Barcoding Techniques Help Tracking the Evolutionary History of the Introduced Species Pennaria disticha (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria)

The Christmas tree hydroid Pennaria disticha is listed as one of the most common introduced species in Hawaii. Firstly reported in Kaneohe Bay (Oahu) in 1928, it is now established throughout the entire archipelago, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a U.S. National Monument and World Heritage site. The Hawaiian population of P. disticha has also been reported as being the source of further introductions to Palmyra Atoll in the U.S. Line Islands. Using a phylogenetic hypothesis based on a 611 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial 16S barcoding gene, we demonstrate that P. disticha is a complex of cryptic species, rather than one species with cosmopolitan distribution. We also show that in Hawaii there are three species of Pennaria, rather than one introduced species. Two of these species share haplotypes with specimens from distant locations such as Florida and Panama and may have been introduced, possibly from the Atlantic Ocean. A third species could either represent a lineage with nearly cosmopolitan distribution, or another introduced species. Our dataset refutes the widely accepted idea that only one lineage of P. disticha is present in Hawaii. On the contrary, P. disticha in Hawaii may be the outcome of multiple independent introductions of several morphologically undistinguishable cryptic lineages. Our results uncover an unsuspected complexity within the very common hydroid P. disticha, and highlight the need for routine use of molecular tools, such as DNA barcoding, to improve the identification and recognition of non-indigenous species

Phylogenetics of Hydroidolina (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria)

Hydroidolina is a group of hydrozoans that includes Anthoathecata, Leptothecata and Siphonophorae. Previous phylogenetic analyses show strong support for Hydroidolina monophyly, but the relationships between and within its subgroups remain uncertain. In an effort to further clarify hydroidolinan relationships, we performed phylogenetic analyses on 97 hydroidolinan taxa, using DNA sequences from partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nearly complete nuclear 18S rDNA and nearly complete nuclear 28S rDNA. Our findings are consistent with previous analyses that support monophyly of Siphonophorae and Leptothecata and do not support monophyly of Anthoathecata nor its component subgroups, Filifera and Capitata. Instead, within Anthoathecata, we find support for four separate filiferan clades and two separate capitate clades (Aplanulata and Capitata sensu stricto). Our data however, lack any substantive support for discerning relationships between these eight distinct hydroidolinan clade

Phylogenetics of Hydroidolina (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria)

This is the published version, also available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0025315408002257.Hydroidolina is a group of hydrozoans that includes Anthoathecata, Leptothecata and Siphonophorae. Previous phylogenetic analyses show strong support for Hydroidolina monophyly, but the relationships between and within its subgroups remain uncertain. In an effort to further clarify hydroidolinan relationships, we performed phylogenetic analyses on 97 hydroidolinan taxa, using DNA sequences from partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nearly complete nuclear 18S rDNA and nearly complete nuclear 28S rDNA. Our findings are consistent with previous analyses that support monophyly of Siphonophorae and Leptothecata and do not support monophyly of Anthoathecata nor its component subgroups, Filifera and Capitata. Instead, within Anthoathecata, we find support for four separate filiferan clades and two separate capitate clades (Aplanulata and Capitata sensu stricto). Our data however, lack any substantive support for discerning relationships between these eight distinct hydroidolinan clades

An integrative re-evaluation of Typhlatya shrimp within the karst aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

© The Author(s), 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ballou, L., Brankovits, D., Chavez-Solis, E. M., Diaz, J. M. C., Gonzalez, B. C., Rohret, S., Salinas, A., Liu, A., Simoes, N., Alvarez, F., Miglietta, M. P., Iliffe, T. M., & Borda, E. An integrative re-evaluation of Typhlatya shrimp within the karst aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Scientific Reports, 12(1), (2022): 5302, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08779-9.The Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico is a carbonate platform well-known for extensive karst networks of densely stratified aquifer ecosystems. This aquifer supports diverse anchialine fauna, including species of the globally distributed anchialine shrimp genus Typhlatya (Atyidae). Four species (T. campecheae, T. pearsei, T. dzilamensis and T. mitchelli) are endemic to the Peninsula, of which three are federally listed in Mexico. This first integrative evaluation (i.e., molecular, morphological, broad geographic and type locality sampling, and environmental data) of Yucatán Typhlatya reveals considerable species identity conflict in prior phylogenetic assessments, broad species ranges, syntopy within cave systems and five genetic lineages (of which two are new to science). Despite sampling from the type locality of endangered T. campecheae, specimens (and molecular data) were indistinguishable from vulnerable T. pearsei. Ancestral/divergence reconstructions support convergent evolution of a low-salinity ancestor for a post-Paleogene arc Yucatán + Cuba Typhlatya clade within the anchialine Atyidae clade. A secondary adaptation for the coastal-restricted euryhaline (2–37 psu), Typhlatya dzilamensis (unknown conservation status) was identified, while remaining species lineages were low-salinity (< 5 psu) adapted and found within the meteoric lens of inland and coastal caves. This study demonstrates the need for integrative/interdisciplinary approaches when conducting biodiversity assessments in complex and poorly studied aquifers.Financial support for this study was provided by Texas A&M-CONACYT (TI, FA), TI, FA), PAPIIT IN208519 (DGAPA-UNAM) (FA), CONACYT Ciencia Básica A1-S-32846 (FA), Texas A&M University San Antonio (TAMUSA) Start-up Funds (EB), TAMUSA Research Council Grant (EB), TAMUSA Summer Faculty Grant and Fellowship (EB). NSF-REU/OCE: 1560242 supported AL and EB, and TAMU-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (HRD: 1612776) supported SR, LS. This work was also supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (M1703014) and the Cave Conservancy Foundation (LB). Typhlatya sampling was sanctioned under collection permits SEMARNAT/SGPA/DGVS 05263/14, 004471/18, 05996/19

