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FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

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SDG 14 Life Below Water

News

SDG 14 Life Below Water

Hydroelectric power plants in Brazil threaten turtles that depend on rapids, study warns
SDG 14, SDG 15
Hydroelectric power plants in Brazil threaten turtles that depend on rapids, study warns

The researchers correlated data on the animal’s ecological niche and connectivity among populations with existing and planned hydropower development sites in Brazil’s South region. They estimated that 30% of its habitat could be lost, heightening the risk of extinction.


Santos estuary in Brazil has one of the highest levels of microplastic contamination in the world
SDG 6, SDG 14
Santos estuary in Brazil has one of the highest levels of microplastic contamination in the world

Researchers sampled oysters and mussels at three locations between the port of Santos and the nearby city of Guarujá. Their aims included assembling data as a basis for public policy on basic sanitation. The law does not currently require removal of microplastic particles from sewage.


Glitter impairs growth of organisms with key roles in aquatic ecosystems, study shows
SDG 6, SDG 12, SDG 14
Glitter impairs growth of organisms with key roles in aquatic ecosystems, study shows

Researchers at the University of São Paulo investigated the effects of five concentrations of glitter on two strains of cyanobacteria. Use of the material in makeup, party costumes and decorations should be reconsidered, they argue.


Rare long-distance dispersal events help maintain genetic structure of mangroves
SDG 13, SDG 14
Rare long-distance dispersal events help maintain genetic structure of mangroves

A study combining genetic analysis and oceanographic simulations showed that a species of mangrove rarely disperses very far, so that North and South Brazil have two distinct populations. The results can help prioritize conservation units and understand global patterns in mangrove forest formation.


Compound produced by invasive marine coral eliminates parasite that causes Chagas disease
SDG 3, SDG 14
Compound produced by invasive marine coral eliminates parasite that causes Chagas disease

Trials involving mammalian cells were conducted by researchers in São Paulo state, Brazil. Although it endangers biodiversity along much of the coast, sun coral could be an ally in combating Chagas disease, which affects 7 million people worldwide and lacks effective treatment.


FAPESP joins forces with France’s CNRS to bolster new International Panel on Ocean Sustainability
SDG 12, SDG 13, SDG 14
FAPESP joins forces with France’s CNRS to bolster new International Panel on Ocean Sustainability

Soon to be officially launched, IPOS is a coalition of 16 research institutions, research funders and universities. Its mission will be to bridge the science-policy divide and help protect the world’s ocean environment.


A 540 million-year-old fossil of an articulated animal can change how we understand evolution
SDG 14
A 540 million-year-old fossil of an articulated animal can change how we understand evolution

Carapace resembling scaled armor used by medieval knights appears to be first evidence of defense against predators and linked to origin of large group of animals with bilateral symmetry, which includes humans. Advanced techniques including electron microscopy and tomography applied to rocks found in Brazil in the 1970s enabled scientists to reconstruct this animal’s morphology.


Genetic sequencing of sea turtles can help understand disease that threatens species
SDG 14
Genetic sequencing of sea turtles can help understand disease that threatens species

The most comprehensive sequencing to date of the genomes of the Leatherback and Green sea turtles shows they are mostly identical. An article in PNAS helps scientists understand how the group has evolved and provides ideas for conservation strategies.


Research on reptiles is strongly influenced by access to specimens
SDG 14, SDG 15
Research on reptiles is strongly influenced by access to specimens

A review of the literature shows that 15% of articles published between 1960 and 2021 focused on only ten species, while no articles at all were published on almost 40% of all species. Research efforts tend to be biased toward large-bodied animals and species native to wealthier countries, among other factors that should be taken into consideration when planning future studies, according to the authors.


Research supported by FAPESP extends knowledge of the oceans
SDG 14
Research supported by FAPESP extends knowledge of the oceans

A review of 300 projects funded by FAPESP since 1972 highlights its contributions to the understanding of marine life, especially after the launch of BIOTA, its biodiversity program, in 1999. One of the challenges for the future is expanding deep-sea research.


Tiger sharks that interact with tourists are larger and have higher hormone levels, study shows
SDG 14
Tiger sharks that interact with tourists are larger and have higher hormone levels, study shows

Sharks that frequent diving tourism sites where food is provided have higher levels of testosterone and corticosteroids than others that spend less time in these areas, as well as a better nutritional state. The effects of shark-human interaction are poorly understood.


