Banca de DEFESA: FRANCIELE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : FRANCIELE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA
DATE: 31/01/2022
TIME: 08:00
LOCAL: Virtual
TITLE:

Life history evolution in the genus Aplysina (Porifera, Demospongiae, Verongiida)

KEY WORDS:

Population dynamics; Gametogenesis; Trade-off; Environmental variables; Todos os Santos Bay

PAGES: 212
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Zoologia
SUBÁREA: Morfologia dos Grupos Recentes
SUMMARY:

The life history includes all the behavioral, physiological adaptations, and strategies of
organisms, as well as the individual responses (fitness) to the environment, contributing
to the reproductive success of the species. The life histories of marine invertebrates are
diverse and can provide many opportunities for testing hypotheses about how and why
modes of reproduction, development, and behavior evolve in different lineages. Although
sponges are extremely important in structuring benthic and reef communities, many
aspects of their life histories remain unknown. Thus, this thesis aimed to investigate
various aspects of the life history of the genus Aplysina and understand which
interspecific characteristics are determined by the evolutive history and/or by the
influence of the environment in which sponges live. In Chapter 1, we determined the
population density and growth rate (GR) of each species and investigated how these
processes are influenced by environmental factors. The results showed that A. solangeae
was the most abundant species, followed by A. fulva, and A. insularis. Furthermore,
population dynamics (density, size, and GR) can be influenced by a combination of
environmental variables, but this influence is usually species-specific. In chapter 2, we
determined the mode of reproduction, reproductive period, and fecundity of each species,
and investigated how these traits are influenced by environmental factors. We observed
that the reproduction of the three species was continuous throughout the studied period.
Among the three species, A. solangeae was the one that produced the largest amount of
reproductive elements, followed by A. fulva and A. insularis. The reproductive aspects
investigated were similar among the species, varying only in some specific
characteristics, such as gamete size, periodicity, and the influence of environmental
variables. These reproductive aspects are apparently conserved in the genus. In chapter
3, we investigated if there was a trade-off between gamete production (oocytes and
spermatic cysts) and the growth rate of the individuals of each species. We did not observe
a trade-off between reproduction and GR for any analyzed species. The absence of a
trade-off between these life history traits may be related to the limited number of
reproductive elements, and, perhaps, the asexual reproduction that is observed in the
genus. These important population data add new information, until now unknown or
scarce, for the genus Aplysina. Moreover, we are showing that in general aspects the
observed data are conserved within the genus. However, the modulation of the reproductive and population dynamics by the environmental variables seems to be more
species-specific. These new data allow further comprehension of the evolution of
sponges, and also for planning putative management protocols for obtaining the many
natural products produced by sponges of the genus Aplysina.

BANKING MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1914176 - EMILIO DE LANNA NETO
Interno - 3152126 - WAGNER FERREIRA MAGALHAES
Externo ao Programa - 1522389 - FRANCISCO CARLOS ROCHA DE BARROS JUNIOR
Externo à Instituição - SERGIO NASCIMENTO STAMPAR - UNESP
Externa à Instituição - MICHELLE REGINA LEMOS KLAUTAU