Manuel Jose Biscoito
@funchal.pt
Museu de História Natural do Funchal/Estação de Biologia Marinha do Funchal
Município do Funchal
He started his career in the Funchal Natural History Museum in 1981 as curator and director. Currently he is the Chief of the Science Division of the Municipality of Funchal, as well as member of the board of directors of IMAR – Sea Institute, Portugal and member of the Portuguese Environment and Sustainable Development Council.
He is principal curator of the Funchal Natural History Museum and works mostly on deep-sea fish taxonomy, having authored or co-authored 7 books, 31 book chapters and 162 scientific papers. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific magazines Boletim do Museu de História Natural do Funchal and is member of the French, Japanese and American Ichthyologic Societies.
EDUCATION
Biology Degree, University of Porto
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Axel Hochkirch, Melanie Bilz, Catarina C. Ferreira, Anja Danielczak, David Allen, Ana Nieto, Carlo Rondinini, Kate Harding, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Caroline M. Pollock,et al.
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species’ distributions and threats. We present an analysis of the conservation status of 14,669 European terrestrial, freshwater and marine species (ca. 10% of the continental fauna and flora), including all vertebrates and selected groups of invertebrates and plants. Our results reveal that 19% of European species are threatened with extinction, with higher extinction risks for plants (27%) and invertebrates (24%) compared to vertebrates (18%). These numbers exceed recent IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) assumptions of extinction risk. Changes in agricultural practices and associated habitat loss, overharvesting, pollution and development are major threats to biodiversity. Maintaining and restoring sustainable land and water use practices is crucial to minimize future biodiversity declines.
Amy Garbett, Sophie L. Loca, Thomas Barreau, Manuel Biscoito, Caroline Bradley, Joe Breen, Maurice Clarke, Jim R. Ellis, Andrew M. Griffiths, Gary Hannon,et al.
Wiley
AbstractMorphological similarities between skates of the genus Dipturus in the north‐eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean have resulted in longstanding confusion, misidentification and misreporting. Current evidence indicates that the common skate is best explained as two species, the flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) and the common blue skate (D. batis). However, some management and conservation initiatives developed prior to the separation continue to refer to common skate (as ‘D. batis’). This taxonomic uncertainty can lead to errors in estimating population viability, distribution range, and impact on fisheries management and conservation status. Here, we demonstrate how a concerted taxonomic approach, using molecular data and a combination of survey, angler and fisheries data, in addition to expert witness statements, can be used to build a higher resolution picture of the current distribution of D. intermedius. Collated data indicate that flapper skate has a more constrained distribution compared to the perceived distribution of the ‘common skate’, with most observations recorded from Norway and the western and northern seaboards of Ireland and Scotland, with occasional specimens from Portugal and the Azores. Overall, the revised spatial distribution of D. intermedius has significantly reduced the extant range of the species, indicating a possibly fragmented distribution range.
R. Triay-Portella, J.A. González, J.M. Lorenzo, M. Biscoito, and J.G. Pajuelo
Elsevier BV
Bethany L. Clark, Ana P. B. Carneiro, Elizabeth J. Pearmain, Marie-Morgane Rouyer, Thomas A. Clay, Win Cowger, Richard A. Phillips, Andrea Manica, Carolina Hazin, Marcus Eriksen,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractPlastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation. Oceanic seabirds, particularly petrels, frequently ingest plastic, are highly threatened, and cover vast distances during foraging and migration. However, the spatial overlap between petrels and plastics is poorly understood. Here we combine marine plastic density estimates with individual movement data for 7137 birds of 77 petrel species to estimate relative exposure risk. We identify high exposure risk areas in the Mediterranean and Black seas, and the northeast Pacific, northwest Pacific, South Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans. Plastic exposure risk varies greatly among species and populations, and between breeding and non-breeding seasons. Exposure risk is disproportionately high for Threatened species. Outside the Mediterranean and Black seas, exposure risk is highest in the high seas and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the USA, Japan, and the UK. Birds generally had higher plastic exposure risk outside the EEZ of the country where they breed. We identify conservation and research priorities, and highlight that international collaboration is key to addressing the impacts of marine plastic on wide-ranging species.
