CATALOGUE OF AQUATIC MITES FROM THE MINHO RIVER (NW IBERIAN PENINSULA)

Acari are a subclass of chelicerate arthropods that includes mites and ticks. The present study focuses on the taxonomic diversity of aquatic mites in the Portuguese territory of the Minho Region. Our aim was to compile all available information and thus generate a list of species linking them to the site where they were recorded. Aquatic species were all those that live exclusively in the marine environment, deep sea, intertidal, freshwater, brackish water or in transitional environments with the terrestrial environment if their lifestyle is associated with the aquatic environment. Since the first records of Portuguese endemic mites by Lunblad in the 1950s several authors have contributed to accurately catalogue, record, and redescribe this vast group in Portugal and Minho consecutively. In our review in this work, we used the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to obtain previous occurrences supplemented by an extensive literature review and the book collection Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa, among others. Additionally, we resorted to active sampling and by-catch sampling in the Portuguese section of the Rio Minho catchment area. The collected organisms represent 12 new records for the Minho River and among them 10 are new records for Portugal, which were deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Iberian Peninsula - NatMIP (“Museu de História Natural da Península Ibérica”), Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAXONOMY ON BASE SCIENCE

Although species identification is a central component on Biological Sciences, misidentifications are quite common generating error cascade effects on other environmental studies, resulting on erroneous population estimates, status, trends, and distribution data. One of the main causes of these errors occurs when dealing with damaged material, immature specimens, sexual dimorphism, intraspecific variation, and species with poor or outdated descriptions. Furthermore, usually there is no material retained as voucher of the specimens studied in scientific collections, hindering confirmation the identified species, in morphoanatomical and genetic scope. Even with this reliance on species identification taxonomy has been in decline for many years. In this study, we present the case study of the crustaceans identified for the Minho River estuary (NW Iberian Peninsula), using a taxonomic approach comparing these results with the biological surveys obtained through various ecology studies performed for 4 decades. A total of 64 species of crustaceans were identified within this study, in which 44 were new records for the Minho River estuary, compared to the 25 species identified on the biological surveys analyzed. Being one of the first studies of this nature in the Minho River, the main objective will be to provide taxonomic support in future projects in this area, contributing to the knowledge of the fauna of Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula.

NUMERICAL MODELS’ APPLICATION FOR MORPHODYNAMICS ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE MINHO RIVER ESTUARY

The knowledge of physical, biological, and chemical estuarine processes and how they are affected by climate change conditions is essential for improving estuarine management. A common methodological approach for studying these complex processes is based on the implementation of numerical models supported by field data as bathymetry, sediment characteristics, flow discharges, current velocities, and sea water levels. This work is based on the implementation of a numerical model of the Minho River estuary using the Delft3D software. This model is able to simulate hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes for different time scales. It was calibrated using the OpenDA tool, which automatically determines some of the models’ parameters, such as the tidal constituents and the roughness coefficient, aiming to minimize the error between observed data and simulated results. Different scenarios were considered to assess the effects of climate change, according to the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Results showed that the elevation in the estuary mouth can reach 77 cm, depending on the considered scenario. It was also determined that floods are the main sediment transport driver along the estuary, intensifying the accretion processes. Furthermore, the sea-level rise reduces the amount of transported sediments to the coastal platform, increasing the erosion risk in this area and increasing the accretion inside the estuary.

Proceedings of X Iberian Symposium on the Minho River Hydrographic Basin

No X Simpósio Ibérico Sobre a Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Minho, organizado pelo Aquamuseu do Rio Minho/Câmara Municipal de Vila Nova de Cerveira (Portugal) e co-organizado pelo Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental – Universidade do Porto, foram abordados os temas que abrangeram áreas desde a geoquímica de sedimentos e formas erosivas do leito rochoso do rio Minho; as mudanças climáticas numa perspetiva da futura gestão da água e nos efeitos já evidentes ao nível das comunidades biológicas; importância da gestão dos recursos da pesca no rio Mouro pela monitorização e aplicação de regras específicas de exploração; diagnóstico e medidas em curso para a conservação das populações de peixes migradores; a ameaça dos poluentes emergentes; a divulgação de novos registos de invertebrados encontrados no rio Minho (abordagem taxonómica); evidências da colaboração entre pescadores e investigadores para um melhor conhecimento social da comunidade piscatória, da sua atividade e da sua contribuição para o processo de gestão; comunicação de ciência e educação ambiental. No âmbito da mesa-redonda (workshop), em modelo aberto à comunidade, onde participaram pescadores, foram apresentados resultados de trabalhos no âmbito do Conhecimento Ecológico Local (Etnobiologia), em que os próprios tiveram a oportunidade de manifestar as suas opiniões relacionadas com a atividade da pesca. Houve ainda oportunidade de entregar os prémios referentes ao concurso de ilustração científica “Rio Minho, Biodiversidade e Artes de Pesca”, cuja exposição completa esteve patente na Bienal de Cerveira.

Crustaceans (Malacostraca and Thecostraca) from the International Minho River, Iberian Peninsula

Crustaceans (Arthropoda) are a diverse and abundant group with chitinous exoskeleton, living on coastal/estuarine environments, at community invertebrate fauna. A survey on the species of some crustacean groups found on the Minho River estuary (international section) in the Iberian Peninsula, is presented with specimens collected through glass eel fishing bycatch, grab sampler, trammel net, beam trawl and fyke net sampling methods. A total of 98 specimens were examined belonging to 7 orders, 21 genera and 23 species (17 new records from Minho River, including one for Portugal). Brief diagnosis, ecological notes, species distributions and figures are provided intending to present taxonomic support on future projects in this region.