikrocytos mytilicoli n. sp. A sequence of 18S-28S rDNA was obtained with 95.6% maximum identity (query cover 100%) with Mikrocytos mackini. Phylogenetic analysis showed that M. mytilicoli n. sp. and M. mackini share a common ancestor. However, comparison of the ITS1 rDNA region showed low similarity (75.8%) with M. mackini, which, combined with differences in ultrastructural details, host and geographic location, support the designation of a new species. This is the first description of a microcytid parasite of the genus Mikrocytos from a non-bivalve host., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Empowering parents by actively engaging them in environmental prevention strategies is a promising approach that only a few programs use. Evidence suggests that when families and the wider community are engaged, alcohol prevention is more efficient. However, due to the novelty of this approach, no specific assessment tools for measuring this type of engagement are available. The objective of this study is to design a parental empowerment measurement tool to evaluate parents' self-efficacy when engaging in environmental and community actions and to analyze its psychometric properties. A total of 132 parents active in in-school parent associations from Spain ( n = 77; 58.4%) and Portugal ( n = 55; 41.7%) completed a pencil and paper battery of four questionnaires, including the developed scale COmmuNity iNtervention SElf-Efficacy SCale for ParenT LEaDers (CONNECTED). The scale showed a good reliability and good test-retest stability in a three-month period. The convergent validity with other well-established instruments that assess similar constructs was significant. A preliminary confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed an acceptable fit. Environmental prevention supported by families is a promising preventive strategy because the participation and involvement of families is an effective way to address some risks in adolescence; however, new assessment tools are needed in this field. The developed scale could be a first step to identify the areas of need in a community and to monitor the progress and evaluate the outcomes of the preventive interventions implemented.

Outbreaks of Marteilia cochillia have caused massive mortalities of common cockle, Cerastoderma edule, in some natural beds in Galicia (NW Spain) since 2012. The life cycle of Marteilia spp. is still unresolved and the most accepted hypothesis suggests that an additional host is involved. Researchers have assumed that sporangia are shed into the environment in the faeces, but details about this process have not been reported previously. Here, we report the massive liberation of Marteilia cochillia sporangia through the exhalant siphon into the environment, packaged as faeces. Using light microscopy observations on fresh samples, imprints and histology, we also describe a thick (ca. 5 µm) transparent envelope covering the sporangia that has not been reported previously. The massive release of encapsulated sporangia reported here ensures that millions of infective stages of M. cochillia cycle through the environment and become available for infection. The elucidation of the role played by the sporangia envelope would be of utmost importance for the understanding M. cochillia life cycle., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Marine microplastic pollution is an issue of great concern nowadays since high concentrations have been detected in the ocean, mainly in the subtropical gyres that accumulate this type of debris. The long-term effects of this pollution on ecosystems and marine biota are still unknown. The aim of this study is to quantify and characterise microplastics and neustonic zooplankton in sub-surface waters of the Macaronesian region, an area that has been little studied to date. Our results show a great variability in the concentration of microplastics with values between 15,283 items/km 2 in Los Gigantes (Tenerife, Canary Islands) and 1,007,872 items/km 2 in Las Canteras (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands). The main types of debris found were plastic fragments and fibres. The abundances of neustonic zooplankton were also very variable between the different sampling areas, being the main components copepods and eggs. Regarding the microplastics-zooplankton ratio, values were obtained between 0.002 and 0.22. In Las Canteras, the highest accumulation zone, was found twice as much microplastics as zooplankton for the 1-5 mm fraction in dry weight. These values highlight the potential hazard of microplastics - and its associated chemical contaminants - for marine biota, especially for large filter feeders., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

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 biofilms and on biofilms developed in marine protected areas (MPAs). Special attention was given to the presence of non-indigenous species (NIS), a global problem that can cause important impacts on local assemblages. In general, the formation of macrofouling assemblages was influenced by the identity of the biofilm. However, these relationships varied across levels of anthropogenic pressure, possibly influenced by environmental conditions and the propagule pressure locally available. While the NIS Watersipora subatra seemed to be inhibited by the biofilm developed in the MPA, Diplosoma cf. listerianum seemed to be attracted by biofilm developed in the MPA only under mid anthropogenic pressure. The obtained information is critical for marine environmental management, urgently needed for the establishment of prevention and control mechanisms to minimize the settlement of NIS and mitigate their threats.

