Network


Latest external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.

Hotspot


Dive into the research topics where Rebeca Gasca is active.

Publication


Featured researches published by Rebeca Gasca.


Hydrobiologia | 2004

Associations between gelatinous zooplankton and hyperiid amphipods (Crustacea: Peracarida) in the Gulf of California

Rebeca Gasca; Steven H. D. Haddock

Hyperiid amphipods are pelagic crustaceans that live associated with gelatinous zooplankton including medusae, ctenophores, siphonophores, and salps. Standard plankton sampling disrupts natural associations, so the most reliable way to determine an association is through direct observation of the organisms in their environment. The planktonic fauna of the Gulf of California dwelling between 10 and 3000 m was surveyed using SCUBA diving and a remotely operated submersible (ROV) during March 2003. Here we report our observations on a total of 14 symbiotic associations found between the hyperiid amphipods and various taxa of gelatinous zooplankton. We found parental care behavior in a group of amphipods (Oxycephalidae) in which this phenomenon has not been previously reported. For two hyperiid species, Euthamneus rostratus and Vibilia australis, we present the first information on their symbiotic relations. Additional hosts were discovered for other well-known and widely distributed hyperiid species (i.e. Brachyscelus crusculum, Hyperoche medusarum). Photographic evidence of some of these interactions is included in this contribution. This is the first survey of these relationships in the Gulf of California, and many aspects of the ecology and biology of these symbioses remain to be studied.


Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad | 2010

Summer composition and distribution of the jellyfish (Cnidaria: Medusozoa) in the shelf area off the central Mexican Pacific

Lourdes Segura-Puertas; Carmen Franco-Gordo; Eduardo Suárez-Morales; Rebeca Gasca; Enrique Godínez-Domínguez

Se estudio la composicion, distribucion y abundancia de la comunidad de medusas de la plataforma continental en el Pacifico mexicano durante agosto 1988. Las muestras de zooplancton provienen de transectos en las zonas externa e interna de la plataforma para determinar la estructura de la comunidad de medusas y su variacion durante la epoca de lluvias. Se identificaron 23 especies; las mas abundantes fueron Aglaura hemistoma, Solmundella bitentaculata, Liriope tetraphylla, Pelagia noctiluca y Rhopalonema velatum. La abundancia total de las medusas y la de las especies mas abundantes fue estadisticamente independiente de la profundidad y de la distancia a la costa. Por tanto, la abundancia total de las medusas, la de las especies mas abundantes y la diversidad de Shannon tuvieron una distribucion uniforme en ambas zonas, interna y externa de la plataforma. Adicionalmente, las formas neritico-oceanicas y las plenamente oceanicas se presentaron de manera indistinta a traves de la plataforma. En la parte externa de la plataforma A. hemistoma y S. bitentaculata fueron las especies mas abundantes; por su parte, la primera de estas, junto con L. tetraphylla, caracterizaron aunque debilmente, la comunidad de medusas de la parte interna de la plataforma. La estrechez de la plataforma, la amplia distribucion de las especies mas abundantes y los posibles efectos locales de procesos advectivos desde la zona oceanica ocultaron un gradiente definido a traves de la plataforma. Se encontraron 3 especies que no habian sido registradas previamente en el Pacifico mexicano: Amphinema dinema (Peron and Lesueur, 1810), Sarsia coccometra Bigelow, 1909, y Clytia mccradyi (Brooks, 1888). La presencia de A. dinema representa el primer registro de esta especie en el Pacifico oriental.


