First record of a sea anemone of genus Bunodosoma with two oral discs: a clue to asexual reproduction?

Different reproductive strategies (both sexual and asexual) that may occur in individuals of the same species may explain the success of sea anemones (Cnidaria:Actiniaria) in colonizing different ecosystems around the planet. Here we provide the first record of a Bunodosoma specimen with two oral discs and discuss the possibility of asexual reproduction in this genus. One individual of Bunodosoma cangicum was found in Carneiros beach (Pernambuco state, Brazil) with two fully individualized oral discs but with column and pedal disc still connected. Our finding may represent a clue to longitudinal fission in Bunodosoma. Yet, despite the number of different studies carried out so far, the absence of data regarding asexual reproduction in Bunodosoma suggests that it might be rare in this genus, occurring only in sporadic cases such as recovery from injury.

The alien octocoral Carijoa riisei is a biogenic substrate multiplier in artificial Brazilian shipwrecks.

Despite the obvious negative effects caused by invasive species, some recent studies have shown that the impacts at local scale are diverse and not necessarily negative. Arborescent benthic organisms such as octocorals form three-dimensional structures capable of increasing the amount of substrate available and providing shelter for epibiont species. We investigated the role of the alien octocoral Carijoa riisei on the diversity of benthic communities in three shipwrecks on the north-eastern coast of Brazil. We expected that (a) the fauna associated with the octocoral are richer and more diverse compared to the adjacent; (b) some species are exclusively associated with C. riisei; (c) the species that are present both in the areas with and without C. riisei have a greater abundance when associated with the octocoral. For this, we compared the macrobenthic communities associated with C. riisei to those found in adjacent areas where the octocoral was absent. Our study showed that the communities associated with the octocoral were 1.5 times richer and 10 times more abundant than adjacent communities, with 29 exclusive taxa. The dominant taxa were the amphipods Ericthonius brasiliensis and Podocerus brasiliensis and polychaetes of the family Syllidae. These taxa were present in areas with presence and absence of C. riisei, but their abundance was significantly greater where the octocoral was present. Our results reinforce the idea that Carijoa riisei acts as an ecosystem engineer in coastal reefs, creating new habitats and increasing diversity at a local scale, even though it is an alien species.

Revised nomenclature of the sea pen genus Balticina Gray, 1870 (= Halipteris Kölliker, 1870) (Anthozoa: Octocorallia).

The pennatulacean genus Balticina has had a long and confusing taxonomic history, with serious nomenclatural problems that remain unresolved. Owing to disagreements about authorships and dates of publication, the names Pavonaria, Norticina and Halipteris have all been used as valid in place of Balticina, or else been regarded as its junior synonyms, even simultaneously. In this paper, after an extensive literature review, we determine the authorships and dates for all the taxa involved in accordance with the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and establish Balticina Gray, 1870 (=Halipteris) and Balticinidae Balss, 1910 (=Halipteridae) as the valid genus and family names, respectively, for this group of sea pens. We also propose the replacement name Rakollikeria for the preoccupied genus name Pavonaria Kölliker, 1870 (Balticinidae) (nec Schweigger, 1819 - Funiculinidae).

Modeling impacts of climate change on the potential habitat of an endangered Brazilian endemic coral: Discussion about deep sea refugia.

Climate and environmental conditions are determinant for coral distribution and their very existence. When changes in such conditions occur, their effects on distribution can be predicted through species distribution models, anticipating suitable habitats for the subsistence of species. Mussismilia harttii is one of the most endangered Brazilian endemic reef-building corals, and in increasing risk of extinction. Herein, species distribution models were used to determine the present and future potential habitats for M. harttii. Estimations were made through the maximum entropy approach, predicting suitable habitat losses and gains by the end of the 21st century. For this purpose, species records published in the last 20 years and current and future environmental variables were correlated. The best models were chosen according to the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and evaluated through the partial ROC (AUCratio), a new approach which uses independent occurrence data. Both approaches showed that the models performed satisfactorily in predicting potential habitat areas for the species. Future projections were made using the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios for 2100, with different levels of greenhouse gas emission. Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) were used to model the Future Potential Habitat (FPH) of M. harttii in two different scenarios: stabilization of emissions (RCP 4.5) and increase of emissions (RCP 8.5). According to the results, shallow waters to the south of the study area concentrate most of the current potential habitats for the species. However, in future scenarios, there was a loss of suitable areas in relation to the Current Potential Habitat (RCP 4.5 46% and RCP 8.5 59%), whereas there is a southward shift of the suitable areas. In all scenarios of FPH, the temperature was the variable with the greatest contribution to the models (> 35%), followed by the current velocity (> 33%) and bathymetry (>29%). In contrast, there is an increase of deep (50-75 m) suitable areas FPH scenarios, mainly in the southern portion of its distribution, at Abrolhos Bank (off Espirito Santo State). These deeper sites might serve as refugia for the species in global warming scenarios. Coral communities at such depths would be less susceptible to impacts of climate change on temperature and salinity. However, the deep sea is not free from human impacts and measures to protect deeper ecosystems should be prioritized in environmental policies for Brazilian marine conservation, especially the Abrolhos Bank, due to its importance for M. harttii.

The holo-transcriptome of the zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa): a plentiful source of enzymes for potential application in green chemistry, industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology

Marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates and cnidarians (zoantharians and scleractinian corals), form functional assemblages, known as holobionts, with numerous microbes. This type of species-specific symbiotic association can be a repository of myriad valuable low molecular weight organic compounds, bioactive peptides and enzymes. The zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is one such example of a marine holobiont that inhabits the coastal reefs of the tropical Atlantic coast and is an interesting source of secondary metabolites and biologically active polypeptides. In the present study, we analyzed the entire holo-transcriptome of P. variabilis, looking for enzyme precursors expressed in the zoantharian-microbiota assemblage that are potentially useful as industrial biocatalysts and biopharmaceuticals. In addition to hundreds of predicted enzymes that fit into the classes of hydrolases, oxidoreductases and transferases that were found, novel enzyme precursors with multiple activities in single structures and enzymes with incomplete Enzyme Commission numbers were revealed. Our results indicated the predictive expression of thirteen multifunctional enzymes and 694 enzyme sequences with partially characterized activities, distributed in 23 sub-subclasses. These predicted enzyme structures and activities can prospectively be harnessed for applications in diverse areas of industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology.

The holo-transcriptome of the zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa): a plentiful source of enzymes for potential application in green chemistry, industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology

Marine invertebrates, such as sponges, tunicates and cnidarians (zoantharians and scleractinian corals), form functional assemblages, known as holobionts, with numerous microbes. This type of species-specific symbiotic association can be a repository of myriad valuable low molecular weight organic compounds, bioactive peptides and enzymes. The zoantharian Protopalythoa variabilis (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) is one such example of a marine holobiont that inhabits the coastal reefs of the tropical Atlantic coast and is an interesting source of secondary metabolites and biologically active polypeptides. In the present study, we analyzed the entire holo-transcriptome of P. variabilis, looking for enzyme precursors expressed in the zoantharian-microbiota assemblage that are potentially useful as industrial biocatalysts and biopharmaceuticals. In addition to hundreds of predicted enzymes that fit into the classes of hydrolases, oxidoreductases and transferases that were found, novel enzyme precursors with multiple activities in single structures and enzymes with incomplete Enzyme Commission numbers were revealed. Our results indicated the predictive expression of thirteen multifunctional enzymes and 694 enzyme sequences with partially characterized activities, distributed in 23 sub-subclasses. These predicted enzyme structures and activities can prospectively be harnessed for applications in diverse areas of industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology.

Identification of long non-coding RNAs in two anthozoan species and their possible implications for coral bleaching.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play regulatory roles in a diverse range of biological processes and are associated with the outcomes of various diseases. The majority of studies about lncRNAs focus on model organisms, with lessened investigation in non-model organisms to date. Herein, we have undertaken an investigation on lncRNA in two zoanthids (cnidarian): Protolpalythoa varibilis and Palythoa caribaeorum. A total of 11,206 and 13,240 lncRNAs were detected in P. variabilis and P. caribaeorum transcriptome, respectively. Comparison using NONCODE database indicated that the majority of these lncRNAs is taxonomically species-restricted with no identifiable orthologs. Even so, we found cases in which short regions of P. caribaeorum's lncRNAs were similar to vertebrate species' lncRNAs, and could be associated with lncRNA conserved regulatory functions. Consequently, some high-confidence lncRNA-mRNA interactions were predicted based on such conserved regions, therefore revealing possible involvement of lncRNAs in posttranscriptional processing and regulation in anthozoans. Moreover, investigation of differentially expressed lncRNAs, in healthy colonies and colonial individuals undergoing natural bleaching, indicated that some up-regulated lncRNAs in P. caribaeorum could posttranscriptionally regulate the mRNAs encoding proteins of Ras-mediated signal transduction pathway and components of innate immune-system, which could contribute to the molecular response of coral bleaching.

First record of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata (Annelida, Polychaeta) preying on colonies of the fire coral Millepora alcicornis (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) / Primeiro registro do verme de fogo Hermodice carunculata (Annelida, Polychaeta) predando colônias do coral de fogo Millepora alcicornis (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

The polychaete Hermodice carunculata is a voracious predator of several benthic organisms and one of the preferential groups in its diet is that of the cnidarians. This note presents the first record of a fireworm preying on the calcified hydroid Millepora alcicornis. The fireworm engulfs the terminal branches of the fire coral and spends several minutes scraping the surface and removing the soft tissues. Despite this being one of the most common calcified hydroids of the Brazilian northern and northeastern regions (and home to a vast associated community), this kind of association had never been recorded. This discovery points to the need of studying such associations because the damage caused by this polychaete is irreversible and depending on the amount of predators might alter reefs' health or modify the components of the reef community.

O poliqueta Hermodice carunculata é um voraz predador de vários organismos bentônicos e um dos grupos preferenciais na sua dieta é o dos cnidários. No presente trabalho se apresenta o primeiro registro de predação do verme de fogo sobre o hidrocoral Millepora alcicornis. O verme engolfa os ramos terminais do hidrocoral e fica vários minutos raspando a superfície e retirando os tecidos moles. Apesar deste hidrocoral ser um dos representantes mais comuns dos recifes do norte e nordeste brasileiros e de albergar uma vasta comunidade associada, nunca tinha sido registrada esta associação. Esta nova descoberta alerta na necessidade de se estudar esta associação já que geralmente os danos ocasionados pelo poliqueta são irreversíveis e dependendo da quantidade de predadores pode alterar a saúde dos recifes ou modificar os componentes da comunidade recifal.

Avaliação bibliométrica da produção científica da revista Stomatos / Bibliometric evaluation of the scientific production of the Stomatos Dental Journal

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the abstracts of all articles published in the Stomatos Dental Journal between 1995 and 2009 and to obtain data on the methodological design of each article, the dental specialties focused on, and the authors’ institution of origin. A total of 206 abstracts were reviewed by two independent examiners. The results showed that the most frequent study designs were literature reviews (24.3%), cross-sectional studies (24.3%), laboratory in vitro studies (22.3%), and case reports (18.4%). The dental specialties with the highest number of articles were operative dentistry (16%), endodontics (15.5%), pediatric dentistry (10.7%), and oral and maxillofacial surgery and traumatology (10.2%). Most articles had Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA/Canoas) as the institution of origin (75.2%). Our findings revealed a pressing need to increase the number of studies with higher levels of evidence in all dental specialties and also to encourage the publication of articles from other institutions in order to qualify the journal.

Este estudo transversal teve como objetivo avaliar o perfil dos artigos publicados na revista Stomatos no período de 1995 a 2009 quanto ao tipo de delineamento metodológico, especialidade odontológica e instituição de ensino superior de procedência dos autores. Um total de 206 resumos foram revisados por dois examinadores independentes. Os resultados mostraram que os delineamentos mais utilizados foram a revisão de literatura (24,3%), o estudo transversal (24,3%), o estudo laboratorial in vitro (22,3%) e o relato de caso (18,4%). As especialidades odontológicas com maior número de publicações foram a dentística (16%), endodontia (15,5%), odontopediatria (10,7%) e cirurgia e traumatologia bucomaxilofacial (10,2%). A maioria dos artigos tinha o Curso de Odontologia da Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA/Canoas) como instituição de ensino oficial (75,2%). Os resultados revelaram uma necessidade premente de aumentar a publicação de estudos com maior nível de evidência, em todas as especialidades, e também de reduzir a endogenia, através da participação de autores de outras instituições, para permitir a qualificação da revista.

Asexual reproduction and molecular systematics of the sea anemone Anthopleura krebsi (Actiniaria: Actiniidae)

In this paper we use allozyme analyses to demonstrate that individuals in Anthopleura krebsi aggregates are monoclonal. Additionally, sympatric samples of the red and the green colour-morphs of A. krebsi from Pernambuco, Brazil were genetically compared and no significant differences were observed between them (gene identity = 0.992), indicating that they do not belong to different biological species. All individuals within aggregates of the green colour-morph were found to be identical over the five polymorphic loci analysed. Such results would be extremely unlikely (P < 10(-11)) if the individuals analysed had been generated through sexual reproduction, thus confirming the presence of asexual reproduction in this species.

Asexual reproduction and molecular systematics of the sea anemone Anthopleura krebsi (Actiniaria: Actiniidae).

In this paper we use allozyme analyses to demonstrate that individuals in Anthopleura krebsi aggregates are monoclonal. Additionally, sympatric samples of the red and the green colour-morphs of A. krebsi from Pernambuco, Brazil were genetically compared and no significant differences were observed between them (gene identity = 0.992), indicating that they do not belong to different biological species. All individuals within aggregates of the green colour-morph were found to be identical over the five polymorphic loci analysed. Such results would be extremely unlikely (P < 10(-11)) if the individuals analysed had been generated through sexual reproduction, thus confirming the presence of asexual reproduction in this species.