Hatchery efficiency for turtle conservation in Cabo Verde
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Martins S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8563676 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Cabo Verde's biodiversity is threatened by activities that meet human needs. To counteract this, an integration of scientific and indigenous knowledge is required, but no comprehensive list of the useful local plants is available. Thus, in this work, we assess (1) their diversity and phytogeography; (2) the role of geophysical, historical, and socio-economic factors on species distribution and uses; and (3) potentially relevant species for sustainable development. Data were obtained from flora, scientific publications, historical documents, herbarium specimens and field work. Many species were introduced since the 15th century to support settlement and commercial interests. We identified 518 useful taxa, of which 145 are native, 38 endemic and 44 endangered. The number of useful taxa is correlated with altitude and agricultural area, as well as with rural population indicators, but not with total population or socio-economic indicators such as gross domestic product. Native taxa are mostly used for fuelwood, forage and utilitarian purposes. Agrobiodiversity and traditional practices seem crucial to cope with recurrent droughts and ensure food security. Most of the introduced species do not present conservation problems, contrasting with the overuse of some native taxa. The safeguarding of native populations will ensure the sustainable exploitation of these resources and benefit the local economy.
| S-EPMC9144021 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Knowledge on diet composition of a species is an important step to unveil its ecology and guide conservation actions. This is especially important for species that inhabit remote areas within biodiversity hotspots, with little information about their ecological roles. The emblematic giant wall gecko of Cabo Verde, Tarentola gigas, is restricted to the uninhabited Branco and Raso islets, and presents two subspecies. It is classified as Endangered, and locally Extinct on Santa Luzia Island; however, little information is known about its diet and behaviour. In this study, we identified the main plant, arthropods, and vertebrates consumed by both gecko subspecies using next generation sequencing (NGS) (metabarcoding of faecal pellets), and compared them with the species known to occur on Santa Luzia. Results showed that plants have a significant role as diet items and identified vertebrate and invertebrate taxa with higher taxonomic resolution than traditional methods. With this study, we now have data on the diet of both subspecies for evaluating the reintroduction of this threatened gecko on Santa Luzia as potentially successful, considering the generalist character of both populations. The information revealed by these ecological networks is important for the development of conservation plans by governmental authorities, and reinforces the essential and commonly neglected role of reptiles on island systems.
| S-EPMC6315674 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Mortality analysis studies in Cabo Verde are scarce and those available are limited to short periods of analysis and to specific population groups. National mortality data reports do not quantify the burden of disease associated with premature mortality. This study estimated the years of potential life lost (YPLL), years of potential productive life lost (YPPLL) and the costs associated with them in Cabo Verde from 2016 to 2020 and aimed to determine trends of early mortality due to all causes of death. Mortality data were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Cabo Verde. Deaths that occurred from 2016 to 2020, in individuals aged between one (1) and 73 years old were analyzed by sex, age group, municipality and cause of death. YPLL, YPPLL and cost of productivity lost (CPL) were estimated using life expectancy and the human capital approach methods, respectively. There were 6100 deaths recorded in the sample population and males represented 68.1% (n = 4,154) of the reported deaths. The number of deaths verified corresponded to 145,544 YPLL, of which 69.0% (n = 100,389) were attributed to males. There were 4,634 deaths among individuals of working age, which resulted in 80 965 YPPLL, with males contributing 72.1% (n = 58,403) of the total YPPLL. The estimated CPL due to premature death was 98,659,153.23 USD. Injuries and external causes together accounted for 21,580,954.42 USD (21.9%) of CPL, while diseases of the circulatory system 18,843,260.42 USD (19.1%) and certain infectious and parasitic diseases accounted for 16,633,842.70 USD (16.9%). The study demonstrated the social and economic burden of premature mortality. The YPLL, YPPLL and CPL measures can be used to complement measures traditionally used to demonstrate the burden and loss of productivity due to premature mortality and to support resource allocation and public health decision making in Cabo Verde.
