JP2020510446A - Methods, compositions and kits for containment of marine invertebrates - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods, compositions and kits and their use for the containment of marine invertebrates, in particular the containment of starfish starfish. Such organisms can cause significant damage to coral reefs or other environments where corals are present. The methods, compositions and kits of the invention have a series of advantages in terms of efficacy, ease of implementation and cost.

Description

  The present invention relates to methods, compositions, kits and uses thereof for the containment of marine invertebrates, in particular the containment of starfish Acanthaster planci. Such organisms can cause significant damage to coral reefs or other environments where corals reside.

  Uncontrolled spread of marine invertebrates, such as certain coelenterates and echinoderms, is extremely dangerous to marine ecosystems. In particular, starfish Acanthaster planci and starfish onistar (common name: brown of stars starfish) exclusively eat corals, and have great destructive potential with respect to corals. It is an aggressive, relatively fast predator that eats by climbing coral reefs and bending the stomach over polyps, releasing digestive enzymes and absorbing liquefied organic tissue. A single specimen can destroy up to 6 square meters of coral in one year. Good reefs can tolerate between 20 and 30 specimens of starfish per hectare, a number that has been widely exceeded in several countries to date.

  In the prior art, several methods have been proposed for killing and / or removing the starfish, for example, Japanese Patent Application 2007-161691 describes the use of ammonium salts. These methods have the undesirable effect of stimulating gamete overproduction by starfish. In fact, under stress conditions, it activates the mechanism leading to the instantaneous release of gametes and immediately produces a new starfish. Data can be produced). In addition, if adult starfish is fragmented, each fragment can regenerate a new individual (eg, if cut in half during a month, can regenerate the lost half, or two halves can be combined) To form an individual again).

  Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-306050 describes the use of specific nets secured to the seabed to contain damage to corals. However, the use of this structure is invasive, expensive and hardly applicable.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide methods, compositions and kits that contain the spread of environmentally harmful marine invertebrates without the disadvantages of the prior art.

  Accordingly, a technical problem posed and solved by the present invention is to provide methods, compositions and kits for containing marine invertebrates that are effective, simple to implement, and inexpensive.

  Such an object is solved by a method according to claim 1, a composition according to claim 13, and a kit according to claim 15.

  Preferred features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

  Other advantages, features and modes of use of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of some embodiments, given by way of example and not limitation.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of an example of a starfish showing the location of the genital foramen on the back of a living body.

  The method of the present invention aims to contain marine invertebrates whose uncontrollable spread may damage the environment. In particular, the method relates to the containment of coelenterates and echinoderms, such as, for example, the Starfish Acanthaster planci, the Starfish belonging to the genus genus culcita, and the cavities belonging to the genus Aiptasia. For containment of intestinal animals. The containment of these organisms helps protect the marine environment, especially coral reefs. On the other hand, the spread of coelenterates belonging to the genus Aiptasia has very dangerous consequences in aquaria. This method provides, as an essential step, the deposition of a composition suitable for blocking the pores of an organism, where pores mean any opening of the organism towards the outside world, The opening is necessary for the survival of the opening itself.

  According to one embodiment, the method comprises disposing a composition suitable for blocking the opening of pores that tend to release gametes on a starfish, in particular on the opposite side of the animal (towards the water) Providing a step of depositing on the substrate.

  Pouring the composition into the pores blocks the release of gametes, thereby limiting its uncontrolled regeneration that causes damage to the marine environment.

  As used herein, a "composition suitable for blocking the opening of pores that are prone to release gametes" is sufficient for the composition to remain attached to the outer surface of the echinoderm. And that it is characterized by a viscosity sufficient to prevent the release of gametes throughout the dorsal region where such release occurs.

  According to one embodiment, the composition comprises or consists of a vinyl gel. Examples of vinyl gels that can be used include alcohol-polyvinyl copolymers having a molecular weight ranging from 1000 Da to 1,000,000 Da, copolymers of polyvinyl acetate having a weight ranging from 1000 Da to 1,000,000 Da, or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the polymer will be used with between 10 and 99.9% hydrolysis, and the polymerization will preferably be obtained in the presence of borax and / or boric acid.

  According to one embodiment, the composition may further comprise agar, agarose or a similar polysaccharide. This is preferably a concentration between 5 and 10% by weight. Agar increases viscosity and facilitates holding carbonated sand in place.

  According to one embodiment, the composition can further include titanium dioxide. This is preferably a concentration between 0.5 and 5%.

  Advantageously, titanium dioxide facilitates the detection of marine animals, especially sea starfish, even at times following the deposition of gamete-blocking products, thereby facilitating removal of gametes from the environment by the operator. Furthermore, the color provided by the titanium dioxide facilitates the positioning of the product on the starfish, as the product looks essentially translucent.

  According to one embodiment, the composition may further comprise carbonate sand, preferably having a particle size distribution between 0.5 and 5 mm. For example, this is a concentration between 10 and 40% by weight.

  Carbonated sand makes the gelatinous product heavier and can be easily kept in place. Carbonate sand is nothing less than coral sand on the tropical seabed where coral reefs are located. Since coral sand is everywhere, once it has ceased functioning, it will become a non-living element of the ecosystem without any damage.

