Oceanic

Standardization of semen freezing for elasmobranchs and reproduction induced by artificial insemination in elasmobranchs

Maintaining a healthy population in an ex situ environment is a difficult problem to solve, especially for large organisms, as in the case of many sharks and rays, as no single institution would be able to maintain a squad with individuals from the same species. species, in sufficient numbers, to enable genetic variability that guarantees the constitution of a continuous population without the need for new captures in the wild. This task becomes possible with the exchange of genetic material that facilitates the exchange between the squad from different institutions, with the ultimate objective of creating a healthy and diverse population even if the individuals do not live in the same place. The third line of research aims to establish the best parameters that allow the extraction and freezing of semen from different species of elasmobranchs, ensuring their long-term viability, which will enable exchanges between aquariums and partner institutions. The line of research is developed in partnership with the Reprocon Institute (Reproduction 4 Conservation). Elasmobranchs represent a group of species characterized by low fertility and long life. The strategy allows for high energy investment in the development of a few offspring, but the advantage lies in introducing offspring into ecosystems that are already fully developed and readily capable of surviving without parental care. The impacts caused by human activities on the ecosystems where they live (i.e. fishing, navigation, habitat degradation) end up compromising this strategy since any population loss for these species, however small, is difficult to recover and the time needed to reestablish the populations to past levels is necessarily long. In this way, the extraction and freezing protocols developed are not only applicable in the ex situ environment of the aquarium network around the world, but can also be applied to free-living individuals, expanding knowledge about the reproductive biology of these species. In addition to the lines of research implemented throughout 2022, the development of studies produced by aquarists, veterinarians and biologists at the Rio de Janeiro Marine Aquarium also bore fruit in the form of participation in congresses and the publication of reproductive success for the big-tip shark. reef white Triaenodon obesus. Based on the knowledge accumulated since its inauguration in 2016, AquaRio professionals have gained experience on the biology of hundreds of species. Such observations are in many cases pioneering, given the academic community's lack of knowledge about the life history of many of the species on display. The possibility of disseminating to the scientific community and society in general the technical-scientific knowledge accumulated over the years enhances the role of IMAM-AquaRio as a center that produces scientific knowledge.

Oceanic

Characterization of the use of space by fish without oceanic tank

In this study, we will identify the use of space, in a three-dimensional scale, of the organisms living in the oceanic tank from AquaRio, which will be divided in both depth and width, and will have a set of photographic cameras equipped with motion sensors. These cameras will be installed in order to record the movement of the different species (and when possible of each individual, such as larger fish) for an uninterrupted period. The obtained data (photographs) will be analyzed in order to identify if there are specific preferences and or individual.

Oceanic

Transfer of maternal microbiota

New research with rays and sharks in order to identify if there is in the elasmobranchs the transference of the maternal microbiota, that is, the bacteria that inhabit the living being, to the pups, as it occurs in mammals, or if the microbiota is acquired after birth.

Oceanic

Oceanic

Analysis of microbial diversity in different species and body parts of estuarine and coastal rays off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Important research to study the "animal host ecosystem", also called microbioma, with the purpose of providing important information to deal with secondary infections in man and to favor the maintenance of the health of these streaks.

Oceanic

Hematology assessment survey of AquaRio’s animals

Little is known about the hematological characterization of many marine animals, especially fish and elasmobranchs. The objective of the research is to carry out a hematological evaluation of animals kept in captivity by AquaRio, in order to have sanitary control of the animals, to investigate hemoparasitoses, to diagnose possible diseases and to standardize hematological and biochemical values.

Oceanic

Development of tonic immobility techniques for veterinary procedures in sharks

The maintenance of thousands of living organisms in ex situ environments, which reproduce as closely as possible the conditions of the natural environment where they occur in nature, requires the training of an excellent team of aquarists and veterinarians. However, an integral part of veterinary care to ensure the health of the herd is carrying out routine examinations that expose the animals to possible stress and can put the team involved at risk. In this sense, the focus of the second line of research is the shark species (Selachii) kept in the enclosures of the Rio de Janeiro Marine Aquarium (AquaRio). The development of techniques that minimize the negative effects of exams that need to be routine allows their incorporation into more efficient management protocols, allowing them to be more specific or even individualized. The techniques learned are of interest not only for the routine of AquaRio professionals, but can also be incorporated into the protocols of other institutions that maintain the same species under human care.