Invertebrate Reproduction & Development | 2014

Late postnaupliar development of Monstrilla sp. (Copepoda: Monstrilloida), a protelean endoparasite of benthic polychaetes

Eduardo Suárez-Morales; Leslie H. Harris; Frank D. Ferrari; Rebeca Gasca

Polychaete specimens from Hawaii were infected by the copepod Monstrilla. The development of these protelean parasites has remained unstudied for more than a century. Three postnaupliar endoparasitic stages were obtained: copepodids CIII, CIV, and CV, the latter stage found previous to and during emergence. Copepodid development, including the body and appendages (antennules, legs 1–4, caudal rami), is described and analyzed. The feeding tubes and the exiting from the host are also described. In light of the recently proposed inclusion of monstrilloids among caligiform copepods, it was found that monstrilloid copepodid development diverges from caligiforms and other copepod groups in: (1) the segmentation of the urosome at CIII, (2) the early formation of a genital complex, (3) early completion of swimming legs setation, at CIII; (4) delayed segmentation of rami of leg 3 at CIII (vs. the usual two-segmented pattern), (5) loss of one exopodal seta of leg 1 at CIV, (6) full development of leg 1 endopod vs. usually vestigial condition in caligiforms; (7) earlier segmentation of leg 4 rami, and (8) stable interstage (CIII–CV) setation pattern of legs 3 and 4. Overall, monstrilloid development appears to have unique characters and their phylogenetic relations deserve further study.


Crustaceana | 2010

New records of hyperiids (Amphipoda, Hyperiidea) from surface waters of the central Mexican Pacific.

Rebeca Gasca; Eduardo Suárez-Morales; Carmen Franco-Gordo

[Zooplankton samples were obtained monthly between January and December 1998 from surface waters off the Mexican Pacific coast (18°58.6′-19°16.7′N 104°17.8′-104°56.2′W), Eastern Tropical Pacific. An analysis of the hyperiid amphipods collected yielded 18 new records for this area, which was previously surveyed during a two-year period. New local records of genera ( Hemityphis , Hyperoche , Schyzoscelus , Tryphana ) and two new records of families (Hyperiidae and Tryphanidae) in the area surveyed are presented. Four species have not hitherto been recorded in the entire Mexican Pacific. These data are added to the knowledge of the Mexican tropical hyperiid fauna, south of the main influence of the California Current. The hyperiid amphipod fauna for waters of the central Mexican Pacific now stands at 80 species. This unexpected increase in the number of species (28%) in the area during 1998, after previous accounts of more than two years of sampling that included seasons with warm water conditions, is noteworthy. Most (16) of the newly recorded species are warm-water forms whose occurrence in the surveyed area coincides with the arrival of oceanic tropical waters related to the influence of the 1998 El Nino event in the area. The remaining two species are regarded as pseudo-antitropical forms. Se obtuvieron muestras de zooplancton mensualmente entre enero y diciembre de 1998 en aguas superficiales frente a la costa central del Pacifico de Mexico (18°58.6′-19°16.7′N 104°17.8′-104°56.2′W), en el Pacifico Tropical Oriental. El analisis de los anfipodos hiperideos produjo 18 nuevos registros para el area que fue estudiada previamente durante un periodo de dos anos. Estos datos se anaden al conocimiento de la fauna regional y mexicana de hiperideos, incluyendo nuevos registros locales de generos ( Hemityphis , Hyperoche , Schyzoscelus , Tryphana ) y de dos familias (Hyperiidae y Tryphanidae) en el area de estudio. Cuatro especies no habian sido registradas en todo el Pacifico Mexicano. Estos datos se agregan al conocimiento de los hiperideos tropicales que habitan aguas mexicanas al sur de la principal influencia de la Corriente de California. La fauna de anfipodos hiperideos de aguas del Pacifico central mexicano suma ahora 80 especies. Este incremento inesperado en el numero de especies (28%) en esta area durante 1998, despues de un estudio de mas de dos anos de muestreos que incluyo epocas con influencia de aguas calidas, es notable. La mayoria (16) de las especies encontradas como nuevos registros son formas de aguas calidas cuya presencia en el area estudiada coincide con el arribo de aguas oceanicas tropicales relacionadas con la influencia del evento El Nino 1998 en esta area. Las dos especies restantes se consideran formas pseudo-antitropicales. , Zooplankton samples were obtained monthly between January and December 1998 from surface waters off the Mexican Pacific coast (18°58.6′-19°16.7′N 104°17.8′-104°56.2′W), Eastern Tropical Pacific. An analysis of the hyperiid amphipods collected yielded 18 new records for this area, which was previously surveyed during a two-year period. New local records of genera ( Hemityphis , Hyperoche , Schyzoscelus , Tryphana ) and two new records of families (Hyperiidae and Tryphanidae) in the area surveyed are presented. Four species have not hitherto been recorded in the entire Mexican Pacific. These data are added to the knowledge of the Mexican tropical hyperiid fauna, south of the main influence of the California Current. The hyperiid amphipod fauna for waters of the central Mexican Pacific now stands at 80 species. This unexpected increase in the number of species (28%) in the area during 1998, after previous accounts of more than two years of sampling that included seasons with warm water conditions, is noteworthy. Most (16) of the newly recorded species are warm-water forms whose occurrence in the surveyed area coincides with the arrival of oceanic tropical waters related to the influence of the 1998 El Nino event in the area. The remaining two species are regarded as pseudo-antitropical forms. Se obtuvieron muestras de zooplancton mensualmente entre enero y diciembre de 1998 en aguas superficiales frente a la costa central del Pacifico de Mexico (18°58.6′-19°16.7′N 104°17.8′-104°56.2′W), en el Pacifico Tropical Oriental. El analisis de los anfipodos hiperideos produjo 18 nuevos registros para el area que fue estudiada previamente durante un periodo de dos anos. Estos datos se anaden al conocimiento de la fauna regional y mexicana de hiperideos, incluyendo nuevos registros locales de generos ( Hemityphis , Hyperoche , Schyzoscelus , Tryphana ) y de dos familias (Hyperiidae y Tryphanidae) en el area de estudio. Cuatro especies no habian sido registradas en todo el Pacifico Mexicano. Estos datos se agregan al conocimiento de los hiperideos tropicales que habitan aguas mexicanas al sur de la principal influencia de la Corriente de California. La fauna de anfipodos hiperideos de aguas del Pacifico central mexicano suma ahora 80 especies. Este incremento inesperado en el numero de especies (28%) en esta area durante 1998, despues de un estudio de mas de dos anos de muestreos que incluyo epocas con influencia de aguas calidas, es notable. La mayoria (16) de las especies encontradas como nuevos registros son formas de aguas calidas cuya presencia en el area estudiada coincide con el arribo de aguas oceanicas tropicales relacionadas con la influencia del evento El Nino 1998 en esta area. Las dos especies restantes se consideran formas pseudo-antitropicales. ]


