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Item Assessing the Effectiveness of Large‑Scale Environmental Restoration: Challenges and Opportunities(Estuaries and Coasts, 2022-11-21) Greening, Holly; Heck, Kenneth; McKinney, Larry; Diefenderfer, Heida; Boynton, Walter; Kleiss, Barbara; Mishra, Deepak; George II, Albert; Carl Kraft, Bethany; Kling, Cathy; Windecker, LauraA recent National Academies consensus report addresses monitoring and assessment of cumulative effects of large-scale and multiple restoration projects within the context of long-term environmental change. Fines and penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) have supported hundreds of restoration projects at spatial scales not often possible in the past. Here, the report committee members and staff provide personal reflections from our time working on the study. We found that gaps in data collection, issues with data accessibility, and a lack of synthesis and analysis are hindering the ability to answer a basic question: What are the impacts of these many restoration efforts on improving ecosystem health and productivity in the GoM at the regional and Gulf wide scale? Restoration efforts are occurring in environments where many trends are changing and exhibiting higher variability than in the past, suggesting that previously successful restoration practices may no longer be adequate to compensate for the effects of environmental changes and variability. Our proposed approach to these challenges includes employing emerging monitoring technologies; using conceptual models; devising an adaptive management framework; rethinking restoration outcome goals; assessing cumulative effects; and undertaking rigorous synthesis and analysis of existing information on long-term environmental trends and restoration efforts. Restoration scientists and practitioners working in the GoM have an unprecedented opportunity to demonstrate large-scale environmental recovery if advances in monitoring, synthesis, assessment, and action are taken quickly. We are cautiously optimistic that, with mid-course adjustments, continued progress toward large-scale environmental recovery is possible.Item Bivalve Diversity on the Continental Shelf and Deep Sea of the Perdido Fold Belt, Northwest Gulf of Mexico, Mexico(MDPI, 2021-04-12) Suárez-Mozo, Nancy Yolimar; Vidal-Martínez, Victor Manuel; Aguirre-Macedo, M. Leopoldina; Pech, Daniel; Guerra-Castro, Edlin; Simões, NunoMollusk diversity in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been studied extensively, but this is not the case for deep-water habitats. We present the first quantitative characterization of mollusks in shallow and deep waters of the Perdido Fold Belt. The data came from two research cruises completed in 2017. Sediment samples were collected from 56 sites using a 0.25-m2 box corer. We tested hypotheses about spatial patterns of α, β, and γ-diversity of bivalves in two water-depth zones, the continental shelf (43–200 m) and bathyal zone (375–3563 m). A total of 301 bivalves belonging to 39 species were identified. The two zones display similar levels of γ-diversity, but host different bivalve assemblages. In general, α-diversity was higher on the continental shelf, whereas β-diversity was higher in the bathyal zone. These patterns can be explained by the higher input of carbon (energy) to the near-coast shelf zone, as well as by the greater topographic complexity of habitats in the bathyal zone. These results enabled us to propose redirection of sampling efforts for environmental characterization from continental zones to the deep-water zone, especially in the context of environmental assessments during oil and gas exploration and production.Item Comparison of cnidae sizes between the two morphotypes of the giant Caribbean sea anemone Condylactis gigantea (Actiniaria: Actiniidae)(International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, 2018-07-04) González Muñoz, Ricardo Enrique; Hernández-Ortiz, Carlos; Garese, Agustín; Simões, Nuno; Acuña, Fabián HoracioThe sea anemone Condylactis gigantea is an ecologically important member of the benthic community in coral reefs of the tropical Atlantic, and displays two morphotypes with respect to the color in their tentacular tips: the green tip morphotype and the pink/purple tip morphotype. Although some molecular and ecological differences have been found between these morphotypes, no other morphological distinctions have been reported, and currently both are still considered a single taxonomic species. In the present study, we perform an exploration on the variability in the size of cnidae between these two morphotypes and performed statistical analyses to compare the 10 categories of cnidae from specimens hosted in the Cnidarian Collection of Gulf of Mexico and Mexican Caribbean, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, which were previously collected in several coral reefs localities of the Yucatán Peninsula. Results reveal no significant variation in cnidae size between the two morphotypes, but significant variations were found within each morphotype. In addition, we update the composition of the cnidom of C. gigantea, and the utility