  The invention also relates to a kit for containment of an environmentally harmful marine invertebrate infestation, the kit comprising a composition according to any one of the aspects described herein.

  The kit may include one or more sieves having a particle size distribution between 0.250 and 0.5 mm. This sieve is used to filter the coral sand with the appropriate particle size distribution before mixing with the gel.

  The kit may further comprise one or more, preferably biodegradable, suitable for containing the composition in a gel to be mixed with coral sand to deposit the composition on the pores of the organism. A caulking gun may be included with the bag and associated cartridge. Instead of a caulking gun, a biodegradable bag can be used to deposit the composition.

  In addition, the kit can include one or more containers for mixing the composition in the gel with coral sand, for example, 500 or 1000 ml calibrated containers.

  According to additional embodiments, the composition is deposited by a syringe having a suitable volume, for example, a syringe having a volume of 1 liter (Hazet 2162-6 Suction And Pressure Syringe) or, alternatively, on a pore. Can be modeled as a "sheet" having a thickness of about 2 cm and a size of about 30 cm x 30 cm (such shapes can be implemented with the help of a plastic bag).

  As mentioned above, the compositions and kits can be used for the containment of marine invertebrates, and in particular, they have their pores outside organisms such as coelenterates and other echinoderms. Can be used to prevent opening. For example, examples of other harmful marine organisms include starfish belonging to the genus Mandu starfish, or coelenterates that spread in aquariums such as those belonging to the genus Genus Aiptasie. Here, the composition can be advantageously used in a marine invertebrate containment method comprising the step of depositing the composition on the pores of the marine invertebrate to avoid the spread of the marine invertebrate. .

  The following are some examples of compositions that can be used in the methods described herein.

Example 1 (Preparation of vinyl gel)
50 g of alcohol-polyvinyl (PVA, Mowiol® 18-88), 2 g of agar, 7.5 g of borax and 0.5 g of titanium dioxide are mixed in 2.2 liters of water.

Example 2
The composition comprises:
65% of vinyl gel: 5 g of polyvinyl acetate are mixed with 500 ml of distilled water and boiled to obtain the product;
30% carbonated sand having a particle size distribution between -3 and 5 mm;
-Agar 5%;
-Optionally a natural white dye which is insoluble in water.

  The composition thus prepared is inserted into a 1 liter syringe (Hazet 2162-6 Suction And Pressure Syringe) or, alternatively, the material to be placed over the pores is about 2 cm thick, about 30 cm × 30 cm in size. (Such shapes can be implemented with the help of plastic bags).

1. Experimental data In October 2016, an experiment was performed using 30 species of sea star. For 15 samples, the product is applied by suction and pressure syringe: hazet 2162/6, and for the other 15 samples, the product is prepared in the form of a 30 cm × 30 cm sheet (2 cm thick) with the help of a plastic bag. Processed.

  In each case, the product adhered completely to the surface of the starfish by preventing the release of gametes. The presence of titanium dioxide allowed easy discovery even when the worker returned to the product deposition site after a few hours, with the result that it was visible up to three days after its application.

  The invention has been described above with reference to a number of preferred embodiments. It should be noted that there may be other embodiments belonging to the same gist of the invention, as revealed by the protection scope of the claims set forth below.

Claims (15)

A method for containing the spread of marine invertebrates that are harmful to the environment,
Depositing a composition on said marine animal that is suitable for blocking openings outside its pores.   2. The method of claim 1, wherein the marine animal is a coelenterate or echinoderm.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the marine animal is a starfish, Acanthaceae, a starfish belonging to the genus Mandu, or a coelenterant belonging to the genus Aiptasia.   The marine animal is a starfish belonging to the genus Starfish or the starfish, wherein the composition is deposited to block the opening of pores used for the release of gametes, or the marine animal The method of claim 1, wherein the animal is a coelenterant belonging to the genus Aiptasia, wherein the composition is deposited to block the opening of pores used for nutrition.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the composition comprises or consists of a vinyl gel.   The method according to claim 5, wherein the vinyl gel comprises alcohol-polyvinyl and / or polyvinyl acetate.   The method according to claim 5, wherein the polymerization of the vinyl gel is obtained in the presence of boric acid and / or borax.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the composition further comprises agar.   The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the composition further comprises titanium dioxide.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the composition further comprises carbonated sand.   The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the composition further comprises one or more water-insoluble dyes.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the composition is partially or totally insoluble in water.   A composition for containing the diffusion of environmentally harmful marine invertebrates, comprising polyvinyl gel, in particular consisting of alcohol-polyvinyl and / or polyvinyl acetate.   14. The composition according to claim 13, further comprising titanium dioxide, agar, and / or carbonated sand.   15. A composition according to claim 13 or 14, and one or more sieves having a particle size distribution between 250 and 500 [mu] m and / or one or more containers for mixing liquids and / or containing said composition. A kit for containing the spread of environmentally harmful marine invertebrates, comprising one or more biodegradable bags and / or one or more cartridges for caulking guns, and / or caulking guns.

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