Mafalda Freitas, Pedro Ideia, Manuel Biscoito, Manfred Kaufmann, and Ricardo Sousa
Elsevier BV
José A. González, Manuel Biscoito, and Pål Buhl-Mortensen
Brill
JOSÉ A. GONZÁLEZ1,4), MANUEL BISCOITO2) and PÅL BUHL-MORTENSEN3) 1) EMAP — Applied Marine Ecology and Fisheries, i-UNAT, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus Universitario de Tafira, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain 2) Funchal Marine Biology Station, MARE Sea and Environment Sciences Centre & OOM — Madeira Oceanic Observatory, Funchal Natural History Museum, Rua da Mouraria 31, 9004-546 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 3) Benthic Communities and Coastal Interactions Research Group, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway ORCID iDs: González: 0000-0001-8584-6731; Biscoito: 0000-0002-9347-0823; Buhl-Mortensen: 0000-0003-4795-3143
F. Zino, M. Biscoito, and A. Buckle
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
AbstractThe largest colony of Cory's shearwaterCalonectris borealisnests on the island of Selvagem Grande in the north-eastern Atlantic. In 2002, a programme of eradication was conducted to remove two alien invasive mammals, the house mouseMus musculusand European rabbitOryctolagus cuniculus. Preliminary studies recorded beneficial effects of the eradications for a variety of plant and animal species, including Cory's shearwater. We recorded fledging rates of shearwaters for 1982–2001, prior to the eradication, and for 2002–2020, after the eradication, from two quadrats, each containing 134–329 nest sites. Although there was annual fluctuation in fledging rates in the quadrats, the mean rate of 40.74 ±SD 3.92 fledglings per 100 nest sites for the two quadrats combined prior to the eradication of mammals increased significantly, to 52.88 ± SD 5.03 per 100 nest sites, after the eradications. Because the two mammals were removed synchronously it is difficult to know which factors depressed fledging of Cory's shearwaters on Selvagem Grande. However, the predatory behaviour of house mice on other oceanic islands, and the fact that increased fledging was seen soon after the eradications occurred, suggest predation by house mice on shearwater hatchlings was the main cause of losses.
Andreia Braga-Henriques, Pål Buhl-Mortensen, Erdal Tokat, Ana Martins, Teresa Silva, Joachim Jakobsen, João Canning-Clode, Kirsten Jakobsen, João Delgado, Thibaut Voirand,et al.
Frontiers Media SA
The Madeira archipelago has a unique underwater landscape that is characterised by narrow shelves, steep slopes and a large submarine tributary system that boosts primary productivity in oligotrophic waters and thus offers a potential for hotspots of biodiversity. Despite this, there have been limited deep-water exploration activities with less than five expeditions since the 1960s. Here, we investigated the seabed on the southern side of the Madeira-Desertas Ridge using a manned submersible along a 3.8 km long transect starting at 366 m depth up the ridge shelf until its top at 73 m. Benthic habitats and community composition were documented with video along a depth gradient from mesophotic to deep sea. Six distinct biotopes were recognised (three deeper, and three shallower than 115 m depth). Our results showed a rich biodiversity with deep biotopes characterised by sponges and non-reef-building corals (e.g., Pachastrella monilifera, Viminella flagellum, Eunicella verrucosa) and shallow biotopes comprising macroalgae and the gorgonian Paramuricea cf. grayi. The pronounced benthic zonation reflects the steep environmental gradient that includes high topographic variation, heterogeneous substrates, and bidirectional regular wave-motion at the shallow mesophotic part. Together with biotic factors, such as low density of sea urchins and presence of predatory fish, this environment with unusual deep light penetration, a mesoscale cyclonic eddy, and deep wave-motion, has allowed the establishment of a mature deep-water kelp population of Laminaria ochroleuca in the plateau (max. >100 individuals p/100 m2). At the same time, a conspicuous coral fauna was observed on a wide range of soft to hard bottoms with several species taking advantage of the favourable hydrodynamic regime and seawater properties together with substratum availability to create coral gardens. These habitats were previously not known from Madeira, and their newfound discovery in the archipelago merit further investigation and protection.