of the size of cnidae to distinguish between morphotypes or closely related species is discussed.Item A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Ecosystem Health(The Authors, 2019-03-25) Harwell, Mark A.; Gentile, John H.; McKinney, Larry D.; Tunnell Jr., John W.; Dennison, William C.; Kelsey, R Heath; Stanzel, Kiersten M.; Stunz, Gregory W.; Withers, Kim; Tunnell, JaceOver the past century, the environment of the Gulf of Mexico has been significantly altered and impaired by extensive human activities. A national commitment to restore the Gulf was finally initiated in response to the unprecedented Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Consequently, there is a critical need for an assessment framework and associated set of indicators that can characterize the health and sustainability of an ecosystem having the scale and complexity of the Gulf. The assessment framework presented here was developed as an integration of previous ecological risk– and environmental management–based frameworks for assessing ecosystem health. It was designed to identify the natural and anthropogenic drivers, pressures, and stressors impinging on ecosystems and ecosystem services, and the ecological conditions that result, manifested as effects on valued ecosystem components. Four types of societal and ecological responses are identified: reduction of pressures and stressors, remediation of existing stressors, active ecosystem restoration, and natural ecological recovery. From this conceptual framework are derived the specific indicators to characterize ecological condition and progress toward achieving defined ecological health and sustainability goals. Additionally, the framework incorporates a hierarchical structure to communicate results to a diversity of audiences, from research scientists to environmental managers and decision makers, with the level of detail or aggregation appropriate for each targeted audience. Two proof-of-concept studies were conducted to test this integrated assessment and decision framework, a prototype Texas Coastal Ecosystems Report Card, and a pilot study on enhancing rookery islands in the Mission-Aransas Reserve, Texas, USA. This Drivers–Pressures–Stressors–Condition–Responses (DPSCR4) conceptual framework is a comprehensive conceptual model of the coupled human–ecological system. Much like its predecessor, the ecological risk assessment framework, the DPSCR4 conceptual framework can be tailored to different scales of complexity, different ecosystem types with different stress regimes, and different environmental settings. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:544–564. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)Item Depth-Dependent Genetic Structuring of a Depth-Generalist Coral and Its Symbiodiniaceae Algal Communities at Campeche Bank, Mexico(Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022-05-17) Sturm, Alexis B.; Eckert, Ryan J.; Carreiro, Ashley M.; Simões, Nuno; Voss, Joshua D.Depth-generalist coral holobionts inhabit shallow (0–30 m) and mesophotic (30–150 m) reef zones but may exhibit genetic specialization as a result of adaptations to environmental shifts and/or due to a lack of dispersal across depth. The level of depth-dependent genetic structuring varies across reef locations which may impact the roles mesophotic populations play in the persistence and recovery of metapopulations. A depth-generalist coral species, Montastraea cavernosa, was sampled across a shallow to mesophotic gradient at 10, 15, 25, and 35 m at Alacranes and Bajos del Norte reefs on Campeche Bank, Mexico. Both 2bRAD and ITS2 sequencing were used to quantify genetic differentiation of the coral hosts and community structure of their algal endosymbionts (Family Symbiodiniaceae) across depth zones and between these reefs. Significant levels of M. cavernosa genetic differentiation were identified across depth at both reefs, especially between the shallow (10, 15, and 25 m) and mesophotic (35 m) zones. While Symbiodiniaceae hosted by these corals were predominantly Cladocopium species, both depth and reef location were significant factors driving ITS2 type profiles found within each population. The magnitude of depth-dependent genetic structuring of both the coral and Symbiodiniaceae was much greater at Alacranes, relative to Bajos del Norte, suggesting that the refugia potential of mesophotic communities at Alacranes is limited. However, relatively high levels of horizontal coral connectivity between the two reefs, and Bajos del Norte’s location at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico suggests that it may play an important role in the maintenance of the coral’s regional metapopulation and should be considered in future assessments of this species’ connectivity dynamics and management.Item Distribution patterns, carbon sources and niche partitioning in cave shrimps (Atyidae: Typhlatya)(Springer Nature, 2020-07-30) Chávez-Solís, E.M.; Solís, C.; Simões, Nuno; Mascaró, M.Cave shrimps of the Typhlatya genus are common and widespread in fresh, brackish and marine groundwater throughout the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). These species are ideal