Naslov
Taxonomy and diversity of the calcareous sponges in the Adriatic Sea

Autori
Imešek, Mirna ; Pleše, Bruna ; Klautau, Michelle ; Ćetković, Helena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
From molecules to life and back / Dumić, Jerka ; Kovarnik, Zrinka ; Varljen, Jadranka - Rijeka : Fintrade & Tours, 2012, 275-275

ISBN
978-953-95551-4-4

Skup
FEBS 3+Meeting

Mjesto i datum
Opatija, Hrvatska, 13.06.2012. - 16.06.2012

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Porifera; Calcarea; taxonomy; phylogeny

Sažetak
The sponges (Porifera) retain the essential role in studying genome evolution of animals, with the aim to resolve the deep animal phylogeny. Ongoing research in the evolution of development, encouraged by advanced sequencing technology, has brought the sponges into the spotlight. Calcarean phylogeny play an important role in understanding of the early metazoan evolution, since molecular data showed that calcareous sponges might be the link between lower and higher metazoan phyla. The calcareous sponges are represented by about 500 exclusively marine species, distributed in all oceans. Class Calcarea Bowerbank, 1864 includes two subclasses: Calcinea and Calcaronea. According to extensive morphological and molecular data, both subclasses are monophyletic. Knowledge of recent Calcarea worldwide is considerably poorer than for other groups of Porifera, regarding their poor fossil record, difficult taxonomy and cryptic life style. The systematics and taxonomy are based on very few morphological characteristics which are often variable or plastic, hence difficult to interpret. There is no consensus as to the level of intraspecific morphological plasticity in calcareous sponges and many so far described species were lumped into a few supposedly very polymorphic species. Recent morphological and molecular analyses showed that highly variable and widely distributed sponge species were not as common as previously thought, as the genetic separation was linked to very small or sometimes undetectable differences in «classical» taxonomic characters. Together with detailed histology, molecular data seem essential to provide substantial evidence for phylogenetic hypotheses. This study presents an effort to inventory the markedly underestimated calcarean sponge diversity in the Adriatic Sea, thus introducing the species new to science. We combined traditional morphological approach (spicule size, shape and distribution) and molecular (using partial 18S, 28S and ITS1- 5.8S-ITS2 rDNA sequences) analysis using 9 individuals of class Calcinea and 7 individuals of class Calcaronea. Our results extended the currently available dataset of calcarean species, showing high biodiversity in the Adriatic Sea. Future studies will hopefully uncover more exceptional features in these remarkable animals. According to our results, the taxonomy of Calcarea is in desperate need of a thorough revision. More taxon sampling and detailed analysis both morphological and molecular is needed.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

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