Connectivity and Population Structure of Agaricia fragilis (Scleractinia, Agariciidae) from the Brazilian Coast

• Grant number: 24/10877-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Visentini Kitahara
• Grantee: Eloisa Maria Dadalt
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMAR). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Sebastião , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/06866-6 - Integrating tools and disciplines to understand the future of Southwestern Atlantic shallow-water corals in a changing planet, AP.JP2

Abstract

Coral reefs are ecosystems mainly built by scleractinian corals, known for housing more than a quarter of marine biodiversity. These biogenic structures establish unique and complex ecological relationships. Agaricia fragilis is a species of the order Scleractinia found in different regions of the Western Atlantic, including the northeast coast of Brazil. To date, there is no data available regarding the population structure, genetic diversity and conservation status of this species. The assessment of scleractinian coral populations is essential, especially in the recent scenario in which these organisms of extreme ecosystem importance are being severely affected by climate change, whether in the raise of their mortality rates or declining of its reproductive and dispersal capacity. Therefore, this study intends to analyze, through shotgun sequencing, samples obtained in different sites of occurrence of the species throughout the country (including coastal regions and oceanic islands) to obtain information on the mitochondrial genome and nuclear markers, from which it will perform phylogenetic, genetic diversity, structure, and population connectivity analyses. Therefore, it will provide data for a better understanding of the dynamics of A. fragilis populations in Brazil, their connectivity, genetic diversity and main biogeographic processes that might influence its genetic flow, contributing to better knowledge of the species and generating important information for conservation actions.