Nesta comunicação tentaremos estabelecer os principais tipos de fácies apresentadas pelos tufos desta área do Algarve Central, articulando os mesmos com os potenciais paleoambientes de formação. Os principais tipos de fácies identificadas correspondem a fácies detríticas (conglomerado e tufos pulverulentos) e de optimum de acumulação (tufo biohérmico), sendo que os primeiros podem corresponder às fases iniciais e erosivas do afloramento e os segundos a períodos construtivos dos tufos calcários.

Modern and fossil carbonate tufa outcrops exist in the Algarve (S Portugal), where climate is Mediterranean and all modern incrusting springs are intermittent and fed by Jurassic aquifers. The major Pleistocene tufa on the Algibre flexure southern slopes are in the Cadouço, São Lourenço and Rio Seco streams basins. There were identified fluvial barrier tufas and low energy fluvial tufas. The Algarve has three main geomorphological domains: the Paleozoic flysch mountains, the Meso-cenozoic karst hills and the littoral Plio-Pleistocene detrital platform.Located in the Eurasian-Nubian plates boundary, the whole system have been deformed by distensive and compressive tectonics, which give rise to a complex groundwater system. Neotectonical activity has been reported in many works. Feio (1952) identified Pliocene and Quaternary marine platforms up to 160 m a.s.l., but also mature levels at 200 m along with other plain surfaces. The largest tufa platforms lie in unconformity with the currentdrainage system, where outcrops are dominated by low gradient facies, v. g. detrital bedded lime muds. Machados platform is dominated by bryophytes and other rapid flow facies, and cemented riverbed upstream. These outcrops lie down on larger areas in Loulé and Lagos e Relva, at altitudes between 160-200 and 120-150 respectively. Environmentally conformal tufas occupy some sectors of the modern Cadouço, Rio Seco and São Lourenço streams. Modern tufa range from spring dominated mounds in Lagos eRelva and barrier and low gradient fluvial dominated tufas (v. g. São Lourenço and Loulé). The ocean proximity enables the formation of eustatic platforms, which provided substratum for tufa accumulations. Vertical movements, including salt tectonics, and lowstands promoted fluvial incision and later tufa developments in modern streams. Acknowledgments: Financed by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia PhD grant SFRH/BD/62323/2009.

The continental carbonates, such as travertine and tufa, are among the sediments recording climate change manly during Quaternary times. Their lithofacies and petrofacies are useful for understanding the related hydrologic, geomorphologic and climatic processes as well as the depositional palaeoenvironments. Thus, the present work deal with the analysis and interpretation of the main facies association of Tetouan city travertine cliffs and terraces. According to morphologic, sedimentologic and petrographic investigations coupled with 1/5000 scale mapping, four main facies associations were recognized and show from the top to bottom: i) barrage and cascade limestones, ii) base of the cascade limestone breccias and blocks, iii) lacustrine detrital deposits and iv) carbonate pedogenic crusts. The barrage facies associationis characterized by carbonate deposits with a wide textural features: a) massive micritic limestone, b) brecciated limestone with remnants of calcified leaves, stems of macrophytes and fresh-water gastropods, c) thin-layered calcite sheets (probably corresponding to ancient algal mats) or calcite layers to remnants of herbaceous plants, d) soft black pocket marls with remnants of calcified leaves, stems and mollusks (i.e. terrestrial and fresh-water gastropods). The base of the cascade facies association, located at the east and the central part of the escarpment, is made of fallen blocks detached from the carbonate build-up that constitutes the dam that are embedded in multi-colored crystalline travertine bands. The third facies association is constituted by detrital sediment strata with an obvious contribution from barrage and cascade limestones mainly supplied from the Dorsal calcaire relieves mainly made of calcacareous plateform deposits The fourth facies association correspond mainly to pedogenic carbonate crusts usually topping outcrops of lacustrine sediments, but also present in erosive surfaces or within cascade limestones. Vertical NNE-SSW fracture sets are found in the Oued Martil slope, fulfilled by carbonate crust-like material. Tetouan travertine petrofacies are mainly represented by: i) rolled crusts made of different morphological types: cylindrical, oncholites, flat and corrugated crystallized around various nucleus. ii) detrital fine to medium grained calcareous sands, iii) homogenous micritic facies with primary precipitation of micrite during periods of low flow velocities and calm waters and probably in relation to microbial activities, iv) micrite-coarse banded crystalline sheets consist of palisade calcite crystals related to cyclic changes in chemical, physical and/or environmental conditions or even diurnal cycles of microbial activity. In addition, this study has highlighted that Tetouan travertines may have formed under strong hydrodynamic environments within rapid water flow waterfalls intercalated with slower flow and calm waters periods. These travertines may also record the occurrence of seasonal climatic variations related to microclimatic fluctuation during part of the Holocene. In Southern Portugal the same type of Holocene terrestrial carbonate deposits, exhibit similarities in the petrofacies observed and in the facies association. A smaller urban coverage allows a detailed observation of the outcrops showing the existence of active and fossil incrusting systems fed by the Jurassic aquifers.

