Bioindicators are widely used to describe environmental impacts through rapid and cost-effective assessments. However, identifying them at the species level with detailed quantitative sampling is time-consuming, expensive, and requires specialized knowledge. This study evaluated, using planktonic ciliates, taxonomic and numerical sufficiency approaches to test whether higher taxonomic levels and different numerical resolutions...

Melatonin has been extensively studied for its antioxidant activity, yet its safety profile and concentration-dependent effects remain only partially understood, particularly in aquatic experimental systems. Here, we investigated the effects of melatonin on behavioral and physiological responses in a pilocarpine (PILO)-induced seizure-like model using zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) larvae. A multibiomarker framework was employed, c...

Forest-grassland mosaics are phytophysiognomies of grassland and forest ecosystems that create strong environmental contrasts, influencing species distribution in biomes like the Pampa of Southern Brazil. Our study analyses the structure of fruit-feeding butterfly (Nymphalidae) assemblages across natural mosaics of native grasslands and forest fragments in the Pampa biome in relation to butterfly abundance, species richness an...

Secretory cavities and canals are traditionally treated as distinct anatomical categories and widely employed as diagnostic characters in taxonomic studies. However, their coexistence or the presence of intermediate forms in the same individual or organ points to a more intricate developmental relationship. The mechanisms underlying their formation and structural differentiation, particularly the boundaries between cavities an...

The introduction of exotic species is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss in aquatic ecosystems. The Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii , native to the Atlantic coast of North America, was recorded in the Patos Lagoon estuary (southern Brazil) in the 1980s, likely introduced via ballast water. However, the effects of this invader on the native fauna were never evaluated. This study assessed the natural diet and...

Freshwater ecosystems are globally threatened, necessitating effective biomonitoring. Planktonic metazoans are key bioindicators; however, the potential of protists within the zooplankton community remains largely overlooked. We assessed the relative contribution of testate amoebae to net-zooplankton richness and density across a hydrodynamic gradient, comparing 34 lentic environments (reservoirs) with 44 lotic environments (f...

This study investigates the influence of inclination on a submerged plate (SP) device acting as both a breakwater (BW) and a wave energy converter (WEC) subjected to representative regular and realistic irregular waves of a sea state across 11 inclination angles. Numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent. Regular waves were generated by Stokes’s second-order theory, while the WaveMIMO technique was employed to ge...

The description of skeletal disorders is commonly reported in fish species raised through aquaculture; however, wild marine fish may also exhibit high frequencies of anomalies, particularly the development of hyperostosis, a condition that causes thickening of the bones. Specimens of Oligoplites saliens ( n = 15) and Oligoplites palometa ( n = 14) were radiographed to verify hyperostotic bone occurrences. Hyperostosis was dete...