Highly migratory marine species pose a challenge for the identification of management units due to the absence of clear oceanographic barriers. The population structure of North Atlantic fin whales has been investigated since the start of whaling operations but is still the subject of an ongoing scientific debate. Here we measured stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in skin samples collected from 151 individuals from western Iceland, Galicia (NW Spain), the Azores archipelago and the Strait of Gibraltar (SoG). We found spatiotemporal differences in stable isotope ratios suggesting that fin whales sampled in these four areas may share a common feeding ground within the Northeast Atlantic at different times during the year. Our results also suggest that SoG whales use this common feeding ground in summer but exploit Mediterranean resources during the winter months, further supporting the existence of a limited but current exchange of individuals between these two basins., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Galicia is an area with a strong mussel aquaculture industry in addition to other important bivalve mollusc fisheries. Between 2014 and 2017, 18,862 samples were analyzed for EU regulated marine lipophilic toxins. Okadaic acid (OA) was the most prevalent toxin and the only single toxin that produced harvesting closures. Toxin concentrations in raft mussels were generally higher than those recorded in other bivalves, justifying the use of this species as an indicator. The Rías of Pontevedra and Muros were the ones most affected by OA and DTX2 and the Ría of Ares by YTXs. In general, the outer areas of the Rías were more affected by OA and DTX2 than the inner ones. The OA level reached a maximum in spring, while DTX2 was almost entirely restricted to the fall-winter season. YTXs peaked in August-September. The toxins of the OA group were nearly completely esterified in all the bivalves studied except mussels and queen scallops. Risk of intoxication with the current monitoring system is low. In less than 2% of cases did the first detection of OA in an area exceed the regulatory limit. In no case, could any effect on humans be expected. The apparent intoxication and depuration rates were similar and directly related, suggesting that the rates are regulated mainly by oceanographic characteristics., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

