Cryptic diversity, intraspecific phenetic plasticity and recent geographical translocations in Branchiomma (Sabellidae, Annelida)

The importance of identifying biological diversity accurately and efficiently is becoming more evident. It is therefore critical to determine the species boundaries between closely related taxa and to establish diagnostic characters that allow us to define species. This is not an easy task when species exhibit high intraspecific phenotypic plasticity or when distinct evolutionary lineages with an unusually large amount of genetic distinctiveness show no apparent morphological diversity (cryptic species). These phenomena appear to be common in the genus of fan worms Branchiomma (Sabellidae, Annelida), and consequently, taxonomic errors are widespread in the group. Moreover, some Branchiomma species have been unintentionally translocated outside the area where natural range extension is expected, increasing the taxonomic problems. We have performed a range of analytical methods including genetic distances, Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, statistical parsimony analyses and general mixed Yule coalescent model to clarify the taxonomic status and assess the species boundaries of Branchiomma in Australia. This study shows that the traditional diagnostic morphological features are greatly homoplastic. Results also indicate that the diversity of Branchiomma in Australia is higher than previously reported and evidence some cases of high phenetic plasticity (in features previously considered as stable within species), high intraspecific genetic variability, cryptic species and several unexpected cases of translocations.© 2013 The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.This project was funded by an Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS)/AM and Census of Marine Life (CReefs) grants to PH and MC. The authors also thank CReefs for providing funding for fieldwork to Heron Island and Lizard Island Research Stations and Ningaloo Reef. The CReefs Australian node is generously sponsored by BHP Billiton in partnership with the ABRS, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Alfred P. Sloan FoundationPeer Reviewe

Sphaerodoridae (Annelida) of the deep Northwestern Atlantic, including remarkable new species of Euritmia and Sphaerephesia

Sphaerodoridae (Annelida) is a seeming uncommon and minimally diverse group of polychaetes in the northwestern Atlantic, with only seven species reported from the United States, and none from the eastern coast of Canada, before the present study. Review of the large Smithsonian collection (National Museum of Natural History, Washington) revealed the presence of two morphologically extraordinary undescribed species and added a new record to the north-western Atlantic region. Euritmia carolensis sp. n. is characterised by bearing approximately 20 sessile spherical papillae arranged in three transverse rows per segment, ventrum with 4–6 larger papillae near the parapodial bases and parapodia without papillae; bearing 4–5 simple chaetae that are enlarged subdistally. Sphaerephesia amphorata sp. n. is distinguished from other congeners in the presence of four longitudinal rows of sessile, bottle-shaped macrotubercles with exceptionally long digitiform terminal papilla, and parapodia with four rounded and small papillae, bearing 4–7 compound chaetae, with blades 7–11 times as long as wide. Other encountered species are also herein re-described, including intraspecific variation and updated iconography. Comparison of material also allowed some systematic changes in the group, including the synonymisation of the genus Amacrodorum with Euritmia, and the transfer of Ephesiopsis shivae to Ephesiella. A key to the species reported from the Northwestern Atlantic is provided.SEMs were taken in Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid during a European Commission Taxonomic Initiative SYNTHESYS (ESTAF-2839)Peer reviewe

A Further Step Towards the Characterisation of Terebellides (Annelida, Trichobranchidae) Diversity in the Northeast Atlantic, With the Description of a New Species

[Abstract] Several new species of genus Terebellides Sars, 1835 (Annelida, Trichobranchidae) have been recently described from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean after the detection of a large complex of species based on DNA sequence data from previous research. Some of those species (belonging to the so-called Group A) have already been described elsewhere. In this paper, we revise several Terebellides clades belonging to Groups B, C and D resulting in the identification of five nominal species: Terebellides gracilis Malm, 1874, Terebellides atlantis Williams, 1984, Terebellides williamsae Jirkov, 1989, Terebellides irinae Gagaev, 2009, and Terebellides shetlandica Parapar, Moreira & O’Reilly, 2016, plus one new species described here as Terebellides lavesquei sp. nov. All these species are characterised by a combination of morphological features complemented with a nucleotide diagnostic approach (specific COI nucleotides in the alignment position). Morphological characters used to discriminate between taxa refer to the branchial shape, presence/absence of ciliated papillae dorsal to thoracic notopodia and the morphology of thoracic and abdominal uncinal teeth. An updated identification key to all described species of this genus in NE Atlantic waters is also included.This study was partly supported by the FAUNA IBÉRICA research project Polychaeta VII, Palpata, Canalipalpata II (PGC2018–095851–B–C64) funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, and coordinated by JP. Funding was also provided from the Ramón y Cajal program (RYC-2016- 20799) funded by Spanish MINECO, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Comunidad Autónoma de las Islas Baleares and the European Social Fund to MC. Financial support was also provided by the Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative: Cryptic polychaete species in Norwegian waters, knr 49-13, project no. 70184228 to AN; Polychaetes in the Norwegian Sea, project no. 70184227; Polychaetes in Skagerrak, project no.70184216; and the MAREANO programNorwegian Taxonomy Initiative; 70184228Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative; 70184227Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative; 7018421

Comparative analyses of morphological characters in Sphaerodoridae and allies (Annelida) revealed by an integrative microscopical approach

Sphaerodoridae is a group of benthic marine worms (Annelida) characterized by the presence of spherical tubercles covering their whole surface. They are commonly considered as belonging to Phyllodocida although sistergroup relationships are still far from being understood. Primary homology assessments of their morphological features are lacking, hindering the appraisal of evolutionary relationships between taxa. Therefore, our detailed morphological investigation focuses on different Sphaerodoridae as well as on other members of Phyllodocida using an integrative approach combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as immunohistochemistry with standard neuronal (anti-5-HT) and muscular (phalloidin-rhodamine) markers and subsequent CLSM analysis of whole mounts and sections. Furthermore, we provide histological (HES) and light microscopical data to shed light on the structures and hypothetical function of sphaerodorid key morphological features. We provide fundamental details into the sphaerodorid morphology supporting a Phyllodocida ancestry of these enigmatic worms. However, the muscular arrangement and the presence of an axial muscular pharynx is similar to conditions observed in other members of the Errantia too. Furthermore, nervous system and muscle staining as well as SEM and histological observations of different types of tubercles indicate a homology of the so called microtubercles, present in the long-bodied sphaerodorids, to the dorsal cirri of other Errantia. The macrotubercles seem to represent a sphaerodorid autapomorphy based on our investigations. Therefore, our results allow comparisons concerning morphological patterns between Sphaerodoridae and other Phyllodocida and constitute a starting point for further comparative investigations to reveal the evolution of the remarkable Sphaerodoridae

Systematic re-structure and new species of Sphaerodoridae (Annelida) after morphological revision and molecular phylogenetic analyses of the North East Atlantic fauna

Detailed morphological study of more than 2600 North East Atlantic (NEA) sphaerodorids (Sphaerodoridae, Annelida) and phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences of representatives of several identified morphospecies enforced changing the current systematic classification within the family, allowed the discovery of new species, provided new information about the morphological and genetic characterisation of members of this group, and increased the species occurrence data to better infer their geographic and bathymetric distribution ranges. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear (18S rRNA and 28S rRNA) and mitochondrial sequences (COI and 16S rRNA) of NEA short-bodied sphaerodorids revealed outstanding results including paraphyly of the genera Sphaerodoropsis, Sphaerodoridium, and Sphaerephesia. The number of longitudinal and transverse rows of dorsal macrotubercles is proposed as potential synapomorphies for the main clades, and are consequently herein used for the genera delimitation. The new classification proposed here implies nomenclatural changes and the erection of a new genus, Geminofilum gen. n., to accommodate the species previously considered as Sphaerodoropsis with two transverse rows of dorsal macrotubercles per segment. Four species are being described herein: Euritmia nordica Capa & Bakken, sp. n., Sphaerephesia multichaeta Capa, Moreira & Parapar, sp. n., Sphaerephesia ponsi Capa, Parapar & Moreira, sp. n., and Sphaerodoridium celiae Moreira, Capa & Parapar, sp. n. Characterisation of the other 21 species, including updated iconography, and an identification key to all NEA short-bodied sphaerodorids are providedFinancial support was provided to MC by ForBio Research School, funded by the Research Council of Norway (project no. 248799) and the Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative (project no. 70184215) and by the Ramón y Cajal program (RYC-2016-20799) funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Comunidad Autónoma de las Islas Baleares and the European Social Fund. The Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative provided financial support to AN (knr 49-13, pnr 70184228), to TB (knr 53-09, pnr 70184216, knr 55-12, pnr 70184227); and by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative [https://www.artdatabanken.se/en/the-swedish-taxonomy-initiative/] (dnr 140/07 1.4 and 166/08 1.4), to AN. Collections at MNCN and MNHN were visited by MC thanks to the European Commission Taxonomic Initiative SYNTHESYS (ES-TAF-2839, ES-TAF-7033, and FR-TAF-2644), SEM work was partially funded by Fauna Ibérica: Polychaeta VI (CGL2014-53332-C5-3-P). Publication fees were covered by NTNU Publishing Fund to M

Repercusiones en los alumnos de primer curso de la implantación del Espacio Europeo

The Universidad Europea de Madrid pretends to converge into the European Higher Education Area being the pioneer oft he Spanish University framework. As such, has chosen to carry out the Pilot and Converge Plans that are transforming its educational means, involving all its educational community. Those Plans cover the first course students belonging to the different University school and faculties. The study intends to observe and analyze the process success and its weakness, concluding the positive implications they have reached so long in the academy results, as in its fitness to the different items involved in the starting out of the processes, and the valuation of the obtained knowledge

The Impact of Virtual Educational Platforms on Interaction in EFL Virtual Classes

Las plataformas virtuales en el campo educativo han conformado parte de la metodología implementada en el proceso de enseñar el inglés como lengua extranjera, permitiendo la interacción entre docentes y estudiantes de manera significativa. Por ende, la finalidad de esta síntesis de investigación es analizar el impacto del uso de plataformas educativas virtuales en la interacción durante las clases virtuales de inglés. Parallevar a cabo la presente investigación se consideraron 20 estudios empíricos, cualitativos y cuantitativos publicados desde el año 2013 en adelante tomando en cuenta el contexto de laenseñanza- aprendizaje del idioma inglés como lengua extranjera. Así mismo, las distintas actitudes tomadas por parte de los participantes y los efectos generados en la comunicación ante el uso de estas plataformas fueron analizados. Los resultados revelaron que implementar distintas plataformas educativas virtuales tiene efectos positivos y negativos en la interacciónentre los participantes, tomando en cuenta el desarrollo de las habilidades de comunicación y las destrezas del idioma inglés. Además, El estudio nos lleva a encontrar posibles solucionesa futuros problemas que aparecen cuando el proceso de enseñar y aprender inglés ocurre.Virtual platforms in the educational field have been part of the methodology in teaching English as a foreign language, allowing significant interaction between teachers and students. The purpose of this research synthesis is to analyze the impact of the use of virtual educational platforms on interaction during EFL virtual classes. To carry out this research, 20 empirical, qualitative, and quantitative studies published from 2013 onwards were considered in the context of teaching-learning English as a foreign language. Likewise, participants' attitudes and effects on communication when teachers and students use these platforms were analyzed. The results revealed that implementing differentvirtual educational platforms has positive and negative impacts on the interaction between theparticipants, considering the development of communication and English skills. The study leads us to find possible solutions to solve future problems appearing when the teaching andlearning process of English occurs.0009-0001-0891-318