Objective
Several species-complexes whose distinctiveness has been the subject of substantial taxonomic debate will be analysed to determine its taxonomic status. These target complexes consist of cosmopolitan species on which the different teams involved in the project have previous background knowledge.
These are:
1) Family Chaetopteridae: Spiochaetopterus spp. and related genus;
2) Family Syllidae: Haplosyllis spongicola, H. cephalata and H. tentaculata;
3) Family Nereidae: Hediste diversicolor H. limnicola and H japonica;
4) Family Polynoidae: Harmothoe imbricata;
5) Family Spirorbidae: Pileolaria ex gr. berkeleyana.
Accurate morphological and/or anatomical investigations will be carried out. These will potentially serve to define relevant taxonomic characters allowing identifying valid taxa within a complex of cryptic species (e.g. pseudo-sibling species).
In the case of lacking taxonomically relevant morphological or anatomical differences, several alternative methods allowing to discriminate between real cosmopolitan species and complexes of sibling species will be employed:
(i) Biology: Thanks to standardised rearing facilities at the different laboratories, life-history strategies will be described. Specific attentions will be addressed to reproductive strategies and larval morphology and behaviour;
(ii) Chemical ecology. Based on the study of the potential production of ecologically relevant secondary metabolites. This study will be mainly addressed to assess the possible differences at a population level, as well as their possible ecological roles. The functional activities to be tested ill be toxicity and deterrence (as antipredatory mechanisms), as well as chemical cues for larval attraction and host specificity (in the case of symbionts);
(iii) Biochemical genetics: Protein electrophoresis. Based on Isoelectric Focusing analysis, to test the general protein pattern of populations, and on parallel allozymes electrophoretic migrations on cellulose acetate, to test the relative anodal mobility of the gene products of individuals collected in different areas;
(iv) Molecular genetics: RNA/DNA sequencing. Based on the analysis of two molecules, 17-28S and 26-28S, from the LSUrRNA 5' end which show a mosaic pattern with alternating conserved and variable regions, facilitating the inference of long-range phylogeny from the former and short-range annelid phylogeny from the latter.
The tasks and complexes for each team are: Spain: chemical ecology, Haplosyllis and Harmothoe spp.; Italy: biochemical genetics and Hediste spp.; France: molecular genetics and Spiochaetopterus spp.; United Kingdom: reproductive biology and systematics and Pileolaria; AN Severtzov Institute: chemical ecology and Haplosyllis, Harmothoe and Spiochaetopterus spp.; Kamchatka Institute: molecular genetics and Pileolaria spp.; Zoological Institution: biochemical genetics and Hediste spp
As a result of development of the different tasks of the project, each target species-complex will re-defined and included into one of the following categories: real cosmopolitan species (no differences at all), pseudo-sibling species-complex (morphologically distinguishable) and sibling species-complex (only distinguishable on the basis of life-history, chemical ecology or genetic characteristics). Additionally, as a result of the huge taxonomical effort proposed, the extensive invertebrate collections made by Russian scientists will subsequently be made more accessible to a wider number of scientists (mainly European).
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28006 Madrd
Spain