Journal of Plankton Research | 2009

Distribution of hyperiid amphipods (Crustacea) of the southern Gulf of Mexico, summer and winter, 1991

Rebeca Gasca; Heyden Manzanilla; Eduardo Suárez-Morales

The distribution and abundance of the hyperiid amphipods of the southern Gulf of Mexico was analyzed from zooplankton samples collected during summer and winter 1991. We evaluated the effect of the local hydrographic conditions, characterized by mesoscale eddies, on the hyperiid community. We explored the presumed correlation of hyperiids with siphonophores, one of the groups of gelatinous zooplankton to which they are symbionts. It was expected that hyperiids were more abundant in areas related to cyclonic eddies and less abundant in the anticyclonic eddies than in the surrounding waters, but most differences were not significant. Both our data set and previous observations are not conclusive because they are based on low resolution sampling grids. Hyperiids were significantly more abundant at night. Of the 57 species of hyperiids recorded, Lestrigonus bengalensis was widely dominant in both seasons. It was significantly correlated (Spearman r) with the siphonophore Muggiaea kochi during the winter and with Diphyes dispar in the summer, when this siphonophore was most abundant. It is suggested that the association takes place and is detectable when and where both species are highly abundant. There are other significant siphonophore/amphipod correlations; most are not likely to represent symbiotic associations. Variations of the gulf hyperiid community are related to: (i) the dominance of L. bengalensis, (ii) the seasonal abundance of the siphonophore D. dispar, mainly in relation to L. bengalensis, (iii) the anomalous occurrence of deep-living forms and (iv) day/night variations. The presumed influence of mesoscale eddies on the gulf hyperiid community deserves further study.


PLOS ONE | 2017

Time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of pteropods.

Alice K. Burridge; Christine Hörnlein; Arie W. Janssen; Martin Hughes; Stephanie L. Bush; Ferdinand Marlétaz; Rebeca Gasca; A.C. Pierrot-Bults; Ellinor Michel; Jonathan A. Todd; Jeremy R. Young; Karen J. Osborn; S.B.J. Menken; Katja T. C. A. Peijnenburg

Pteropods are a widespread group of holoplanktonic gastropod molluscs and are uniquely suitable for study of long-term evolutionary processes in the open ocean because they are the only living metazoan plankton with a good fossil record. Pteropods have been proposed as bioindicators to monitor the impacts of ocean acidification and in consequence have attracted considerable research interest, however, a robust evolutionary framework for the group is still lacking. Here we reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and examine the evolutionary history of pteropods based on combined analyses of Cytochrome Oxidase I, 28S, and 18S ribosomal rRNA sequences and a molecular clock calibrated using fossils and the estimated timing of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Euthecosomes with uncoiled shells were monophyletic with Creseis as the earliest diverging lineage, estimated at 41–38 million years ago (mya). The coiled euthecosomes (Limacina, Heliconoides, Thielea) were not monophyletic contrary to the accepted morphology-based taxonomy; however, due to their high rate heterogeneity no firm conclusions can be drawn. We found strong support for monophyly of most euthecosome genera, but Clio appeared as a polyphyletic group, and Diacavolinia grouped within Cavolinia, making the latter genus paraphyletic. The highest evolutionary rates were observed in Heliconoides inflatus and Limacina bulimoides for both 28S and 18S partitions. Using a fossil-calibrated phylogeny that sets the first occurrence of coiled euthecosomes at 79–66 mya, we estimate that uncoiled euthecosomes evolved 51–42 mya and that most extant uncoiled genera originated 40–15 mya. These findings are congruent with a molecular clock analysis using the Isthmus of Panama formation as an independent calibration. Although not all phylogenetic relationships could be resolved based on three molecular markers, this study provides a useful resource to study pteropod diversity and provides general insight into the processes that generate and maintain their diversity in the open ocean.


Marine Biodiversity | 2017

Symbiotic associations of crustaceans and a pycnogonid with gelatinous zooplankton in the Gulf of California

Rebeca Gasca; William E. Browne

Symbiotic associations between pelagic arthropods and gelatinous zooplankters were surveyed and analyzed via blue-water SCUBA and a remotely operated submersible (ROV) during March 2015 in the Gulf of California. Our analyses focused on hyperiid amphipods (10 species), copepods (1), and pycnogonids (1) associated with different groups of gelata. Here. we report observations on 13 previously undocumented and 4 known symbiotic associations. The nature and dynamics of these associations are still poorly understood, particularly those involving deep-living taxa. The discovery of the pycnogonid Bathypallenopsis calcanea (Stephensen, 1933) in association with the medusa Aeginura grimaldii Maas, 1904 was predicted by Hedgpeth (Deep-Sea Res 9:487–491, 1962). We include in vivo or in situ photographs of some of these associations. The Megalanceoloides, previously reported as M. remipes (Barnard), are here recognized as belonging to a new species. These new data represent a significant addition to our knowledge of these symbiotic associations in the mid- and deep waters of the Gulf of California.


Zootaxa | 2016

The rare deep-living hyperiid amphipod Megalanceoloides remipes (Barnard, 1932): complementary description and symbiosis

Rebeca Gasca; Steven H. D. Haddock

A female ovigerous specimen of the rare deep-living hyperiid Megalanceoloides remipes (Barnard, 1932) was collected with a remotely operated submersible (ROV) at a depth of 2,094 m in the Farallon Basin, Gulf of California. The specimen was found to be symbiotically associated with the siphonophore Apolemia sp. Eschscholtz, 1829. Hitherto, this species was known only from two other specimens, one from the South Atlantic and another from the Indian Ocean; the present record is the first from the Pacific Ocean. Previous descriptions lacked morphological details of different appendages; these data are provided here. In addition, we present the first data on its symbiotic association from in situ observations. The colors of the hyperiid and of some parts of the Apolemid were very similar, thus supporting the notion that some hyperiids tend to mimic the color of its host.