Mafalda FREITAS, Ricardo SOUSA, Pedro IDEIA, Madalena GASPAR, João DELGADO, Ana Luísa COSTA, Antonina dos SANTOS, and Manuel BISCOITO
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background Seamounts are underwater mountains which typically rise rather steeply at least several hundred meters above the deep-sea floor. These geological features interrupt water flow and hence may induce changes in the circulation of different water masses, in turn causing different physical and biological effects. For this reason, seamounts are biodiversity hotspots, housing a wide number of species, as is with the case of the Seine and Unicorn seamounts, which are a part of the Madeira-Tore seamount chain located between Portugal mainland, southwestern Europe and Madeira archipelago (NE Atlantic). Methods Fisheries independent surveys allowed the collection of Chondrichthyes specimens from the Seine and Unicorn seamounts. Individuals were caught over the course of two research cruises, first in 2004 and later in 2017, with species distribution ranging from the summit down to 2500 m of depth. Results Fifteen species belonging to 7 different taxonomical families were collected in the two surveyed areas. Two species were recorded for the first time and added to the checklist of the Seine seamount (Centrophorus granulosus and Somniosus rostratus), and three species for the Unicorn seamount (C. granulosus, Centroscymnus coelolepis and Centroselachus crepidater). Distribution and frequency of occurrence for the collected species were evaluated in relation to depth. Conclusions This work is a valuable contribution to the knowledge of seamount-associated fish fauna. Moreover, the checklist of sharks, rays and chimaeras was updated for the Seine and Unicorn seamounts, summing up 20 species.
Tammy E. Davies, Ana P.B. Carneiro, Marguerite Tarzia, Ewan Wakefield, Janos C. Hennicke, Morten Frederiksen, Erpur Snær Hansen, Bruna Campos, Carolina Hazin, Ben Lascelles,et al.
Wiley
AbstractThe conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts. Using tracking, phenology, and population data, we mapped the abundance and diversity of 21 seabird species. This revealed a major hotspot associated with a discrete area of the subpolar frontal zone, used annually by 2.9–5 million seabirds from ≥56 colonies in the Atlantic: the first time this magnitude of seabird concentrations has been documented in the high seas. The hotspot is temporally stable and amenable to site‐based conservation and is under consideration as a marine protected area by the OSPAR Commission. Protection could help mitigate current and future threats facing species in the area. Overall, our approach provides an exemplar data‐driven pathway for future conservation efforts on the high seas.
José A. González and Manuel Biscoito
Brill
Hermit crabs are important ecosystem engineers (Jones et al., 1994) in marine habitats, from the intertidal to the deep sea. The symbiotic associates of hermit crabs were reviewed worldwide by Williams & McDermott (2004), and over 550 invertebrates, from 16 phyla, were found associated with over 180 species of hermit crabs. Many studies have been focused on hermit crab-actiniarian associations, while hermit crab-zoantharian symbioses have received less attention (Kise et al., 2019).
R. Sousa, M. R. Pinho, J. Delgado, A. R. Pinto, M. Biscoito, T. Dellinger, and P. Henriques
FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Abstract Analysis of abundance and population structure of Plesionika narval was performed on data concerning 5,255 specimens obtained from 62 fishing sets carried out off the Madeira archipelago (Northeastern Atlantic) between 2004 and 2008 in a depth range from 101 to 350 m. Abundance ranged from 0.01 to 19.74 specimens-per-trap and significant differences were found between seasons, probably as a result of an increment of population in the spring during the recruitment season. The analysis of size distribution revealed that the carapace length (CL) ranged from 2.45 to 28.61 mm and that mean female size consistently exceeded that of males. Differences in mean CL were statistically significant between depth strata and seasons. Of the specimens sampled, 57.00% were males, 41.88% females and 1.42% undetermined. Sex ratio also differed significantly between seasons according to depth strata, consolidating the hypothesis of the existence of seasonal migrations related with the reproductive cycle of this species. Ovigerous females showed larger sizes and occurred all year around and remain in shallow waters in winter, summer and autumn and move to deeper waters in spring. The highest frequency of ovigerous females was recorded in summer, between 151 and 200 m deep supporting the hypothesis that spawning of this species occurs in shallow waters, especially in late summer.
