Growth patterns and population dynamics of Chiton articulatus (Mollusca: Polyplacophora): A multi-decade study.

The edible chiton Chiton articulatus is a commercially important mollusk found in the rocky intertidal zones of the Mexican tropical Pacific. Despite the intense harvesting in Acapulco Bay, Mexico, knowledge of its growth patterns is limited, hindering the development of effective management strategies. This study investigated the growth dynamics of C. articulatus using a multi-model inference approach based on size structure data collected in four sampling periods covering four decades. Results revealed continuous recruitment throughout the year, contributing to population resilience. The species exhibited growth plasticity, highlighting its adaptive potential. We found complex temporal patterns influenced mainly by climatic events. The El Niño event sowed higher growth rates and lower asymptotic length, while La Niña events showed the opposite pattern. This research provides insights into the growth dynamics of C. articulatus, highlighting the need for holistic management strategies for this commercially important species in the face of environmental change.

Kill site database: A unified dataset on human-megafauna interactions across time and space.

The database presented in this data article is related to the paper "Megafauna kill sites in South America: a critical review" [1]. It includes a list of 134 publications on human-megafauna interaction, with 69 archaeological sites showing human-megafauna interaction. From these sites, 44 present a minimum human-megafauna association, from which up to 17 megafauna kill sites were classified, with up to 15 exploited extinct megafauna taxa. It also provides a list of current taxonomic classifications of extinct megafauna that humans have exploited according to empirical evidence presented in the related paper. The megafauna kill sites were classified based on five restrictive criteria according to Grayson and Meltzer's (2015, 2002), Borrero's (2009) and Mothé et al.'s (2020) protocol. The kill sites database reflects the empirical evidence on megafauna exploitation by humans available in scientific literature and is useful to understand the human-megafauna interactions in the late Quaternary. Finally, we also provide our online repository (www.killsitedatabase.com), an initiative to unify the evidence on megafauna kill sites (and their related data) worldwide, starting in South America.

A covid-19 como uma crise multifacetada e suas implicações sobre o tráfico de pessoas ou outras formas de exploração humana / Covid-19 as a multifaceted crisis and its implications on human trafficking or other forms of human exploitation

Resumo Este ensaio se propõe a analisar em que medida a pandemia de covid-19 e a abordagem a ela conferida afetam a dinâmica do tráfico de pessoas, da exploração sexual, dos abusos laborais, e o atendimento recebido pelas vítimas. O tráfico de pessoas é contextualizado em um cenário de fragilidade global, estabelecendo riscos adicionais relacionados à realidade migrante, à classe social, ao gênero e à idade, e adquirindo agravantes próprios em decorrência da covid-19, considerando-se a redução da investigação e da oferta de assistência aos afetados. As medidas de isolamento repercutem gravemente sobre tais indivíduos, na medida em que deixam de gerar lucros para seus algozes e permanecem em ambientes precários, em um cenário propício à exploração laboral e outras formas de violência. A exploração sexual passa a ser ainda mais clandestina, expondo a vítima a novas formas de pressão e à contaminação. A informação em saúde e a possibilidade de prevenção e tratamento é modesta ou inexistente para as pessoas traficadas, comumente apartadas das estratégias referentes à emergência sanitária, sem acesso aos protocolos de proteção, em meio à ausência de autonomia. Realça-se a necessidade de um modelo sociossanitário inclusivo, em constante observação às demandas relacionadas aos grupos marginalizados.

Abstract This essay aims to analyze to what extent the covid-19 pandemic and the approach given to it affect the dynamics of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, labor abuse, and the care received by victims. Human trafficking is contextualized in a scenario of global fragility, establishing additional risks related to the migrant reality, social class, gender and age, and acquiring its own aggravating factors as a result of covid-19, considering the reduction in investigating and offering assistance to those affected. Isolation measures have a serious impact on these individuals, as they fail to generate profits for their tormentors and remain in precarious environments, in a scenario conducive to labor exploitation and other forms of violence. Sexual exploitation becomes even more clandestine, exposing the victim to new forms of pressure and contamination. Health information and the possibility of prevention and treatment are modest or non-existent for trafficked people, who are commonly cut off from strategies related to health emergencies, without access to protection protocols, amid a lack of autonomy. The need for an inclusive socio-sanitary model, constantly observing the demands related to marginalized groups, is highlighted.