For the first time, pinnatoxins have been detected in shellfish from the Atlantic and Cantabrian coasts of Spain. High sensitivity LC-MS/MS systems were used to monitor all the currently known pinnatoxins (A-H). Pinnatoxin G (PnTX G) was the most prevalent toxin of the group, but its metabolite PnTX A has also been found at much lower levels. No trend in PnTX G concentration was found in the area, but a hotspot in the Ría de Camariñas has been identified. The maximum concentrations found did not exceed 15 µg·kg -1 , being, in most cases, below 3 µg·kg -1 . The highest concentrations were found in wild (intertidal) populations of mussels which attained much higher levels than raft-cultured ones, suggesting that the toxin-producer organisms preferentially develop in shallow areas. Other bivalve species had, in general, lower concentrations. The incidence of PnTX G followed a seasonal pattern in which the maximum concentrations took place in winter months. PnTX G was found to be partially esterified but the esterification percentage was not high (lower than 30%)., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Plastic debris is currently recognised as one of the major global threats to marine life. However, few data exist on the presence and abundance of microplastics (plastics < 5 mm in size) in marine mammals. This is the first record of the presence of microplastics in the digestive tracts of marine mammals from the Iberian Peninsula. This study made use of 35 samples of common dolphin stomach contents. Microplastics were identified in all the samples analysed, an average of 12 items per stomach although abundance varied widely from one stomach to another. Most plastic items were small fibres although some fragments and a bead were also found. Excluding the smallest fibres as possible airborne contamination, the estimated occurrence of microplastics could drop to as low as 94%. Although factors affecting accumulation of microplastics and their effect on common dolphins are unknown, the fact that all stomachs analysed contained microplastics is a cause for concern., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Global changes, and particularly the massive release of CO 2 to the atmosphere and subsequent global warming, have altered the baselines of carbon and oxygen stable isotopic ratios. Temporal shifts in these baselines can be advantageously monitored through cetacean skin samples because these animals are highly mobile and therefore integrate in their tissues the heterogeneity of local environmental signals. In this study, we examine variation of δ 13 C and δ 18 O values in the skin of fin whales sampled over three decades in two different North Atlantic feeding grounds: west Iceland and northwest Spain. These locations are situated about 2700 km apart and thus represent a wide latitudinal range within the North Atlantic Ocean. The δ 13 C decrease in both areas is attributed to the burning of fossil fuels and increased deforestation worldwide, the so-called Suess effect. The dissimilarity in the magnitude of the shift between the two areas is coincidental with previous information on local shifts and lies within the ranges of variation observed. δ 18 O values experienced a minimal, yet significant change in fin whales from W Iceland (a decline of -0.44‰ between 1986 and 2013) but not in those from NW Spain. This is in concordance with a higher rise in temperatures in the former area than in the latter. The study validates the use of cetacean skin to monitor temporal and geographical shifts in stable isotopic values and alerts that, when applying this tool to ecological research, comparisons between sample sets should take into account temporal and latitudinal scales., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Low concentrations of azaspiracids have been found in bivalve molluscs all over the Northern and Northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The detections started in June 2016 and lasted until March 2017. The observed toxin profile was dominated by AZA2, followed by AZA1 and some other AZAs that were detected only in some samples. Some compounds producing fragments characteristics of AZAs but that do not fit with any of the known ones were also found. The causative agent has not been identified but, in sight of the toxin profile in the bivalves, it seems that it should be a new species or strain. The detections of AZAs in bivalves in the Northern Coast was linked to downwelling or upwelling relaxation and, in the Galician Rías, took place (with only a few exceptions) in the outer (more oceanic) part, suggesting that the responsible species develops at the open sea and that the populations are advected to the shore., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this work we investigated the between-colony spatial, behavioural and trophic segregation of two sub-populations of the elusive Macaronesian shearwaters Puffinus baroli breeding only ~340 km apart in Cima Islet (Porto Santo Island) and Selvagem Grande Island. Global location sensing (gls) loggers were used in combination with the trophic ecology of tracked individuals, inferred from the isotopic signatures of wing feathers. Results suggest that these two Macaronesian shearwater sub-populations do segregate during the non-breeding period in some 'sub-population-specific' regions, by responding to different oceanographic characteristics (habitat modelling). Within these disparate areas, both sub-populations behave differently (at-sea activity) and prey on disparate trophic niches (stable isotope analysis). One hypothesis would be that each sub-population have evolved and adapted to feed on particular and 'sub-population-specific' resources, and the segregation observed at the three different levels (spatial, behavioural and trophic) might be in fact a result of such adaptation, from the emergence of 'cultural foraging patterns'. Finally, when comparing to the results of former studies reporting on the spatial, behavioural and trophic choices of Macaronesian shearwater populations breeding on Azores and Canary Islands, we realized the high ecological plasticity of this species inhabiting and foraging over the North-East Atlantic Ocean.

The effect of canning in pickled sauce and autoclaving on weight, toxin content, toxin concentration and toxicity of steamed mussels was studied. Weight decreased by 25.5%. Okadaic acid (OA) and DTX2 content of mussel meat decreased by 24.1 and 42.5%, respectively. The estimated toxicity of the mussel remained nearly unchanged (increased by 2.9%). A part of the toxins lost by the mussels was leached to the sauce but the remaining part should have been thermally degraded. DTX2 underwent more degradation than OA and, in both toxins, free forms more than conjugated ones. This process, therefore, cannot be responsible for the large increments of toxicity of processed mussels -relative to the raw ones-sometimes detected by food processing companies. The final product could be monitored in several ways, but analysing the whole can content or the mussel meat once rehydrated seems to be the most equivalents to the raw mussel controls., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