models to test niche partitioning within sympatric species in oligotrophic systems. Nevertheless, their food sources remain unidentified, and despite their frequency and functional importance, distribution and abundance patterns of these species within caves have not been fully recognized. Here, we describe the abundance of three Typhlatya species in different temporal and spatial scales, investigate changes in water conditions, and potential sources of carbon as an indication of food origin. Species composition and abundance varied markedly in space and time revealing patterns that differed from one system to another and in relation to environmental parameters. Isotope analysis showed that each species reflects a particular δ13C and Δ14C fingerprint, suggesting they feed in different proportions from the available carbon sources. Overall, our findings suggest a niche partitioning of habitat and feeding sources amongst the three Typhlatya species investigated, where environmental characteristics and physiological differences could play an important role governing their distribution patterns.Item The Gulf of Mexico: An Overview(Oceanography, 2021-06-03) McKinney, Larry D.; Shepherd, John G.; Wilson, Charles A.; Hogarth, William T.; Chanton, Jeff; Murawski, Steven A.; Sandifer, Paul A.; Sutton, Tracey; Yoskowitz, David W.; Wowk, Katya; Özgökmen, Tamay M.; Joye, Samantha B.; Caffey, RexThe Gulf of Mexico is a place where the environment and the economy both coexist and contend. It is a resilient large marine ecosystem that has changed in response to many drivers and pressures that we are only now beginning to fully understand. Coastlines of the states that border the Gulf comprise about half of the US southern seaboard, and those states are capped by the vast Midwest. The Gulf drains most of North America and is both an economic keystone and an unintended waste receptacle. It is a renowned resource for seafood markets, recreational fishing, and beach destinations and an international maritime highway fueled by vast, but limited, hydrocarbon reserves. Today, more is known about the Gulf than was imagined possible only a few years ago. That gain in knowledge was driven by one of the greatest environmental disasters of this country’s history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The multitude of response actions and subsequent funded research significantly contributed to expanding our knowledge and, perhaps most importantly, to guiding the work needed to restore the damage from that oil spill. Funding for further work should not wait for the next major disaster, which will be too late; progress must be maintained to ensure that the Gulf continues to be resilient.Item An Indo-Pacific damselfish (Neopomacentrus cyanomos) in the Gulf of Mexico: origin and mode of introduction(PeerJ, 2018-02-07) Robertson, D. Ross; Dominguez-Dominguez, Omar; Victor, Benjamin; Simões, NunoThe Indo-West Pacific (IWP) coral-reef damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos is well established across the south-west Gulf of Mexico (SwGoMx). Comparisons of mtDNA sequences of the SwGoMx population with those from conspecifics from 16 sites scattered across its native geographic range show that the SwGoMx population is derived from two of four native lineages: one from the north-west Pacific Ocean, the other from the northern Indian Ocean. Three hypotheses address how this species was introduced to the SwGoMX: (1) aquarium release; (2) borne by cargo-ship; and (3) carried by offshore petroleum platform (petro-platform). The first is unlikely because this species rarely features in the aquarium trade, and “N. cyanomos” traded to the USA from the sole IWP source we are aware of are a misidentified congener, N. taeniurus. The second hypothesis is unlikely because shipping has not been associated with the introduction of alien damselfishes, there is little international shipping between the IWP and the SwGoMx, and voyages between those areas would be lengthy and along environmentally unfavorable routes. Various lines of evidence support the third hypothesis: (i) bio-fouled petro-platforms represent artificial reefs that can sustain large and diverse populations of tropical reef-fishes, including N. cyanomos in the SwGoMx; (ii) relocation of such platforms has been implicated in trans-oceanic introductions leading to establishment of non-native populations of such fishes; and (iii) genetic characteristics of the SwGoMx population indicate that it was established by a large and diverse group of founders drawn from the IWP regions where many petro-platforms currently in the SwGoMx and other Atlantic offshore oilfields originated.Item Marine amphipods (Parhyale hawaiensis) as an alternative feed for the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus, Perri 1810): nutritional value and feeding trial(PeerJ, 2021-10-19) Vargas-Abúndez, Jorge Arturo; Martínez-Moreno, Gemma Leticia; Simões, Nuno; Noreña-Barroso, Elsa; Mascaró, MaiteFinding new alternatives to traditional live preys such as Artemia and rotifers, which do not always promote optimal fish growth and survival, is required for the successful aquaculture of highly specialized predatory