Raül Triay-Portella, José A. González, Manuel Biscoito, Raquel Ruiz-Diaz, and José G. Pajuelo
Elsevier BV
JOSÉ A. GONZÁLEZ, RAÜL TRIAY-PORTELLA, and MANUEL BISCOITO
Magnolia Press
A new species of Physiculus, P. caboverdensis n. sp., is described from the outer shelf and upper slope of the Cape Verde Islands. This species differs from all other congeners from the Atlantic Ocean by its peculiar dentition, composed of large fang-like teeth in both jaws, interspaced with smaller canine-like teeth, arranged in two series on upper jaw and one on lower. This is the tenth species of the genus to occur in the Atlantic Ocean and the third to be recorded from the Cape Verde Islands.
MANUEL BISCOITO and LUIZ SALDANHA
Magnolia Press
Gaidropsarus mauli, new species, is described from the Lucky Strike Hydrothermal vent site (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and from the Bay of Biscay. It is distinguished from congeners by a combination of characters such as the number of vertebrae, the size of the first dorsal-fin ray, the profile of the head and the shape of the snout, in dorsal view, the size and the position of the eyes, the length of the pelvic fins, the shape of the pectoral fins, and the length of the lateral line. A comparison with the other 13 valid species of the genus is presented.
MANUEL BISCOITO, CLÁUDIA RIBEIRO, and MAFALDA FREITAS
Magnolia Press
As part of an annotated checklist of fishes of the archipelago of Madeira, a list with all cartilaginous fishes recorded from the archipelago is presented. The list contains 67 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras, whose presence in the area the authors consider confirmed. Another 14 species previously referred for the area are now considered dubious records and five species are withdrawn from the list. Centrophorus uyato is here recorded for the first time from Madeira. Three species (Mitsukurina owstoni, Odontaspis noronhai and Chimaera opalescens) are so far only present in Madeira within Macaronesia. The 67 confirmed species are based on occurrences, substantiated by specimens in natural history museum collections or other published evidence. For all species, the first reference is given, as well as other relevant references for the archipelago and remaining Macaronesia.
ROSA PESTANA, CLÁUDIA RIBEIRO, NICOLE BOURY-ESNAULT, and MANUEL BISCOITO
Magnolia Press
Few surveys on benthic fauna have been performed on the island of Madeira (Alves et al. 2003 and references therein), and the first sponge specimens were collected opportunistically (Johnson 1863, 1899; Topsent 1904, 1928). Porifera can be considered one of the least studied phyla in the Madeira archipelago, within the Lusitanian province. This is not the case for other regions as the Mediterranean (Boury-Esnault 1971 and references therein), Alboran Sea (Carballo 1994), Canary Islands (Cruz 2002), and the Azores (Topsent 1904; Boury-Esnault & Lopes 1985; Xavier 2009), where sponges have been more thoroughly studied.
Paul G. Fernandes, Gina M. Ralph, Ana Nieto, Mariana García Criado, Paraskevas Vasilakopoulos, Christos D. Maravelias, Robin M. Cook, Riley A. Pollom, Marcelo Kovačić, David Pollard,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Paul G. Fernandes, Gina M. Ralph, Ana Nieto, Mariana García Criado, Paraskevas Vasilakopoulos, Christos D. Maravelias, Robin M. Cook, Riley A. Pollom, Marcelo Kovačić, David Pollard,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Raül Ramos, Nicholas Carlile, Jeremy Madeiros, Iván Ramírez, Vitor H. Paiva, Herculano A. Dinis, Francis Zino, Manuel Biscoito, Gustavo R. Leal, Leandro Bugoni,et al.
Wiley
AbstractAimAnthropogenic activities alter and constrain the structure of marine ecosystems with implications for wide‐ranging marine vertebrates. In spite of the environmental importance of vast oceanic ecosystems, most conservation efforts mainly focus on neritic areas. To identify relevant oceanic areas for conservation, we assessed the year‐round spatial distribution and spatio‐temporal overlap of eight truly oceanic seabird species of gadfly petrels (Pterodroma spp.) inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean.LocationAtlantic Ocean.MethodsUsing tracking data (mostly from geolocators), we examined year‐round distributions, the timing of life‐cycle events, and marine habitat overlap of eight gadfly petrel species that breed in the Atlantic Ocean.ResultsWe compiled 125 year‐round tracks. Movement strategies ranged from non‐migratory to long‐distance migrant species and from species sharing a common non‐breeding area to species dispersing among multiple non‐breeding sites. Gadfly petrels occurred throughout the Atlantic Ocean but tended to concentrate in subtropical regions. During the boreal summer, up to three species overlapped spatio‐temporally over a large area around the Azores archipelago. During the austral summer, up to four species coincided in a core area in subtropical waters around Cape Verde, and three species shared habitat over two distinct areas off Brazil. The petrels used many national Exclusive Economic Zones, although they also exploited offshore international waters.Main conclusionsTracking movements of highly mobile vertebrates such as gadfly petrels can provide a powerful tool to evaluate and assess the potential need for and location of protected oceanic areas. As more multispecies, year‐round data sets are collected from wide‐ranging vertebrates, researchers and managers will have greater insight into the location of biodiversity hotspots. These can subsequently inform and guide marine spatial planning efforts that account for both conservation and sustainable use of resources such as commercial fisheries.