Marine Invaders in the Northeast: Rapid Assessment Survey of Non-native and Native Marine Species of Floating Dock Communities, August 2003

In his seminal book on The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants, Elton (1958) laid the foundation for the science of biological invasions. He identified the importance of human-mediated vectors as means of transporting organisms to new locations and discussed invasions in the context of ecological impacts and evolutionary consequences. Elton even identified what needed to be done to prevent practical and ecological damages from invaders--keep them out, eradicate them, and if all else fails, manage them at acceptable levels. We have not been vigilant in applying this knowledge to marine ecosystems, although this is changing. Our ability to detect changes in numbers and rate of marine introductions depends on well-documented lists of species in time and space, appropriate identification of non-native species, and careful records that follow changes in nomenclature, distribution, potential vectors, and ecosystem alterations caused by non-native species.United States. Environmental Protection Agency (Grant X83055701

An integrative identification guide to the Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Bocas del Toro, Panama

This work is the first attempt to assess the biodiversity of the Hydrozoa in the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro (Panamá, Caribbean Sea) using morphology and molecular taxonomy, and to produce field identification tools to help future identification and monitoring efforts in the area. We sampled, identified, vouchered, and barcoded 112 specimens of Hydrozoa from shallow coastal waters (0–22 m depth) in the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro. The specimens belong to 70 taxa, of which 53 were identified at the species level, and 17 were identified at the genus or family level. We produced 64 sequences of the large ribosomal subunit of the mitochondrial RNA (mt lsu-rRNA, 16S), the genetic marker generally used for barcoding Hydrozoa. We updated the local checklist that now comprises 118 species, and produced 87 detailed taxon identification tables that display species descriptions augmented with pictures, geographic distribution (worldwide and in Bocas del Toro), GenBank accession numbers for the 16S mitochondrial gene, and a synopsis of the families they belong to

Fluctuation and diversity of Hydromedusae (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria) in a highly productive region of the Gulf of Mexico inferred from high frequency plankton sampling

Hydrozoa medusae undergo blooms and seasonal fluctuations; however the drivers of such fluctuations are unknown. To understand how medusa populations fluctuate in response to seasonal factors such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll a, and to enhance our taxonomic knowledge of Hydrozoa in Galveston Bay (TX), we performed frequent plankton sampling from September 2015 to September 2016. We collected 1,321 medusae in 190 sampling days. Using molecular barcoding and morphological analyses we identified 25 species, of which 21 are a first record for Galveston Bay and eight for the Gulf of Mexico. Daily medusa abundance is non-linearly related to temperature, with peak abundance estimated with multivariate regression analysis at approximately 21C. The role that temperature plays in driving medusa abundance has implications for future climate change scenarios, given that temperature in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to rise 4 °C by the end of the century. We also show that the biodiversity of the Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico is underestimated and that molecular barcoding is an important and efficient tool to identify large number of medusae. We conclude that dense plankton sampling is necessary to capture both diversity and abundance of planktonic medusae

Planktonic associations between medusae (classes Scyphozoa and Hydrozoa) and epifaunal crustaceans

Jellyfish are known to carry various epibionts, including many of the subphylum Crustacea. However, the associations between gelatinous zooplankton and other invertebrates have been chronically overlooked. Crustacea, a massive clade of economically, ecologically, and culturally important species, includes many taxa that utilize gelatinous zooplankton for food, transport, and protection as both adults and juveniles. Here we compile 211 instances of epifaunal crustaceans recorded on Hydromedusae and Scyphomedusae from a century of literature. These include 78 identified crustacean species in 65 genera across nine orders found upon 37 Hydromedusa species and 48 Scyphomedusae. The crustacean life stage, location, nature of the association with the medusa, years, months, and depths are compiled to form a comprehensive view of the current state of the literature. Additionally, this review highlights areas where the current literature is lacking, particularly noting our poor understanding of the relationships between juvenile crabs of commercially valuable species and medusae