PCBs were analyzed in raft mussels cultured in several polygons from Galician Rías (Rías of Ares-Betanzos, Muros-Noia, Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo) during the period 1998-2013. The main aim of this work is study the quality of culture marine environment in relation to PCBs compounds. We report the results of a monitoring. The mean levels of ΣPCBs (ten congeners) ranged from 7.41 to 59.50ngg(-1)dw. The isomer concentrations in the Mytilus galloprovincialis cultured in raft were in the order hexachlorobiphenyls>pentachlorobiphenyls>tetrachlorbiphenyls>trichlorobiphenyls. Some biological parameters of mussel were also investigated (shell length, lipid content and condition index) in order to know their influence on ability of PCBs accumulation. ANOVA analysis confirms that levels of most of congeners had a significant relation (p<0.05) with shell length. The geographical patterns and temporal variations of PCBs were also investigated. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed differences between geographic areas (Rías) in the distribution of PCBs levels. Samples coming from Rías of Vigo and Ares-Betanzos presented the highest levels of PCBs and samples from Rías of Arousa and Muros-Noia had the lowest levels of these compounds. Time trends (linear regressions) showed a decline of levels of PCB congeners along the period 1998-2013., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V and Zn were investigated in the liver and kidney of the five most common toothed whales off the Northwest Iberian Peninsula (NWIP), specifically common dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, harbour porpoise, striped dolphin and bottlenose dolphin. Differences were observed in the bioaccumulation of the above elements between the five species. The differences are probably related to biological factors such as age and sex and/or to ecological factors specific to each species such as feeding habits or bioavailability of the various elements. However, no significant relationship was observed between element accumulation and sex. Pilot whale and striped dolphin showed the highest concentrations of renal Cd and the highest concentrations of hepatic Hg and Se, while bottlenose dolphin showed the highest concentrations of Hg in kidneys. An analysis of inter-elemental relationships showed strong positive correlations between Hg and Se in the five species, however most individuals have Hg:Se molar ratio less than 1:1 indicating an excess of Se compare to Hg. This result, probably reflect the high proportion of young animals in the sample available for this study and/or that these animals had a good health status. We also observed a positive correlation in striped dolphins between Cd and Cu and between Cd and Zn in kidneys. In addition, comparing with other studies world-wide, the element concentrations (Hg and Cd) found in Iberian toothed whales indicate that these populations are not specially threatened by Hg and Cd exposure in the area., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Concentrations and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the blubber of the five most common toothed whales off the Northwest Iberian Peninsula (NWIP), specifically common dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, harbour porpoise, striped dolphin and bottlenose dolphin, were investigated. The study revealed that differences in PCB and PBDE concentrations among the species are highly dependent on age and sex but also on ecological factors such as trophic level, prey type and habitat. Of the five species studied, bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise showed the greatest concentrations of PCBs. Both species exceed the toxic threshold of 17μgg(-1) lipid weight (PCB Aroclor equivalent) for health effects on marine mammals, for 100% and 75% of the individuals tested, respectively. Overall, the PCB and PBDE levels observed in the NWIP toothed whales were of the same order of magnitude or lower than those reported by previous studies in areas of the NE Atlantic. However, they are often higher than those for toothed whales from the southern Atlantic and Pacific Ocean., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Basophilic intracellular prokaryotic-like colonies were observed in the gills of banded carpet shell Polititapes virgineus (= Tapes rhomboides) (Linnaeus, 1767) from a natural bed in Galicia (NW Spain). Light microscope observations suggested the presence of 2 types of colonies, but transmission electron microscopy revealed that these were the same Rickettsiales-like colonies, one infected and the other uninfected by phage particles. This is the first report of the presence of phage particles in Rickettsiales-like organisms in the gills of P. virgineus.

Unlabelled: Levels and profiles of 10 individual congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were studied in 3 species of commercial scallops (Pecten maximus, Chlamys varia, and Chlamys opercularis) from several Rías in Galician littoral (NW, Spain). ΣPCBs levels ranged from 2.21 to 41.0 ng/g wet weight for P. maximus, from 13.9 to 24.9 ng/g wet weight for C. varia, and from 1.58 to 24.3 ng/g wet weight for C. opercularis. The possible influence between biometric parameters (lipid content, condition index, and shell size) and PCBs levels were studied using statistical analysis (ANOVA). No relationship between biometric parameters could be established in the studied samples. Multivariate analysis showed there were differences in bioaccumulation of some PCBs congeners. Principal component analysis classifies clearly the 3 studied Rías (Ría de Ferrol, Ría de Arousa, and Ría de Vigo) taking into account PCBs levels found in the shellfish., Practical Applications: We investigated levels and profiles of 10 congeners of PCBs in 3 commercial scallop species from the Galician littoral zone. The influence of 3 biometric parameters on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) levels was also studied in order to assess results from the monitoring programs of production areas. According to PCBs levels, geographical differences were observed in commercial scallops from the 3 studied estuarine bays (Ría de Ferrol, Ría de Arousa, and Ría de Vigo)., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)

Levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including ΣDDTs, γ-HCH, HCB, aldrin, isodrin, trans-nonachlor, heptachlor and dieldrin, were determined in the razor clam, Ensis siliqua, collected monthly from February 2003 to April 2004 from the Islas Cíes in Ría de Vigo (Galicia, Spain). The sum of DDTs ranged from 2.17 to 26.9 ng g(-1) dry weight (dw). Principal component analysis showed seasonal trends in the levels of some OCPs (γ-HCH and dieldrin). Pearson correlations (p < 0.05) were observed between OCP levels and the biometric parameters of condition index and body lipids.

Dinophysis acuminata and Dinophysis acuta produce lipophilic toxins that cause most shellfish harvesting closures in the Atlantic coastal waters of Europe. Dinophysis often exhibit patchy distributions and sampling with conventional methods may fail to detect them. A 6-month calibration study in 2006, plus an additional sampling in 2010 were carried out in Galicia to compare Dinophysis counts obtained from weekly high vertical resolution bottle samples with depth-integrated hose samples. Counts with these two methods were comparable at some depth-ranges, but hose maxima were over one order of magnitude lower under thin-layer scenarios. Estimates from hose samplers should be used with caution in programmes using a "Dinophysis index", either to trigger shellfish sampling or to establish precautionary harvesting closures. In general, hose samplers provide reliable information on the occurrence of Dinophysis except under extreme site-specific hydrodynamic conditions. This study adds new information about the heterogeneous, specific vertical distributions of two Dinophysis spp., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

PCBs were determined in wild mussel samples collected in several points from Galician Rías (Rías de Ferrol, A Coruña, Muros, Vigo and Arousa), Spain, during the period 1998-2008. The concentration levels of ΣPCBs ranged from 0.62 to 107.5 ng g(-1), w.w. The isomer concentrations in the Mytilus galloprovincialis were in the order hexachlorobiphenyls>pentachlorobiphenyls>tetrachlorbiphenyls>trichlorobiphenyls. CBs 153, 138 and 101 congeners were the most abundant in these samples. Two biological parameters, fat content and condition index (CI), have also been investigated for these mussel samples. Univariate techniques confirm that levels of some compounds, CBs 28, 52, 138, 153, and 180, presented significant relation (p<0.05) with biological parameters. Multivariate techniques of data exploration such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that spatial trends of PCB levels appeared in the studied samples. Rias de Ferrol and A Coruña presented the highest levels of PCBs and Ría de Arousa the lowest levels of these compounds. In general, temporal trends (linear regressions) showed a decrease of PCB levels along the period 1998-2008., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Symbionts and abnormal conditions of razor clam Ensis arcuatus were surveyed in three commercially important natural beds of Galician estuaries (NW Spain). Samples of 15-20 E. arcuatus were collected every 2 months from January 2003 until July 2004 and processed for histological examination. Prokaryote-like colonies, renal coccidians, gregarines, Trichodina sp. ciliates, haplosporidian-like plasmodia, turbelaria, trematode metacercariae, cestode-like larvae and basophilic inclusion bodies were observed in razor clam tissues without causing host damage. Bucephalid digenean sporocysts and germinoma were seen in some samples causing moderate or severe damage to the host depending on the intensity of infection and both could be a cause for concern if prevalence reached epizootic levels in Galician E. arcuatus populations. None of the parasites detected is OIE notifiable and, in general, the commercially exploited beds studied seem to be devoid of serious pathogens., ((c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)