| S-EPMC10208520 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Due to their great species and ecological diversity as well as their capacity to produce hundreds of different toxins, cone snails are of interest to evolutionary biologists, pharmacologists and amateur naturalists alike. Taxonomic identification of cone snails still relies mostly on the shape, color, and banding patterns of the shell. However, these phenotypic traits are prone to homoplasy. Therefore, the consistent use of genetic data for species delimitation and phylogenetic inference in this apparently hyperdiverse group is largely wanting. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the cones endemic to Cabo Verde archipelago, a well-known radiation of the group, using mitochondrial (mt) genomes.The reconstructed phylogeny grouped the analyzed species into two main clades, one including Kalloconus from West Africa sister to Trovaoconus from Cabo Verde and the other with a paraphyletic Lautoconus due to the sister group relationship of Africonus from Cabo Verde and Lautoconus ventricosus from Mediterranean Sea and neighboring Atlantic Ocean to the exclusion of Lautoconus endemic to Senegal (plus Lautoconus guanche from Mauritania, Morocco, and Canary Islands). Within Trovaoconus, up to three main lineages could be distinguished. The clade of Africonus included four main lineages (named I to IV), each further subdivided into two monophyletic groups. The reconstructed phylogeny allowed inferring the evolution of the radula in the studied lineages as well as biogeographic patterns. The number of cone species endemic to Cabo Verde was revised under the light of sequence divergence data and the inferred phylogenetic relationships.The sequence divergence between continental members of the genus Kalloconus and island endemics ascribed to the genus Trovaoconus is low, prompting for synonymization of the latter. The genus Lautoconus is paraphyletic. Lautoconus ventricosus is the closest living sister group of genus Africonus. Diversification of Africonus was in allopatry due to the direct development nature of their larvae and mainly triggered by eustatic sea level changes during the Miocene-Pliocene. Our study confirms the diversity of cone endemic to Cabo Verde but significantly reduces the number of valid species. Applying a sequence divergence threshold, the number of valid species within the sampled Africonus is reduced to half.
| S-EPMC5702168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Raised blood pressure (BP) is the biggest contributor to mortality and disease burden in Cabo Verde. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign set up in 2017 to raise awareness of high BP. In 2018, we aimed to expand the campaign by including a greater number of centres to increase awareness. Nine islands participated in MMM 2018. Volunteers (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling at a variety of screening sites. Each participant had three BP measurements and completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication. In total, 98.0% of screenees provided three BP readings and multiple imputation using chained equations was used to impute missing readings. A total of 8008 individuals (mean age 40.4 years; 68.5% female) were screened. After multiple imputation, 2666 (33.3%) individuals had hypertension, of whom 74.8% were aware of their previous diagnosis and 55.8% were taking antihypertensive medication. Of those on medication, 39.1% were controlled and of all hypertensives, 21.8% were controlled. We detected 44.2% of individuals with untreated hypertension and 60.9% of treated individuals were inadequately treated. The Cape Verdean population is ageing and consequently cardiovascular disease is increasing, with hypertension being an important risk factor. Corrective actions need to be taken by the government. MMM is an ideal initiative to reach the public by raising awareness of this major cardiovascular risk factor.
| S-EPMC7455268 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Humans have undergone large migrations over the past hundreds to thousands of years, exposing ourselves to new environments and selective pressures. Yet, evidence of ongoing or recent selection in humans is difficult to detect. Many of these migrations also resulted in gene flow between previously separated populations. These recently admixed populations provide unique opportunities to study rapid evolution in humans. Developing methods based on distributions of local ancestry, we demonstrate that this sort of genetic exchange has facilitated detectable adaptation to a malaria parasite in the admixed population of Cabo Verde within the last ~20 generations. We estimate that the selection coefficient is approximately 0.08, one of the highest inferred in humans. Notably, we show that this strong selection at a single locus has likely affected patterns of ancestry genome-wide, potentially biasing demographic inference. Our study provides evidence of adaptation in a human population on historical timescales.
| S-EPMC7815310 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cabo Verde Archipelago presents one of the largest knowledge gaps in the distribution and taxonomy of bats in the world. Old works indicated that there are five species classified as European taxa. We have conducted an integrative taxonomy to revise the systematic position and distribution of Cabo Verdean bats with molecular, morphological, and ecological data, to test their native or exotic origin, and infer possible colonization patterns based on fieldwork and museum samples. Results showed that Cabo Verde Hypsugo is closely related to those from the Canary Islands, in which the taxonomic status is under debate, presenting unique mitochondrial and nuclear haplotypes. We also expanded the distribution of Taphozous nudiventris for Fogo Island through pellets and acoustic identification, showed unique haplotypes for this species, and that Miniopterus schreibersii shared a haplotype with European, North African, and Western Asian specimens. The morphological and acoustic identification of Cabo Verdean specimens was challenging because of the lack of modern morphological descriptions and similarity of echolocation calls within the same genus. More studies are definitely needed to access the systematic of bat species in the archipelago, but this work is the first step for the establishment of conservation actions of the probable only native Cabo Verdean mammals.
