Molecular systematics of the Southwestern Atlantic Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa), with emphasis on deep-sea species

• Grant number: 18/13554-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): August 27, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal researcher: Marcelo Visentini Kitahara
• Grantee: Ralf Tarciso Silva Cordeiro
• Home Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Southwestern Atlantic (SWA) hosts one of the most poorly known octocoral faunas (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) in the world. In deep sea (>50 m), where more than 75% of those species occur, that group is the main builder of coral gardens. These habitats host the highest diversities of metazoans in continental shelves and slopes. However, due to the paucity of studies, most part of the systematics of the group is based on groupings considered as unnatural. Several of the phylogenetically inconsistent groups are well represented of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. That makes the SWA fauna particularly important to solve problems in the systematics of the suborder. Besides that, lack of knowledge on population connectivity and reproductive strategies compromise management and conservation plans for deep-sea coral ecosystems in that region, which have been exposed to several anthropogenic impacts. In this context, information at ecological and molecular levels is fundamental in order to understand: i) species complexes; ii) phylogenetically artificial groups; iii) reproductive strategies; iv) and biogeographic relationships within that fauna. Aiming to clarify these questions, the present proposal will: a) perform a biodiversity assessment of the octocoral fauna in the SWA, based on both morphological and molecular evidence (barcoding); b) to assess connectivity between SWA populations, using molecular markers; c) to assess gametogenesis in some key-species; d) to propose rearrangements in the systematics of the group, based on molecular phylogenetic reconstructions; and e) to propose identification keys for species occurring in the study area.

Scientific publications

(6)

(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)

PEREZ, CARLOS D.; CORDEIRO, RALF T. S.. Ideogorgia laurae, an uncommon new octocoral species (Alcyonacea: Keroeididae) from a newly established Marine Protected Area at Burdwood Bank, Argentina. POLAR BIOLOGY, v. 43, n. 1, NOV 2019. (18/13554-8)

SCHEJTER, L.; GENZANO, G.; PEREZ, C. D.; ACUNA, F.; CORDEIRO, R. T. S.; SILVA, R. A.; GARESE, A.; BREMEC, C. S.. Checklist of Benthic Cnidaria in the SW Atlantic Ocean (54 degrees S-56 degrees S). Zootaxa, v. 4878, n. 2, p. 201-239, NOV 13 2020. (18/13554-8)

CARPINELLI, AGATHA NASCIMENTO; SILVA CORDEIRO, RALF TARCISO; NEVES, LEONARDO MITRANO; DE MOURA, RODRIGO LEAO; KITAHARA, MARCELO VISENTINI. Erythropodium caribaeorum (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860) (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea), an additional alien coral in the Southwestern Atlantic. Zootaxa, v. 4822, n. 2, p. 175-190, AUG 5 2020. (14/01332-0, 18/13554-8)

LIMA, MANUELA M.; CORDEIRO, RALF T. S.; PEREZ, CARLOS D.. Black Corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the Southwestern Atlantic. Zootaxa, v. 4692, n. 1, p. 1-67, NOV 5 2019. (18/13554-8)

CAIRNS, STEPHEN D.; CORDEIRO, RALF T. S.; XU, YU; ZHAN, ZIFENG; ALDERSLADE, PHILIP. A new family and two new genera of calcaxonian octocora including a redescription of Pleurogorgia militaris (Cnidaria : Octocorallia : Chrysogorgiidae) and its placement in a new genus. INVERTEBRATE SYSTEMATICS, v. 35, n. 3, p. 282-297, MAR 2021. (18/13554-8)

CORDEIRO, RALF T. S.. A review of the genus Trichogorgia (Cnidaria, Octocorallia), including descriptions of new species. Zootaxa, v. 4706, n. 4, p. 517-530, DEC 11 2019. (18/13554-8)