The anatomical relationship between the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) and the inferior thyroid artery (ITA) was studied in 76 embalmed corpses, 8 females and 68 males. In both sexes, the RLN lay more frequently between branches of the ITA.; it was found in this position in 47.3% of male corpses and 42.8% of female ones. On the right, RLN was found between branches of the ITA in 49.3% of the cases, anterior to it in 38.04%, and posterior in 11.26%. On the left, the RLN lay between branches of the ITA in 44.45%, posterior to the ITA in 37.05%, and anterior to it in 18.05% of the cases. In 62.68% of the cases, the relationship found on one side did not occur again on the opposite side. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the distribution of the 3 types of relationships between the RLN and the ITA, on the right and on the left. Racial variations could contribute to an explanation of the differences observed by authors of different countries in the relationship between the RLN and the ITA.

The growth and reproductive biology of the limpet Patella aspera were studied in the north-eastern Atlantic, Madeira archipelago, to enhance the knowledge concerning biological parameters and population dynamics of this species. This study comprised the estimation of growth rates, sexual maturity, reproduction, recruitment patterns, mortality coefficients and the exploitation rate, and yield-per-recruit (Y/R) based on monthly shell-length frequency data. A total of 16,941 specimens were sampled from January to December 2015. The relative growth pattern exhibited a negative allometric nature of growth for both sexes. The estimated von Bertalanffy growth parameters showed an asymptotic length of 84.15 mm for females and 80.51 mm for males with a growth coefficient of 0.36 and 0.32 year −1 respectively. P. aspera in this geographical area is a moderately long-lived limpet with a predominance of specimens younger than 3 years old. This species is a winter breeder with a reproductive cycle encompassing three main periods namely development, spawning and resting with a synchronous gametogenesis for both sexes. Gonadal development lasts from October to December, spawning likely occurs from January until April and resting occurs from May to September. The mean size at sexual maturity was determined as 41.78 mm for females and 38.29 mm for males and the length at first capture as 42.62 mm. The recruitment pattern was continuous throughout the year with a major peak identified in March. The natural, fishing and total mortalities were similar between sexes, with fishing mortality exerting greatest pressure on this resource. However, yield-per-recruit analysis showed that the stock of P. aspera, in the study area, is exploited at levels below the fishing mortality that returns maximum sustainable yield. This study revealed that currently the stock of P. aspera is under-exploited, nonetheless due to it's slow growth and long life, continuous monitoring and the enforcement of the existing harvest regulations must be accomplished if future overexploitation is to be avoided. Further genetic studies are necessary to establish connectivity of the populations and improve present conservation strategies.

This work reviews a broad spectrum of subjects associated to Patellid limpets' biology such as growth, reproduction, and recruitment, also the consequences of commercial exploitation on the stocks and the effects of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the biology and populational dynamics of these intertidal grazers. Knowledge of limpets' biological traits plays an important role in providing proper background for their effective management. This chapter focuses on determining the effect of biotic and abiotic factors that influence these biological characteristics and associated geographical patterns. Human exploitation of limpets is one of the main causes of disturbance in the intertidal ecosystem and has occurred since prehistorical times resulting in direct and indirect alterations in the abundance and size structure of the target populations. The implementation of MPAs has been shown to result in greater biomass, abundance, and size of limpets and to counter other negative anthropogenic effects. However, inefficient planning and lack of surveillance hinder the accomplishment of the conservation purpose of MPAs. Inclusive conservation approaches involving all the stakeholders could guarantee future success of conservation strategies and sustainable exploitation. This review also aims to establish how beneficial MPAs are in enhancing recruitment and yield of adjacent exploited populations.

Life history traits of Patella candei were studied for the first time, including weight versus length relationship, growth, age structure, sexual maturity, recruitment pattern, mortality rates and yield and biomass-per-recruit of an exploited population in Madeira Island, north-eastern Atlantic using monthly length -frequency data from January to December 1999. The growth pattern of P. candei showed positive allometric nature of growth (b . 3, P , 0.05). The estimated growth parameters showed an asymptotic length (L 1 ) and growth coefficient (K) estimated at 80.81 mm and K at 0.32 year 21 with a growth performance index (w ′ ) calculated as 3.32 based on the collected data. This species is moderately long-lived reaching up to 9.36 years and achieving sexual maturity at 36.7 mm of shell length. The recruitment pattern was continuous, displaying a major peak event per year, occurring in January (25.12%). The estimated total mortality rate (Z) was 1.79 year 21 while natural mortality rate (M) was 0.55 year 21 and fishing mortality rate (F) was 1.24 year 21 . The probability of capture shows that the length at first capture (Lc) was 42.7 mm, the exploitation rate (E) 0.693 and the maximum allowable limit of exploitation (E max ) was 0.779 for the highest yield. The exploitation rate was less than the predicted E max values, showing that the stock of P. candei was found to be under-exploited in the investigated area; however, its slow growth and long life make it extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation.

No abstract