| S-EPMC7464910 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Previous molecular characterization of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) samples from Cabo Verde pointed out a vast HIV-1 pol diversity, with several subtypes and recombinant forms, being 5.2% classified as AU-pol. Thus, the aim of the present study was to improve the characterization of these AU sequences. The genomic DNA of seven HIV-1 AU pol-infected individuals were submitted to four overlapping nested-PCR fragments aiming to compose the full-length HIV-1 genome. The final classification was based on phylogenetic trees that were generated using the maximum likelihood and bootscan analysis. The genetic distances were calculated using Mega 7.0 software. Complete genome amplification was possible for two samples, and partial genomes were obtained for the other five. These two samples grouped together with a high support value, in a separate branch from the other sub-subtypes A and CRF26_A5U. No recombination was verified at bootscan, leading to the classification of a new sub-subtype A. The intragroup genetic distance from the new sub-subtype A at a complete genome was 5.2%, and the intergroup genetic varied from 8.1% to 19.0% in the analyzed fragments. Our study describes a new HIV-1 sub-subtype A and highlights the importance of continued molecular surveillance studies, mainly in countries with high HIV molecular diversity.
| S-EPMC8230070 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesWe used an individual-based model to evaluate the effects of hypothetical prevention interventions on HIV incidence trajectories in a concentrated, mixed epidemic setting from 2011 to 2021, and using Cabo Verde as an example.MethodsSimulations were conducted to evaluate the extent to which early HIV treatment and optimization of care, HIV testing, condom distribution, and substance abuse treatment could eliminate new infections (i.e., reduce incidence to less than 10 cases per 10,000 person-years) among non-drug users, female sex workers (FSW), and people who use drugs (PWUD).ResultsScaling up all four interventions resulted in the largest decreases in HIV, with estimates ranging from 1.4 (95 % CI 1.36-1.44) per 10,000 person-years among non-drug users to 8.2 (95 % CI 7.8-8.6) per 10,000 person-years among PWUD in 2021. Intervention scenarios prioritizing FWS and PWUD also resulted in HIV incidence estimates at or below 10 per 10,000 person-years by 2021 for all population sub-groups.ConclusionsOur results suggest that scaling up multiple interventions among entire population is necessary to achieve elimination. However, prioritizing key populations with this combination prevention strategy may also result in a substantial decrease in total incidence.
| S-EPMC4545645 | biostudies-literature
Project description:From the 15th to the 19th century, the Trans-Atlantic Slave-Trade (TAST) influenced the genetic and cultural diversity of numerous populations. We explore genomic and linguistic data from the nine islands of Cabo Verde, the earliest European colony of the era in Africa, a major Slave-Trade platform between the 16th and 19th centuries, and a previously uninhabited location ideal for investigating early admixture events between Europeans and Africans. Using local-ancestry inference approaches, we find that genetic admixture in Cabo Verde occurred primarily between Iberian and certain Senegambian populations, although forced and voluntary migrations to the archipelago involved numerous other populations. Inter-individual genetic and linguistic variation recapitulates the geographic distribution of individuals' birth-places across Cabo Verdean islands, following an isolation-by-distance model with reduced genetic and linguistic effective dispersals within the archipelago, and suggesting that Kriolu language variants have developed together with genetic divergences at very reduced geographical scales. Furthermore, based on approximate bayesian computation inferences of highly complex admixture histories, we find that admixture occurred early on each island, long before the 18th-century massive TAST deportations triggered by the expansion of the plantation economy in Africa and the Americas, and after this era mostly during the abolition of the TAST and of slavery in European colonial empires. Our results illustrate how shifting socio-cultural relationships between enslaved and non-enslaved communities during and after the TAST, shaped enslaved-African descendants' genomic diversity and structure on both sides of the Atlantic.
| S-EPMC10322156 | biostudies-literature