Biodiversity conservation is linked to poverty reduction, scientists say
SDG 1, SDG 3, SDG 10, SDG 12, SDG 14, SDG 15
Biodiversity conservation is linked to poverty reduction, scientists say

In a webinar held to present the third chapter of the book published by the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences to commemorate FAPESP’s sixtieth anniversary, specialists showed that protection of terrestrial and marine environments contributes to food production and job creation, among other benefits.


Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria
SDG 3, SDG 14
Novel compounds discovered in marine sponge can kill drug-resistant bacteria

Several substances that killed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found by Brazilian researchers in a marine sponge native to Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago off the coast of the Northeast.


Sharks near Miami have more accumulated fat than in better conserved areas, study shows
SDG 14
Sharks near Miami have more accumulated fat than in better conserved areas, study shows

Analysis of blood samples showed that sharks living near urban areas have a lower-quality diet than those living in wilderness areas. Dietary imbalances can impair important physiological processes, such as cardiovascular tone, inflammatory response and reproduction.


Deforestation is starting to affect fish diversity in Amazon streams
SDG 14
Deforestation is starting to affect fish diversity in Amazon streams

Species sensitive to habitat change are gradually being replaced by more resistant species, according to a study conducted in Brazil. The trend is leading to a loss of the ecological functions performed by the vanishing species.


Diversity of coralline red algae is greater than expected and could increase further
SDG 13, SDG 14
Diversity of coralline red algae is greater than expected and could increase further

Genetic sequencing enables scientists to identify 79 different species of coralline algae serving as a habitat for countless marine organisms on the Brazilian coast, with many yet to be explored in deep waters.


Growth of coral reef in southern Atlantic was controlled by changes in last 5,000 years
SDG 14
Growth of coral reef in southern Atlantic was controlled by changes in last 5,000 years

Described in 2019, the Queimada Grande coral reef off the coast of São Paulo state arose when the ocean was warmer and stopped growing when cooler sea surface temperatures influenced the climate in the region, according to a study led by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo.


New Caledonia has the greatest diversity of deep-sea corals in the world
SDG 14
New Caledonia has the greatest diversity of deep-sea corals in the world

A book with a Brazilian co-author documents 267 species in the archipelago, 47 of which had never been described before. It resulted from 37 scientific expeditions conducted between 1978 and 2016 by France’s National Museum of Natural History.


New description increases number of known species in jellyfish genus from seven to 28
SDG 13, SDG 14
New description increases number of known species in jellyfish genus from seven to 28

On the basis of genetic analysis of jellyfish specimens held in collections around the world, researchers have reclassified these species in the genus Aurelia, many of which are highly similar. Painstaking descriptions of species are key to conservation strategies.


eDNA sequencing will enable scientists to explore piscine diversity in the Amazon without catching fish
SDG 14
eDNA sequencing will enable scientists to explore piscine diversity in the Amazon without catching fish

Scientists identified fish orders present in the Javari River basin by sequencing DNA molecules in water samples. To make the method more sensitive and capable of differentiating species, however, reference libraries of genetic material must be created.


New species of green microalga identified in São Paulo
SDG 14
New species of green microalga identified in São Paulo

The discovery resulted in phylogenetic reclassification of microalgae in the genus Nephrocytium. An article on the research is in Taxon.


Scientists use artificial intelligence to simulate the effects of warming on the Southern Ocean
SDG 13, SDG 14
Scientists use artificial intelligence to simulate the effects of warming on the Southern Ocean

A study published in Frontiers in Marine Science is the first to predict the impact of long-term changes in sea surface temperature on local microbial diversity. The methodology is also innovative.


Citizen scientists help assure quality of coastal biodiversity monitoring
SDG 14
Citizen scientists help assure quality of coastal biodiversity monitoring

A study conducted in the port city of Santos (Brazil) by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo shows collaboration between civil society and academia achieving progress toward the goals of the UN Ocean Decade.


Climate change will alter functioning of marine microbial communities, study shows
SDG 13, SDG 14
Climate change will alter functioning of marine microbial communities, study shows

Plankton are the foundation of life in the oceans and produce half the world’s oxygen. These marine microorganisms will suffer from rising temperatures at the poles, rising salinity in the tropics, and a reduction in the flow of nutrients in the temperate zone, according to simulations based on data collected from all oceans around the globe.


Species with spines and ‘armor’ are favorite prey for electric eels in the Amazon
SDG 14
Species with spines and ‘armor’ are favorite prey for electric eels in the Amazon

Electric eels of the species Electrophorus varii feed on other fish, especially those habitually hunted by larger predators such as caimans and giant river otters. Hunting tactics enable them to maintain the same diet in the wet and dry seasons alike.


News about research projects funded by FAPESP and articulated with the SDGs: