Description: Sponge assemblages were investigated in the Spermonde Archipelago, southwestern Sulawesi, Indonesia. In this study spatial patterns of sponge similarity among sites were significantly related to remotely sensed environmental variables, the degree of human settlement and depth, but not to the distance between sites. Both oviparous and viviparous species groups responded to similar environmental constraints, and differences in similarity were unrelated to the distance between sites. The degree of human settlement, however, was significantly related to variation in the composition of viviparous, but not oviparous species. Our results demonstrate, most importantly, the utility of remotely sensed data in predicting the spatial turnover of diverse species assemblages such as sponges. Secondly, they show that patterns of human settlement in the Spermonde Archipelago appear to be affecting patterns of sponge beta diversity. These results highlight the need to assess and protect marine areas in biodiversity hotspots such as Indonesia.

Description: Sponge diversity and community composition in bathyal cold water coral reefs (CWRs) were examined at 500-900 m depth on the southeastern slopes of Rockall Bank and the northwestern slope of Porcupine Bank, to the west of Ireland in 2004 and 2005 with boxcores. A total of 104 boxcore samples, supplemented with 10 trawl/dredge attempts, were analyzed for the presence and abundance of sponges, using microscopical examination of (sub)samples of collected coral branches, and semi-quantitative macroscopic examination. Approximate minimum size of identified and counted sponge individuals was 1 mm. Literature data were added to the Porcupine Bank results to compensate for a less intensive sampling program in that location. Species richness and abundance were determined at local (sample diversity, pooled-sample diversity, local reef diversity), between-reef (diversity of two reef areas at 15 km distance), and regional scales (diversity of three reef areas over a distance of 200 km). Abiotic and biotic parameters including depth, the presence and cover of live coral, dead coral and sand, local reef, and orientation towards the nearest reef mound summit, were included in a constrained ordination technique (RDA); a Monte Carlo forward selection procedure was used to obtain significant predictors of variation in composition. The results of this analysis were compared with unconstrained ordination (PCA) and cluster analysis. The presence of live coral, depth and the local reefs C1 and C3 proved to be significant predictors of variation in sponge composition. The PCA and cluster analysis confirmed these results. Sample species richness was consistently heterogeneous from zero species and individuals up to 57 species and 90 individuals per (boxcore) sample. Species richness of local reefs determined from pooled samples showed the three localities studied to have similar species richness, namely 105-122 species in each location. Species richness was highest in samples with relatively low live coral cover. As in the RDA, live coral presence and depth appeared to be responsible for most of the variation observed in the cluster results. Cluster analysis of Bray-Curtis dissimilarity values of the pooled samples of all three reef localities using presence / absence data of all available samples indicated that distance appeared to structure the composition of the sponge assemblages of the three reef mound areas, but much less so within and among local reefs. Bathyal reefs of the regions to the west of Ireland were found to have a combined sponge species richness of 191 species, exceeding the richness of individual reef mound areas by c. 38-45%. Sponge presence in CWRs is clearly structured and controlled by biotic and abiotic factors. In particular, live coral presence appears a significant predictor of CWR sponge composition and diversity.

Description: The giant barrel sponge Xestospongia testudinaria is an ecologically important species that is widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific. Little is known, however, about the precise biogeographic distribution and the amount of morphological and genetic variation in this species. Here we provide the first detailed, fine-scaled (〈200 km2) study of the morphological and genetic composition of X. testudinaria around Lembeh Island, Indonesia. Two mitochondrial (CO1 and ATP6 genes) and one nuclear (ATP synthase \xce\xb2 intron) DNA markers were used to assess genetic variation. We identified four distinct morphotypes of X. testudinaria around Lembeh Island. These morphotypes were genetically differentiated with both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Our results indicate that giant barrel sponges around Lembeh Island, which were all morphologically identified as X. testudinaria, consist of at least two different lineages that appear to be reproductively isolated. The first lineage is represented by individuals with a digitate surface area, CO1 haplotype C5, and is most abundant around the harbor area of Bitung city. The second lineage is represented by individuals with a predominantly smooth surface area, CO1 haplotype C1 and can be found all around Lembeh Island, though to a lesser extent around the harbor of Bitung city. Our findings of two additional unique genetic lineages suggests the presence of an even broader species complex possibly containing more than two reproductively isolated species. The existence of X. testudinaria as a species complex is a surprising result given the size, abundance and conspicuousness of the sponge.

Description: Here we investigate spatial variation in shell shape of Littorina saxatilis, an ovoviviparous species, and Melarhaphe neritoides, a species with planktonic eggs and larvae. Populations of both species were sampled in 6 sites located along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Shell shape was studied using landmarkbased morphometric methods. Landmark data was used to estimate individual size and to describe shell shape. Prior to statistical analysis specimens were aligned using Generalised Procrustes Analysis (GPA). Ordinations based on GPA of landmark data and using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), revealed a clear spatial segregation of sites for both species, although this was more evident for L. saxatilis than M. neritoides. Statistical analysis revealed significant multivariate variation in shape among sites and a significant effect of allometry on shape for both species. In contrast to this last result, there was no significant linear relationship between any of the first three PC axes and size in L. saxatilis but highly significant associations between the first and third PC axes and size for M. neritoides. Spatial variation in the shape of both species was primarily related to variation in the height of the apical whorls and in the width of the aperture for L. saxatilis. Further variation in shape was related to the shape of the last whorl in L. saxatilis and shell elongation and a change in aperture shape in M. neritoides.

Description: Parasitoid assemblages infesting Yponomeuta species in the Netherlands were investigated. Parasitoid species richness and community composition were related to host species, habitat, temporal and spatial variation. Both community structure and species richness did not differ among habitats. There was no significant difference in species richness between years (1994 and 1995) but there was a significant difference in community composition. Community composition and species richness both differed among host species, although this latter result was solely due to the host species Y. evonymellus. There was no significant relationship between community similarity and distance. These results indicate that the parasitoids of the moth genus Yponomeuta in the Netherlands appear to form a spatially stable, but temporally variable community. Most of the variation in community structure was, however, related to the host species. The marked difference in parasitoid species richness and community composition of Y. evonymellus when compared to the other species warrants further study.

Description: Clear habitat separation between the sister species Colias alfacariensis and C. hyale is shown when occurring sympatrically. Colias hyale is found more often in moist cultivated pastures while Colias alfacariensis is more abundant in dry uncultivated habitat. Out of a total of 16 loci, no diagnostic loci were found between C. alfacariensis and C. hyale, and both species shared most major polymorphisms. Exceptions were the marked differences in allele frequencies at the HK locus and only C, hyale, but not C. alfacariensis was further invariable at the GOT2 locus, which is usually highly polymorphic in the Pieridae. Colias hyale has a significantly lower level of heterozygosity than its sister species C. alfacariensis. In Colias alfacariensis heterozygosity is highest in the Alps and lowest in the low-lying region of Northern France, Both species show high levels of gene flow over a large geographic area. Within C. alfacariensis, but not in C. hyale, the FST value of the PGI locus is significantly different from zero effectively separating the species into populations with high levels of the \xe2\x80\x99 b\xe2\x80\x99 allele to the west and North, and low levels of the allele in the Alps and Italy. This could point to selection within the PGI locus in line with the well established pattern of selection at the PGI locus in other species of Colias. Glaciations have been an important force in shaping the evolutionary history of European biota, leading to extinction, but also allowing new species to evolve into the newly available land as the ice sheets retreated. The genetic and distributional pattern found between both Colias species suggests that habitat shifts and subsequent adaptation during glaciations could have played an important role in their speciation.