Crustaceana | 2015

Sapphirina irisDana, 1849 and S. sinuicaudaBrady, 1883 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida): predators of salps in Monterey Bay and the Gulf of California

Rebeca Gasca; Eduardo Suárez-Morales; Steven H. D. Haddock

Species of the copepod genus SapphirinaThompson, 1829 are deemed as specialized predators of salps. There are only a few documented records of such copepods actually found within their prey. During two cruises of the R/V “Western Flyer” of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute), SCUBA diving was used to sample the zooplankton in Monterey Bay and the Gulf of California. An ovigerous female of Sapphirina irisDana, 1849 and a male of S. sinuicaudaBrady, 1883 were collected inside aggregate zooids of the salp Pegea confoederata(Forskal, 1775). Also, two adult females of S. iriswere recorded inside P. socia(Bosc, 1802); both were lodged near the orifices they made to enter the salp’s body. This is the first documented record of the association involving these sapphirinid copepods lodged in their prey. The high number of eggs of the female S. irissupports the suggestion that sapphirinids have a higher fecundity than that of other planktonic copepods, an adaptive strategy related to their mode of life. The find of the male S. sinuicaudaattached inside the salp differs from earlier observations on the behaviour of sapphirinid males.


PLOS ONE | 2017

Diet and stable isotope analyses reveal the feeding ecology of the orangeback squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855) (Mollusca, Ommastrephidae) in the eastern tropical Atlantic

Véronique Merten; Bernd Christiansen; Jamileh Javidpour; Uwe Piatkowski; Oscar Puebla; Rebeca Gasca; Henk-Jan T. Hoving

In the eastern tropical Atlantic, the orangeback flying squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855) (Cephalopoda, Ommastrephidae) is a dominant species of the epipelagic nekton community. This carnivore squid has a short lifespan and is one of the fastest-growing squids. In this study, we characterise the role of S. pteropus in the pelagic food web of the eastern tropical Atlantic by investigating its diet and the dynamics of its feeding habits throughout its ontogeny and migration. During three expeditions in the eastern tropical Atlantic in 2015, 129 specimens were caught by hand jigging. Stomach content analyses (via visual identification and DNA barcoding) were combined with stable isotope data (∂15N and ∂13C) of muscle tissue to describe diet, feeding habits and trophic ecology of S. pteropus. Additionally, stable isotope analyses of incremental samples along the squid’s gladius—the chitinous spiniform structure supporting the muscles and organs—were carried out to explore possible diet shifts through ontogeny and migration. Our results show that S. pteropus preys mainly on myctophid fishes (e.g. Myctophum asperum, Myctophum nitidulum, Vinciguerria spp.), but also on other teleost species, cephalopods (e.g. Enoploteuthidae, Bolitinidae, Ommastrephidae), crustaceans and possibly on gelatinous zooplankton as well. The squid shows a highly opportunistic feeding behaviour that includes cannibalism. Our study indicates that the trophic position of S. pteropus may increase by approximately one trophic level from a mantle length of 15 cm to 47 cm. The reconstructed isotope-based feeding chronologies of the gladii revealed high intra- and inter-individual variability in the squid’s trophic position and foraging area. These findings are not revealed by diet or muscle tissue stable isotope analysis. This suggests a variable and complex life history involving individual variation and migration. The role of S. pteropus in transferring energy and nutrients from lower to higher trophic levels may be underestimated and important for understanding how a changing ocean impacts food webs in the eastern Atlantic.

Collaboration


Dive into the Rebeca Gasca's collaboration.

Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Eduardo Suárez-Morales

National Museum of Natural History

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Steven H. D. Haddock

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Lourdes Segura-Puertas

National Autonomous University of Mexico

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Karen J. Osborn

National Museum of Natural History

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Edgar Gamero-Mora

Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo

View shared research outputs
Top Co-Authors

Avatar

Gerardo Ceballos-Corona

Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo

View shared research outputs
Researchain Logo
Decentralizing Knowledge