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related protein (PTHrP) are two factors that share amino acid sequence homology and act via a common receptor. In tetrapods, PTH is the main endocrine factor acting in bone and kidney to regulate calcium and phosphate. PTHrP is an essential paracrine developmental factor present in many tissues and is involved in the regulation of ossification, mammary gland development, muscle relaxation, and other functions. Fish apparently lack an equivalent of the parathyroid gland and were long thought to be devoid of PTH. Only in recent years has the existence of PTH-like peptides and their receptors in fish been firmly established. Two forms of PTH, two of PTHrP, and a protein with intermediate characteristics designated PTH-L are encoded by separate genes in teleost fish. Three receptors encoded by separate genes in fish mediate PTH/PTHrP actions, whereas only two receptors have so far been found in terrestrial vertebrates. PTHrP has been more intensively studied than PTH, from lampreys to advanced teleosts. It is expressed in many tissues and is present in high concentration in fish blood. Administration of this peptide alters calcium metabolism and has marked effects on associated gene expression and enzyme activity in vivo and in vitro. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the physiological roles, distribution, and molecular relationships of the piscine PTH-like peptides.

In previous in vitro studies, we have shown that the N-terminal region of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) can stimulate cortisol production in sea bream, Sparus auratus, interrenal tissue, possibly through a paracrine action. In the current study, the systemic interaction between cortisol and PTHrP was studied in vivo. Sustained elevated blood cortisol levels, induced either by cortisol injection or conWnement stress, suppressed circulating PTHrP 6 and 24-fold,respectively, by comparison to control Wsh.reduced cortisol levels, prevented the decrease of plasma PTHrP observed in conWned Wsh and raised plasma PTHrPrespectively, by comparison to control fish.

The factors that control Ca2+ and Pi transport in the fish nephron are unclear. In tetrapods these ions are primarily regulated by calcitonin and PTH. Recently several PTH-like proteins were found in fish but their roles are not known. In fish larvae, PTHrP enhanced total Ca2+ uptake, increasing influx and reducing efflux.

Scale loss is a common occurrence in both wild fish and those in aquaculture production systems, and regeneration of scales has been described in several freshwater species. Relatively little information exists about this process in marine fish, and in the present study, the chronology of scale regeneration was characterized in juvenile sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax, maintained in full seawater (SW; 36 %, 11.2 mM Ca2?) or brackish water (BW; 3.5 %, 1.1 mM Ca2?). Despite the significant differences in plasma osmolality, plasma calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) were similar between SW and BW.

The effects of an N-terminal peptide (amino acids 1-38) of Fugu parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP 1-38) on calcium regulation of larval sea bream were investigated in seawater (36 per thousand) and after transfer to dilute seawater (12 per thousand). Exposure to PTHrP 1-38 evoked a 1.5-fold increase in calcium influx in both full-strength and dilute seawater. Calcium influx in dilute seawater-adapted larvae was roughly one-half that observed in full-strength seawater controls. PTHrP 1-38 also reduced drinking of fish in seawater but, at all concentrations tested, was without effect in dilute seawater. The amount of water imbibed was 55% lower in dilute seawater than in seawater. PTHrP 1-38 exposure affected the calcium influx route: the main contribution of calcium uptake shifted from intestinal absorption to extraintestinal uptake, probably by the induction of a dose-dependent increase in branchial (active) transport. Moreover, seawater-adapted fish exposed to 1 nM and 10 mM PTHrP 1-38 experienced a 2.5-fold reduction in overall calcium efflux. Overall, the calciotropic action of PTHrP 1-38 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in net calcium balance.

Whole-body calcium uptake was studied in gilthead sea bream larvae (9–83·mg) in response to changing environmental salinity and [Ca2+]. Calcium uptake increased with increased fish size and salinity. Fish exposed to calcium-enriched, diluted seawater showed increased calcium uptake compared with fish in diluted seawater alone. Calcium uptake was unchanged in Na+- enriched, diluted seawater. Overall, [Ca2+], and not salinity/osmolarity per se, appears to be the main factor contributing to calcium uptake. By contrast, drinking was reduced by a decrease in salinity/osmolarity but was little affected by external [Ca2+]. Calculations of the maximum contribution from drinking-associated calcium uptake showed that it became almost insignificant (less than 10%) through a strong decrease in drinking rate at low salinities (0–8‰). Diluted seawater enriched in calcium to the concentration present in full-strength seawater (i.e. constant calcium, decreasing salinity) restored intestinal calcium uptake to normal. Extra-intestinal calcium uptake also benefited from calcium addition but to a lesser extent.

The gilthead sea bream (Sparus auratu) is a marine species often found in coastal lagoons, experimenting episodic exposures to both brackish and hypersaline environments. However, little is known about the underlying endocrine mechanisms controlling osmoregulation in this and in most marine species. This study aimed at characterising some of the endocrine basis of sea bream osmoregulation, with emphasis on calcium homeostasis. Juvenile fish were exposed to different salinities, either by direct transfer or continuous adaptation over a short period of time. Salinities ranged from 0 to 55 p.p.t. and sampling was carried out 4, 24, 96 and 192 h after transfer. Six fish per group and per time point were sacrificed and plasma and tissue samples were collected. Osmolarity, osmolites and cortisol were measured in plasma. Prolactin, growth hormone, stanniocalcin, and calcitonin mRNA expressions were determined by PCR and northern blot. Mortality occurred after 4 hours in FW. Sea bream fry (2 month old, 20-60 may) were exposed to hypersaline and dilute seawater loaded with Ca and calcium fluxes were determined. Exposure of fry to lowered external salinity (50 and 25% SW) resulted in no mortality within 24 h and significantly decreased whole body calcium influx. Results will be discussed in relation to gene expression.