species, including seahorses. The present study assessed the nutritional value of an interesting marine amphipod (Parhyale hawaiensis), and evaluates through a feeding trial its potential use as a natural prey for 10-months lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. P. hawaiensis showed high levels of valuable lipids (20.4–26.7% on dry matter basis) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ( 26.4–41% of total FAs), including the long-chain PUFAs (LC-PUFAs) arachidonic acid (ARA) (2.9–7.7%), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (4.3–6.5%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (2.1–6.2%). A comparison between wild-captured and cultured amphipods revealed a significant improvement of the amphipod FA profile in terms of DHA%, total omega-3 (n3) FAs and n3/n6 ratio when employing both a conventional amphipod culture based on a commercial shrimp diet, and, to a lesser extent, a large (3,500 L) biofloc system. Seahorses fed with frozen/wild amphipods, either singly or in combination with Artemia enriched with Super Selco® (INVE Aquaculture, Belgium) for 57 days, substantially improved seahorse growth and FA profiles in terms of ARA, EPA and DHA%, including indices associated to marine sources, such as Σn3 and n3/n6, compared to a diet based solely on enriched Artemia. These results support the use of marine amphipods as an alternative food organism for juvenile H. erectus and suggest a potential use for general marine aquaculture.Item Marine amphipods as a new live prey for ornamental aquaculture: exploring the potential of Parhyale hawaiensis and Elasmopus pectenicrus(PeerJ, 2021-02-10) Vargas-Abúndez, Jorge Arturo; López-Vázquez, Humberto Ivan; Mascaró, Maite; Martínez-Moreno, Gemma Leticia; Simões, NunoMarine amphipods are gaining attention in aquaculture as a natural live food alternative to traditional preys such as brine shrimps (Artemia spp.). The use of Artemia is convenient for the culture of many marine species, but often problematic for some others, such as seahorses and other marine ornamental species. Unlike Artemia, marine amphipods are consumed by fish in their natural environment and show biochemical profiles that better match the nutritional requirements of marine fish, particularly of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), including eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Despite their potentially easy culture, there are no established culture techniques and a deeper knowledge on the reproductive biology, nutritional profiles and culture methodologies is still needed to potentiate the optimization of mass production. The present study assessed, for the first time, the aquaculture potential of Parhyale hawaiensis and Elasmopus pectenicrus, two cosmopolitan marine gammarids (as per traditional schemes of classification) that naturally proliferate in the wild and in aquaculture facilities. For that purpose, aspects of the population and reproductive biology of the species were characterized and then a series of laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to determine amphipod productivity, the time needed to reach sexual maturity by hatchlings (generation time), cannibalism degree, the effects of sex ratio on fecundity and the effects of diet (shrimp diet, plant-based diet and commercial fish diet) on fecundity and juvenile growth. P. hawaiensis, unlike E. pectenicrus, was easily maintained and propagated in laboratory conditions. P. hawaiensis showed a higher total length (9.3 ± 1.3 mm), wet weight (14.4 ± 6.2 mg), dry weight (10.5 ± 4.4 mg), females/males sex ratio (2.24), fecundity (12.8 ± 5.7 embryos per female), and gross energy content (16.71 ± 0.67 kJ g-1) compared to E. pectenicrus (7.9 ± 1.2 mm total length; 8.4 ± 4.3 mg wet weight; 5.7 ± 3.2 mg dry weight; 1.34 females/males sex ratio; 6.5 ± 3.9 embryos per female; 12.86 ± 0.82 kJ g−1 gross energy content). P. hawaiensis juvenile growth showed a small, but significant, reduction by the use of a plant-based diet compared to a commercial shrimp and fish diet; however, fecundity was not affected, supporting the possible use of inexpensive diets to mass produce amphipods as live or frozen food. Possible limitations of P. hawaiensis could be their quite long generation times (50.9 ± 5.8 days) and relatively low fecundity levels (12.8 ± 5.7 embryos per female). With an observed productivity rate of 0.36 ± 0.08 juveniles per amphipod couple per day, P. hawaiensis could become a specialty feed for species that cannot easily transition to a formulated diet such as seahorses and other highly priced marine ornamental species.Item Sponge-dwelling fauna: a review of known species from the Northwest Tropical Atlantic coral reefs(Pensoft Publishers, 2021-03-15) Pérez-Botello, Antar Mijail; Simões, NunoBackground Within tropical shallow-water coral reefs, marine sponges provide microhabitats for a wide range of fauna. Although there have been numerous studies and reports of symbiotic relationships amongst sponges and their associated fauna, those pieces of information are isolated and disconnected. For this reason, based on the available literature, we compiled a species-interaction dataset of coral reef marine sponge-associated fauna known to date. New information We introduce a dataset that includes 67 literature items that report 101 species of sponge hosts clustered in 12 Orders having a host/guest interaction with 284 guest species from six Phyla present in the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic coral reefs. This dataset consists of two types of information: 1. Machine-readable data and 2. Human-readable data. These two types of coding improve the scope of the dataset and facilitate the link between machine platforms and human-friendly displays. We also created an interactive visualisation of the species-interactions dataset and of a dynamic Chord Diagram of the host-guest species connections to generate a user-friendly link between the user and the dataset.Item The Spotted Cleaner Shrimp, Periclimenes yucatanicus (Ives, 1891), on an Unusual Scleractinian Host(MDPI, 2019-11-12) González-Muñoz, Ricardo; Garese, Agustín; Acuña, Fabián Horacio; Reimer, James D.; Simões, NunoThe spotted cleaner shrimp, Periclimenes yucatanicus (Ives, 1891), forms symbioses with sea anemones that may serve as cleaning stations for reef fishes [1]. This Caribbean palaemonid shrimp has usually been reported in symbiotic association with several species of actiniarian hosts, such as Condylactis gigantea (Weinland, 1860) and Bartholomea annulata (Le Sueur, 1817), or even with some corallimorpharians and a scyphozoan jellyfish [2]. During a field survey at Alacranes coral reef (26 June 2016; 22°27.14’ N, 89°45.79’ W; 13 m depth) on the Campeche Bank, Yucatán Peninsula, México, two spotted shrimps were observed swimming and walking above the polyps of the head coral Montastraea cavernosa (Linnaeus, 1767). Because none of the usual hosts of P. yucatanicus were detected nearby, we hypothesize that the shrimps were using the scleractinian coral as a host. Some other shrimp species commonly associated with actiniarians were previously reported to be living on stony corals, such as Ancylomenes holthuisi (Bruce, 1969) on Heliofungia actiniformis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1833) in New Guinea [3], and Periclimenes rathbunae Schmitt, 1924 on Dendrogyra cylindrus Ehrenberg, 1834 in Curaçao [4]. The observation (see Figure 1) of Montastraea cavernosa hosting Periclimenes yucatanicus is the second report of a palaemonid shrimp in association with a scleractinian coral in the Atlantic Ocean. The ecological implications of this association are unknown but could be related to a low local availability of usual hosts.Item SSP: an R package to estimate sampling effort in studies of ecological communities(Wiley Online Library, 2021-03-31) Guerra-Castro, Edlin J.; Cajas, Juan Carlos; Simões, Nuno; Cruz-Motta, Juan J.; Mascaró, MaiteSSP (simulation‐based sampling protocol) is an R package that uses simulations of ecological data and dissimilarity‐based multivariate standard error (MultSE) as an estimator of precision to evaluate the adequacy of different sampling efforts for studies that will test hypothesis using permutational multivariate analysis of variance. The procedure consists in simulating several extensive data matrixes that mimic some of the relevant ecological features of the community of interest using a pilot data set. For each simulated data, several sampling efforts are repeatedly executed and MultSE calculated. The mean value, 0.025 and 0.975 quantiles of MultSE for each sampling effort across all simulated data are then estimated and standardized regarding the lowest sampling effort. The optimal sampling effort is identified as that in which the increase in sampling effort does not improve the highest MultSE beyond a threshold value (e.g. 2.5%). The performance of SSP was validated using real data. In all three cases, the simulated data mimicked the real data and allowed to evaluate the relationship MultSE – n beyond the sampling size of the pilot studies. SSP can be used to estimate sample size in a wide variety of situations, ranging from simple (e.g. single site) to more complex (e.g. several sites for different habitats) experimental designs. The latter constitutes an important advantage in the context of multi‐scale studies in ecology. An online version of SSP is available for users without an R background.Item Ten Years of Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Projects Since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill(PNAS, 2022-09-16) Diefenderfer, Heida L.; McKinney, Larry D.; Boynton, Walter R.; Heck Jr., Kenneth L.; Kleiss, Barbara A.; Mishra, Deepak R.; Greening, Holly; George II, Albert A.; Carl Kraft, Bethany A.; Kling, Catherine L.In 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Gulf Research Program created the Committee on Long-Term Environmental Trends in the Gulf of Mexico. Our committee was tasked to consider the synthesis of additive, synergistic, and antagonistic cumulative effects resulting from ecosystem restoration following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. This anticipated multidecadal restoration was made possible by dedicated settlement monies, distributed over the past decade as governed by the RESTORE Act of 