A FIRST ASSESSMENT OF SPONGE DIVERSITY AT THE COAST … · - The interaction between the coral...
Transcript of A FIRST ASSESSMENT OF SPONGE DIVERSITY AT THE COAST … · - The interaction between the coral...
1. ESPOL Polytechnic University, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL. Centro Nacional de Acuacultura e Investigaciones Marinas, CENAIM. Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, P.O.
Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador. 2. National University of Ireland Galway, School of Zoology, Ryan Institute, University Road, Galway, Ireland. 3. National University of Ireland Galway, School of Chemistry,
Ryan Institute, University Road, Galway, Ireland. 4. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Departamento de Invertebrados, Quinta da Boa Vista, 20940-040, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
El Pelado Marine Protected Area - Ecuador
diversity of sponges
INTRODUCTION
Fig. 4. In situ photographs of the nine species found at El Pelado Marine Protected Area (Ecuador).
SamplingFixation in 95% EtOH Spicules preparations
Morphological observations
Spicules measurements
METHODS
- Expand our investigations on sponges along the mainland coast of Ecuador.
- Assess the chemical diversity of some of these species to search bioactive compounds.
- Perform molecular systematics for these species.
- Use metabolomics to evaluate the ecological interaction between the sponge
Callyspongia cf. californica and the Pocillopora sp. coral.
PERSPECTIVESDISCUSSION
RESULTS
References:
OBJECTIVES
A FIRST ASSESSMENT OF SPONGE DIVERSITY
AT THE COAST OF MAINLAND ECUADOR
- The Ecuatorian coastline (Tropical Eastern Pacific) is influenced by the seasonal
fluctuations of the equatorial front, to which interannual oscillations known as El
Niño and La Niña are superimposed.
- The Pacific coast of South America has been the focus of extensive recent
inventories of its sponge biodiversity from the cold waters of Chile until Peru
(1‒7). The Peruvian inventory is still largely unpublished, and there is also a
strong gap in knowledge about the distribution and abundance of sponges along
the coast of Ecuador.
- A recent project was funded at the national level to assess for the first time the
biological and chemical diversity of marine invertebrates along the coast of
Ecuador. Indeed it became urgent to start the description of the marine biodiversity
but also ecological interactions and their possible applications in several fields of
research..
- Characterize the diversity of sponges present at El Pelado Marine Protected
Area by using first morphological data.
- Select sponge targets at El Pelado MPA on the basis of their abundance and
distribution for chemical diversity studies.
- In El Pelado MPA, sponges are an important component of the benthic fauna.
- The most abundant species are Aplysina spp., Callyspongia cf. californica, and Mycale cf. magnirhaphidifera.
- The less abundant species were Dysidea sp. and Chondrosia cf. reniformis, only found in small caves and crevices.
- The sponge-coral interaction was observed in all shallow water sites where colonies of the coral Pocillopora sp. occur.
- These first insights into the sponge biodiversity of the coast of mainland Ecuador revealed a significant sponge
diversity in a very small area that clearly deserves more detailed examination. Encrusting sponges were mostly
not studied yet.
- This work will give access to key data for the understanding of sponge distribution between the Southern and
the Northern coasts of South America.
- The interaction between the coral Pocillopora sp. and Callyspongia cf. californica, also reported from Mexico,
merits deeper studies to disclose its dynamics.
SENESCYT is financially supporting the Project of Marine Biodiversity PIC-001 and supported the travel of K. Jaramillo. A special thanks go to E. Hajdu for the training to K. Jaramillo in Sponge Taxonomy. Special thanks also go for CENAIM researchers
B. Chalén and C. Dominguez, for their precious help in the collection of the specimens.
(1) Azevedo et al. 2009 ― Zootaxa 2072, 1‒30; (2) 2015 ― Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173(4), 787‒817; (3) Willenz et al. 2009, ― pp. 93‒170 in Marine Benthic Fauna of Chilean Patagonia. Nature in Focus; (4) Aguirre et al.
2011 ― Zootaxa 3085, 41‒54; (5) Lopes et al. 2012 ― Invertebrate Systematics 25(5): 407‒443; (6) Hajdu et al. 2013 ― Zootaxa 3744, 1‒64; (7) 2015 ― Zootaxa 3926, 87‒099.
c
Karla B. Jaramillo1,2, Christine Morrow 2, Olivier P. Thomas3, Jenny Rodriguez1, Grace McCormack2, Eduardo Hajdu4
Acknowledgements:
STUDY AREA
Fig. 1. Map of El Pelado
Marine Protected Area
Fig. 2. Map of Ecuadorian coast400 m
300 km
a b c
d e f
h i
Tedania sp. Clathria sp. Mycale cf. magnirhaphidifera .
Dysidea sp. Chondrosia cf. reniformis. Cliona sp.
Aplysina cf. revillagigedo Aplysina cf. gerardogreeni
Callyspongia cf. californica
Fig. 6. In situ photograph of Callyspongia cf. Californica, the sponge most
commonly found in direct interaction with the coral Pocillopora sp. at El
Pelado Marine Protected Area (Ecuador).
Fig. 5. Ecological interaction observed in the shallow waters of El Pelado
MPA (Ecuador) between the coral Pocillopora sp. and Callyspongia cf.
californica
Sponge – Coral interaction
Spicules observations
(optical and scanning microscope)
Literature review
and comparisons
g
Aplysina sp.
The El Pelado MPA was created in 2012, and covers 13005 marine
hectares and 96 on land. It is a preferred spot for recreational scuba
diving. Fig. 3. Map of South America highlighting
Ecuador