R. Sousa, M. R. Pinho, J. Delgado, M. Biscoito, A. R. Pinto, T. Dellinger, L. Gouveia, D. Carvalho, and P. Henriques
FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Abstract Several experimental surveys were carried out in the Northeastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago from 1991 to 2008 to explore new fisheries resources. This study examined the selectivity of bottom and floating traps and the analysis of yield-per-recruit (YPR) and biomass-per-recruit (BPR) providing helpful insight to the management of the shrimp Plesionika narval. A total of 28,262 specimens were sampled and the analysis of length at first capture returned higher values when using floating traps indicating that these traps are more selective, exerting less pressure on the resource. The YPR and BPR analysis showed that the stock is under exploited for the studied area and suggests that the use of floating traps in the commercial fisheries of P. narval is recommended, which will allow a higher maximum allowable limit of exploitation and greater yield. The results suggest that P. narval has the potential to support a viable and sustainable fishery using floating traps.
João Delgado, Dalila Carvalho, Mafalda Freitas, Manuel Biscoito, and Elisabete Gouveia
Pensoft Publishers
Fish communities off the seamounts inside the Madeira exclusive economic zone are scarcely known, hence the need to improve this knowledge. A bottom trawl fishing survey targeting orange roughy, Hoplostethus atlanticus Collett, 1889, was carried out on the Lion, Susan, and Unicorn seamounts in the autumn of 2001. The aim of this paper is to give an account of the catches of that survey, during which 9 tows were conducted and 21 deep-sea fish species caught, including species rarely caught. The following fish species were collected: Chlamydoselachus anguineus Garman, 1884; Scymnodon ringens Barbosa du Bocage et de Brito Capello, 1864; Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788); Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788); Deania profundorum (Smith et Radcliffe, 1912); Deania hystricosa (Garman, 1906); Serrivomer beanii Gill et Ryder, 1883; Rouleina maderensis Maul, 1948; Argyropelecus gigas Norman, 1930; Chauliodus sloani Bloch et Schneider, 1801; Macroparalepis nigra (Maul, 1965); Neoscopelus microchir Matsubara, 1943; Gadomus arcuatus (Goode et Bean, 1886); Mora moro (Risso, 1810); Melanonus zugmayeri Norman, 1930; Chaunax suttkusi Caruso, 1989; Diretmoides pauciradiatus (Woods, 1973); Hoplostethus mediterraneus Cuvier, 1829; Beryx splendens Lowe, 1834; Epigonus telescopus (Risso, 1810); Aphanopus carbo Lowe, 1839. The presence of Diretmoides pauciradiatus was confirmed in the area and Gadomus arcuatus was recorded for the first time from Madeira. Aspects of the life history traits of some of the species caught are presented. This includes a first approach to the estimation of the length–weight relations of 11 deep-water, data-deficient species for which prior information, estimated from data collected, did not exist in FishBase and some new insights about the biology of Hoplostethus mediterraneus.
Mafalda Freitas, Sofia Vieira, Luisa Costa, Joao Delgado, Manuel Biscoito, and Jose González
Pensoft Publishers
This study reports new findings of Chimaera opalescens Luchetti, Iglésias et Sellos, 2011, which represent new records of this fish from Madeira and Morocco. The specimens were caught at the depths between 800 and 1221 m. Additional specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of Funchal (MMF) were also studied as a comparative material and the results are reported herein. The new records of C. opalescens extend the previously known area of distribution of this fish further south.
J.G. Pajuelo, J. Seoane, M. Biscoito, M. Freitas, and J.A. González
Elsevier BV