Mexico has a great diversity of aquatic ecosystems. The Pom-Atasta fluvial system lagoon is part of the Flora and Fauna Natural Protected Area: Laguna de Terminos. It is a region with large areas for manatee (Trichechus mananatus manatus) distribution. This species was included in the list of Mexican species at risk, (NOM-059-and IUCN). In 2013, monitoring was conducted during three seasons; rainy, dry, and north wind. The visual recording of merely 3 animals was blamed on the increasing use of the coastal shore by human activity; usage that has fragmented many areas that were formerly occupied by manatees. Their habitat is now shared with development areas and anthropogenic activity.There are large amounts of organic matter found in this lagoon system; a result of the numerous tributaries of the rivers. The minimum salinity (0.32‰), indicates that lagoons have a strong freshwater influence. Some sites are observed with salinity of not more than 12‰. Oxygen concentrations ranging from 4.2 to 11.3 ± 1 mg/l. The average turbidity was 60 ± 10 cm; pH 8.5 ± 0.5-9.76 ± 1; the average temperature was 28 to 30 ± 3°C; the average depth was 2.5 ± 3 m. The vegetation condition plant species such as Pontederia cordata, Pontederia rotundifolia, and Eichhornia crassipes were found with traces of manatee browsing. Many studies have recorded those plant species as manatee food. They can also be seen as an indicator of water quality. There has been an adverse change in the available habitat caused by the influence of human communities. This influence is expected to negatively affect the habitat and the many species that occupy it, especially the manatees. They are in great danger of disappearing in this area.

Terminos Lagoon was made a protected ecosystem by the Mexican government in 1994, but it is also the most important center for oil extraction and transportation companies in the Gulf of Mexico, besides several rivers carrying on city effluents along with agricultural and cattle residuals into the lagoon. The main goal of this study is to analyze the potential for aquatic mammal species such as bottlenose dolphins, manatees and river otters to be environmental sentinels. While data showed that levels of heavy metals and pesticides contained in bottlenose dolphins blubber samples -lead (< 1.1 mg/l) and cadmium (< 0.08 mg/l) -were low, heptachlor epoxies showed the highest values (359.67 μg/g), followed by endosulfan sulfate and methoxychlor,' p-DDE, which was recorded in a sample with concentrations of 239.542 µg/g, along with p 'p-DDD and p' p-DDT, with values of 1.2 and 13.63 μg/g, respectively. Analysis of heavy metals in Manatee bones showed that zinc, lead and cadmium presented higher concentrations (102.60 + 27.19 µg/g, 14.54 + 1.77, µg/g and 3.92 + 0.5 µg/g, respectively). Values of both heavy metals and pesticides in samples were low compared to those recorded in other studies. Water quality analysis at the fluvial-lagoon system POM-Atasta found concentrations of BOD 5 of up to 270 mg/l, COD 640 mg/l and SST 245 mg/l. These environmental and biological parameters, combined with the health assessment results for bottlenose dolphins, indicate that dolphins have a good health condition but human activities such as agriculture, livestock, fishing and boat traffic seem to have a chronic impact on the ecosystem and, subsequently, on the aquatic mammals found in Terminos Lagoon.

Introducción: En el diseño curricular universitario, un aspecto que se ha considerado fundamental para que el estudiante se desenvuelva exitosamente en su carrera tiene que ver con el vínculo entre esta y su perfil de ingreso. El problema, sin embargo, se halla en que la universidad rara vez se enfoca en aplicar estrategias que permitan identificar las características y habilidades de los nuevos “ingresantes”, aspecto fundamental para diseñar y desarrollar actividades que se ajusten más a las necesidades y destrezas de los alumnos. Por tal motivo, en el caso concreto de los implicados en el Programa Educativo de Licenciatura en Nutrición (PELN), adscrito a la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud (FCS) de la Universidad Autónoma del Carmen (Unacar), el interés se ha centrado en recabar información que permita reforzar o reestructurar tanto el plan de estudios como los procesos de ingreso y selección para dicho programa. Objetivo: Caracterizar el perfil de ingreso de los estudiantes de la generación 2018 del PELN de la Unacar. Método: Se desarrolló un estudio con enfoque cuantitativo, alcance exploratorio, descriptivo y diseño no experimental con delineación transversal-descriptiva. La muestra fue de tipo no probabilístico, ya que para la realización de este estudio se consideró a la población total de estudiantes de nuevo ingreso de la referida licenciatura. Resultados: En cuanto a los datos sociodemográficos, la cobertura fue de 85.71 % en relación al número total de aspirantes, la edad promedio de los aceptados fue de 19 ± 4.41 años, y el género fue 27.8 % masculino y 72.2 % femenino. Asimismo, todos los estudiantes declararon ser solteros y solo uno (2.7 %) tenía un hijo. En cuanto al lugar de residencia en los últimos seis meses, se conoció que la mayoría (58 %) vive en Ciudad del Carmen (Campeche). Igualmente, se  determinó que 42 % (15) de los estudiantes de nuevo ingreso que se hallan fuera de su ciudad de origen viven con algún familiar, amigo o solos. Con respecto a la condición laboral, 97 % (35) no trabaja y 3 % (1) se emplea en un trabajo de medio tiempo. En relación con los indicadores socioculturales y educativos del ingresante, 25 % estudiaron en escuelas preparatorias privadas y 75 % en escuelas públicas. Asimismo, el promedio general de los estudiantes presenta una media de 78.38 ± 8.58. Igualmente, 83.33 % de los estudiantes vienen de áreas terminales relacionada con la carrera y 84.25 % indicó que habían cursado dentro del último año de bachillerato los contenidos declarados en el perfil de ingreso de la licenciatura. Sobre las habilidades básicas declaradas en el perfil de ingreso, 42.36 % de la población estudiada reconoce la necesidad de reforzarlas, mientras que en cuanto al estado nutricio se encontró que 55.55 % presenta problemas de salud de ese tipo. Conclusiones: Se concluye que las características del perfil de ingreso de los estudiantes de la generación 2018 plantean la necesidad de generar estrategias de intervención para disminuir la deserción que pudiera existir.

Anthropogenic activities generate pollutants that are often discharged, untreated, into bodies of water. The drainage system, known as the Caleta in Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico, is surrounded by an urban area and receives immense amounts of industrial and sewage discharge. Physicochemical analyses were conducted for the water and sediment samples taken along this drainage system to understand its hydrological dynamic and pollutant load. The drainage channel communicates with Terminos Lagoon, a Natural Protected Area, and the Gulf of Mexico. Water and sediment samples were taken at fifteen stations along the drainage channel during the three local seasons: northwinds (January); dry (May); and rainy (October). Physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and total dissolved solids), as well as biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) were measured in the water samples. Heavy metals concentrations (Fe, Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) were quantified in the sediment samples. No differences were observed in the physicochemical parameters between sample stations, although differences (P < 0.05) were observed between seasons. Dissolved oxygen levels at all stations and in all seasons were near or below hypoxia levels (< 2.0 mg/l). Biological oxygen demand and COD were highest during the rainy season, particularly near industrial effluent discharges. Heavy metals concentrations varied spatially, with higher levels nearest the drainage outlet and lower levels further inland. Lead and iron levels were extremely high, and all heavy metals concentrations far exceeded legal limits. The Caleta is clearly heavily impacted by discharge from the surrounding urban area containing pollutants generated by anthropogenic