Species delimitation within Rhizophora genus from Western Hemisphere and South Pacific

• Grant number: 17/12920-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2017
• End date: December 25, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Maruyama Mori
• Grantee: Andre Guilherme Madeira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/02655-8 - Unveiling the genetic diversity of Rhizophora species from the western world and South Pacific using RAD-seq, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Speciation is dynamic and gradual process such that determining the time of lineages diverge and constitute two different species is not a trivial task. Depending on the degree of lineages separation, it is not rare the occurrence of hybrids, especially in plants. Together, these processes make species delimitation an important scientific challenge. Identifying and counting the number of species within a given geographic region or habitat is particularly relevant for species-poor communities as mangrove forests. Along the entire Western hemisphere, there are only four tree genera, composed by eight species. Rhizophora genus is represented by two species, R. mangle and R. racemosa, and a putative hybrid species R. X harrisonii, whose morphological and physiological characters are intermediate between the parental species. In the American continent, chloroplast DNA and microsatellite markers data suggest that R. mangle, R. racemosa and R. X harrisonii individuals from the Atlantic coast are more genetically related among each other compared to those from the Pacific basin. The main objective of this proposal is to clarify this issue by determining the interspecific boundaries within the Western hemisphere and South Pacific Rhizophora species complex using genome wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. We will use Approximate Bayesian Computation to test evolutionary hypotheses that assume the species morphological identification and alternative scenarios in which the American continent's role separating lineages or R. X harrisonii topological positioning. Thus, we aim to contribute not only to research fields, such as biogeography or evolutionary biology, but also in applied contexts as mangrove forests conservation and management. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MORI, GUSTAVO MARUYAMA; MADEIRA, ANDRE GUILHERME; CRUZ, MARIANA VARGAS; TSUDA, YOSHIAKI; TAKAYAMA, KOJI; MATSUKI, YU; SUYAMA, YOSHIHISA; IWASAKI, TAKAYA; DE SOUZA, ANETE PEREIRA; ZUCCHI, MARIA IMACULADA; et al. Testing species hypotheses in the mangrove genus Rhizophora from the Western hemisphere and South Pacific islands. ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE, v. 248, n. SI, JAN 5 2021. (13/26793-7, 13/08086-1, 17/12920-8, 18/02655-8, 14/22821-9)