| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Cunha, Amanda F.
;
Maronna, Maximiliano M.
;
Marques, Antonio C.
Total Authors: 3
|
| Document type: | Review article |
| Source: | ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION; v. 16, n. 3, p. 431-442, SEP 2016. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 3 |
| Abstract | |
Members of Cnidaria Medusozoa are known for their wide morphological variation, which is expressed on many different levels, especially in different phases of the life cycle. Difficulties in interpreting morphological variations have posed many taxonomic problems, since intraspecific morphological variations are often misinterpreted as interspecific variations and vice-versa, hampering species delimitation. This study reviews the patterns of morphological variation in the Medusozoa, to evaluate how different interpretations of the levels of variation may influence the understanding of the patterns of diversification in the group. Additionally, we provide an estimate of the cryptic diversity in the Hydrozoa, based on COI sequences deposited in GenBank. Morphological variations frequently overlap between microevolutionary and macroevolutionary scales, contributing to misinterpretations of the different levels of variation. In addition, most of the cryptic diversity described so far for the Medusozoa is a result of previously overlooked morphological differences, and there is still great potential for discovering cryptic lineages in the Hydrozoa. We provide evidence that the number of species in the Medusozoa is misestimated and emphasize the necessity of examining different levels of morphological variations when studying species boundaries, in order to avoid generalizations and misinterpretations of morphological characters. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/22260-9 - Morphological variation and its phylogenetic signal in marine colonial organisms: a study with the family Campanulariidae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) |
| Grantee: | Amanda Ferreira e Cunha |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/50484-4 - Biodiversity and distribution patterns of the Medusozoa form the South-Western Atlantic |
| Grantee: | Antonio Carlos Marques |
| Support Opportunities: | Regular Research Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/50242-5 - Dimensions of marine life: patterns and process of diversifications in planktonic and benthic cnidarians |
| Grantee: | Antonio Carlos Marques |
| Support Opportunities: | BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/25874-3 - Morphological variability and its phylogenetic signal in marine colonial organisms: a case study with the family Campanulariidae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) |
| Grantee: | Amanda Ferreira e Cunha |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate |