Confirmation of the southern African distribution of the marine sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu, 1814) in the context of its global dispersal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Intertidal rocky shore surveys along the South African coastline (∼3,000 km) have demonstrated the presence and abundance of the encrusting orange sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu, 1814), a well-known globally distributed species. After analysing the southern African populations, we gained a better understanding of the genetic structure of this now-accepted global species. Apart from confirming the presence of a single population of H. perlevis, we also determined its distribution in the southern African intertidal rocky shore ecosystem, compared its genetic diversity to congeners, predict its global distribution via environmental niche modelling, and discussed possible underlying mechanisms controlling the species' global distribution.

Methods

SUBMITTER: Samaai T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9703993 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature