Oecologia Australis 24(1):61-75, 2020 https://doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2020.2401.05 GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF THE THREATENED PALM Euterpe edulis Mart. IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION TRENDS AND GAPS IN SCIENTIFIC production ON FRESHWater SPONGES Aline Cavalcante de Souza1* & Jayme Augusto Prevedello1 Marcelo Rodrigues Freitas de Oliveira1, Cintia da Costa2 & Evanilde Benedito*3 1 1 Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Laboratório de Ecologia de Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Comparada, Avenida Colombo, 5790, Paisagens, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Maracanã, CEP 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Bloco G-80, Sala 201, CEP: 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. 2 E-mails: [email protected] (*corresponding author); [email protected] Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Departamento de Biologia, Avenida Colombo, 5790, Bloco G-80, Sala 201, CEP: 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Abstract: The combination of species distribution models based on climatic variables, with spatially explicit 3 Núcleo de Pesquisa em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura (Nupélia) /PEA/PGB, Universidade Estadual de Maringá analyses of habitat loss, may produce valuable assessments of current species distribution in highly disturbed (UEM), Avenida Colombo, 5790, Bloco H-90, CEP: 87020-900, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil ecosystems. Here, we estimated the potential geographic distribution of the threatened palm Euterpe Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] (*corresponding author). edulis Mart. (Arecaceae), an ecologically and economically important species inhabiting the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. This palm is shade-tolerant, and its populations are restricted to the interior of forest Abstract: Researchers working with freshwater sponges are faced with old, unresolved issues and fragmented patches. The geographic distribution of E. edulis has been reduced due to deforestation and overexploitation knowledge. In the present study, a systematic search of the studies on continental sponges, from the 21st of its palm heart. To quantify the impacts of deforestation on the geographical distribution of this species, we century, was carried out to identify trends and gaps in this restricted area of knowledge, using the scientific compared the potential distribution, estimated by climatic variables, with the current distribution of forest productions available on the Web of Science. The publication of scientific papers involving studies with patches. Potential distribution was quantified using five different algorithms (BIOCLIM, GLM, MaxEnt, freshwater sponges has increased over the years, with a decline in the last two years (2016-2017). The focus of Random Forest and SVM). Forest cover in the biome was estimated for the year 2017, using a recently- the Brazilian studies included taxonomy and ecology, while Russian researchers contributed with knowledge released map with 30 m resolution. A total of 111 records were kept to model climatic suitability of E. edulis, about the genetic, phylogenetic and molecular biology of endemic sponges of the region. Eight sub disciplines varying from 6 to 1500 m a.s.l and spanning almost the entire latitudinal gradient covered by the Atlantic were identified: Biochemistry and Physiology, Genetics and Phylogenetics, Cellular and Developmental Forest (from 7.72º S to 29.65º S). Based on climatic suitability alone, ca. 93 million hectares, or 66% of the Biology, Taxonomy and Morphology, Ecology, Paleontology and Anthropology, Biotechnology and Materials area of the Atlantic Forest, would be suitable for the occurrence of E. edulis. However, 76% of this climatically Science and Human Health. It was concluded that freshwater sponges still deserve a significant effort in the suitable area was deforested. Therefore, currently, only ca. 15% of the biome retains forest patches that are elucidation of taxonomic issues, the realization of biodiversity inventories and research in the different lines climatically suitable for E. edulis. Our analyses show that E. edulis has suffered a dramatic loss of potential of knowledge, aiming at their biotechnological potential. distribution area in the Atlantic Forest due to widespread deforestation. Our results provided updated information on the distribution of E. edulis, and may be used to identify which forested and deforested areas Keywords: Taxonomy; Ecology Demospongiae; Spongillida; continental sponges. could receive priority in future conservation and restoration efforts. Keywords: climatic suitability; deforestation; habitat loss; palm heart; species distribution modelling. IntroduCTION which is constantly updated and until December 2017 recorded 251 freshwater species. The Phylum Porifera is considered to be the The Neotropical biogeographic region is most basal group among the taxa of kingdom the most diverse in the world, considering the Animalia, and are the oldest living metazoans. They number of freshwater sponges, with more than correspond to sessile, marine or freshwater, filter- 65 species, followed by the Palearctic region, with feeding benthic macroinvertebrates which present approximately 60 species and the Ethiopian region, an aquifer system and a complex network of water with 49 species (van Soest et al. 2012). Smaller conductive canals and cavities. The reference work richness is found on islands in the Pacific Ocean for the study of sponges is the Systema Porifera and the Caribbean (five species each). The precise (Hooper & van Soest 2002). As indispensable as geographic boundaries for various genera and this work, which constitutes a pivotal search device species, however, are still uncertain (Manconi & for researchers, an online database is maintained, Pronzato 2008). et al the World Porifera Database (van Soest . 2018), Researchers working with freshwater sponges 62 | Scientific production on freshwater sponges are faced with old unresolved issues, such as IndexSM, KCI - Korean Journal Database, Russian phylogenetic relations, which have been receiving Science Citation Index e SciELO Citation Index. considerable attention (Cardenas et al. 2012). According to Unesco (2010) the most constantly The concentration of efforts in this area and used indicator is Thomson Reuters Science the consequent rising number of molecular Citation Index (SCI), due to its large number of phylogenetics publications culminated in a recent registered scientific publications. Using keywords, review of the class Demospongiae, suggesting boolean and approximation operators, the term the elevation of the suborder Spongillina to order was formed: ((freshwater* or continental*) near/15 Spongillida, comprising the current eight families sponge*) or “fresh-water* sponge*” or cauxi*. For (Morrow & Cardenas 2015). the period 2000-2017, a result of 446 studies was Since 1970, experts from around the world meet obtained in a search performed until October 2017. every four or eight years to present and discuss Studies with non-pertinent themes, which did advances in the studies of sponges. In the last not involve freshwater sponges, were excluded conference in 2013 (XI World Sponge Conference, and the valid documents obtained, it resulted in Australia), it was highlighted the high frequency 258 articles. Publications related to i) publication of studies that, using molecular techniques, year, ii) authors and their number of participations investigated questions of taxonomy to phylogeny in published works, iii) country of origin of each or evolution to physiology, and that have been used author/co-author, iv) institutions of origin of each in the growing field of biotechnology (Schonberg et author/co-author, v) title of the source/journal al. 2016). of publication and their respective impact factor Nonetheless, a quantitative synthesis of (data from the edition of 2015 of Journal Citation researches on freshwater sponges will be useful as a Reports®) were analyzed. The number of results guide for the development of scientific policies and for the aforementioned analyzes varied due to will favor, more readily, a knowledge advancement documents that did not contain information for about freshwater sponges in different areas of some fields and synomonous authorship as author Science. Establishing indicators of scientific name (in this case they were summed to the same activity and the areas of interest in a given subject author). allow us to understand how and how much Finally, the studies were grouped according to scientists communicate from the perspective of the the previously proposed research area involving relations between the advancement of science and continental sponges, which were confirmed technology on one hand, and social and economic during the search. Documents were differentiated progress on the other (Macias-Chapula 1998). observing the organization level proposed by Odum In this context, this work intended to identify (1983) in which it predominated their scientific trends and gaps in the research field of continental investigation (for example: molecular, cellular, sponges, and investigated the following ecologic). The articles, grouped in eight areas of hypotheses: (i) research carried out on freshwater knowledge, were analyzed (A - Biochemistry and sponges has included all areas of knowledge; (ii) Physiology, B - Genetics and Phylogenetics, C - the most diverse regions correspond to those with Cellular and Developmental