2012 and other legal vehicles, which are today approaching one-half spent or committed. Thus, in our view, it is important to take stock of progress and, looking forward, to make recommendations regarding strategies for evaluation and management.Item Universities Should Not Abandon Cuba(2017-12-05) McKinney, LarryLarry McKinney, Executive Director Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies Texas A&M University Corpus-Christi I traveled to Cuba on November 14, 2017 only a few days after the US State Department released new restriction for travel to Cuba. My purpose was to sign a cooperative research agreement with the University of Havana. My last trip there was in July to host a joint workshop with the Center for Marine Research (CIM). I could tell no difference, either coming or going between the two travels. I did not expect any. What was different was university response in the USA. My university system's risk assessment office put a hold on my travel and required my president to review and sign-off a second time, specifically because it was Cuba. I received all sorts of dire warnings and safety instruction. It was an abundance of caution, appreciated, but annoying and nothing I had to deal with in the previous three Cuba trips of 2017. Any number of colleagues from other universities questioned the safety of going there, understandable because of recent events. I was more disturbed when I heard from a Cuban colleague that a major New England university that had supported student exchanges in Cuba for more than twenty years had just canceled the program. I hope this is not a general trend with US universities. The general retreat from improving relations with Cuba is disappointing but fortunately, it has not targeted cooperative science efforts and education exchange. My hope is that this was deliberate, a recognition of the value in maintaining these relationships. As a marine scientist from an institute that has worked extensively in Cuba over the last ten years, I have seen the value of positive engagement as opposed to isolation and embargo. Science diplomacy, based on the pursuit of common conservation goals, has been a key element in advancing shared interests through difficult times. These efforts have been instrumental in sustaining contact when other possibilities have closed. My hope is that science will continue to fill that role in the face of a retreating policy of engagement. Despite decades of lingering restrictions, science and research have been an effective means of communicating with our neighbor, less than 100 miles to the south. On issues spanning disaster preparedness and response, fisheries health, the spread of diseases and more, there has been and will continue to be a real need for cooperation. The relatively recent agreement between the AAAS and the Cuban Academy of Sciences signed in April of 2014 to advance scientific cooperation is one of several that continue to build positive relationships and advance science diplomacy. Recently the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program joined with the Harte Research Institute to help develop the next generation of Gulf scholars. The program brings together promising graduate students from around the Gulf of Mexico, including Cuba, to promote international cooperation and to foster a network of future Gulf research leaders. These efforts can only be successful if students and researchers are allowed, and most importantly, encouraged to participate. I do understand that the world is a far more dangerous place than it may have once been. No university wants to put either their staff or students at risk. I do not think Cuba represents any greater risk now, than before the new travel requirements. What we do risk is the significant progress that we have made over many years of productive science diplomacy between our two countries. Derailing that progress would be a tragedy.Item Updated Distribution of the Mysid Antromysis cenotensis (Crustacea: Peracarida), a Protected Key Species in Yucatan Peninsula Cenotes(MDPI, 2021-03-31) Liévano-Beltrán, Luis Arturo; Simões, NunoWe present 52 new geographic location records for the peracarid crustacean Antromysis cenotensis Creaser, 1936, endemic in cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This species is currently considered threatened and, therefore, is protected by Mexican law. These results arise from several expeditions carried out between 2017 and 2020 in 75 locations within the cenote-ring, the interior, and coastal plains of the peninsula. A comprehensive literature review provided 84 geographic location records since the species was described in 1936. A map with 136 geographic location records that better describe the current species distribution is also included. With this information, plus some notes on the ecology of the species, a comprehensive literature and data review, and a brief analysis regarding the possible factors associated with the confirmed absence of the species in some locations in the state of Yucatan, we provide a brief and condensed summary of the actual knowledge on this particular species. The data in Darwin Core format can be retrieved in Zenodo.