A starting point to Scyphozoan genomics: species and methods to develop an integral evolutionary framework

• Grant number: 17/25907-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 27, 2018
• End date: July 29, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: André Carrara Morandini
• Grantee: Maximiliano Manuel Maronna
• Supervisor: James Davis Reimer
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of the Ryukyus, Japan
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/04560-9 - Patterns and processes in marine life: macroevolution in Scyphozoa (Medusozoa), BP.PD

Abstract

Current cnidarian genomics is represented mainly from Anthozoa, with missing data for most of the other phyla´s groups (e.g., genome size and karyotypes). In the Medusozoa clade this situation is even more obvious, with large groups like Scyphozoa with no genomes so far published. As an obvious starting point of any genotypic question, one should recall the genome itself, the basal sum of parts involved in genetic traits. Genomic properties should be discussed in evolutionary terms, because their mechanisms and processes sourced the final outcome of their traits and mostly the associated etho-eco-phenotypic characters. Also, taking into account the relative age of a certain clade, we can even propose how old or new these characteristics are. From Scyphozoan diversity, original genomic data on macroevolutionary hypotheses (systematics, comparative analyses) could be defined, analyzed (accepting or rejecting them) and discussed for the first time. This BEPE proposal focuses in three main objectives as part of the original postdoctoral project: to sample fresh scyphozoan species from the Japanese-Pacific region, to define basic data on genomics for Scyphozoans, and to learn and apply from experts the application of HTS software for evolutionary hypotheses. (AU)