Despite historical references to the contrary, recent study of Panamanian seaweed diversity has revealed a marine flora rich in species, including species new to science and species that may represent sources of important natural compounds. This project will elucidate patterns of seaweed diversity through intensive SCUBA-based field surveys in the Caribbean Sea and eastern tropical Pacific, live culture of field-collected specimens, and comparisons of seaweed DNA. The work will result in the establishment of a baseline of seaweed diversity upon which environmental change can be assessed, and upon which evolutionary hypotheses can be tested. Specifically, a strategy is outlined to explain why algal species composition on Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Central America is so similar, in comparison to the general pattern of zoological diversity in which distinct (though closely related) species inhabit opposite coasts.
A major initiative of this project is to establish a collaborative of seaweed scientists in southern Central America that will promote long-term study of seaweed evolution and biogeography. Over 40 students and scientists (from universities in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Colombia, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and collaborating American Institutions) will receive training in seaweed identification, molecular systematics and seaweed culturing as part of this research, or through taxonomic workshops. The research will advance an understanding of the distribution and diversity of tropical seaweeds, as well as the biotic history of the Central American Isthmus, and culminate in a series of bi-lingual identification guides to the marine flora of Panama. The Office of International Science and Engineering is co-funding this award to help support US student participation in this international research activity.
A four-year specimen-based survey and inventory of biodiversity focused on existing and new collections of marine macroalgae, or seaweeds, from the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of southern Central America in order to address larger questions concerning macroalgal evolution and community dynamics in the region. It targeted a strategic geographic location that capitalizes on the well-resolved geological history of the Central American Isthmus as a basis for testing biogeographic hypotheses, an important consideration since the fossil record for fleshy macroalgae is practically non-existent. The surveys documented extraordinary diversity in Panama, and emphasized new collections of inconspicuous and conspicuous species whose diversity is poorly known but whose ecological importance as a functional group is well established. New species have been described on the basis of comparative morphological and molecular evidence, and the work resulted in the establishment of a baseline of seaweed diversity upon which future environmental monitoring efforts will be based. The project served to indicate potential for underestimated biodiversity and contribute to important conservation issues through the discovery of cryptic diversity and invasive species. This is especially timely, given the expansion of the Panama Canal, due to open a new portal for interoceanic biotic exchange in 2014. The project included training and outreach at many levels and tapped into the synergistic potential of a collaborative network of Central American phycologists, identified and trained to promote the long-term study of phycology, biodiversity, evolution, biogeography and conservation in the region. Latin American students and researchers were both directly involved in the project, and in workshops/courses. The project provided support for graduate and undergraduate students, including REU training opportunities. Products from the project include a seaweed-specific, relational database (PHYKOS) developed in Filemaker Pro, DNA sequences released to GenBank, dissertations, publications, presentations at scientific meetings, and a website devoted to Caribbean Phycology Resources. Seven US and 5 international graduate students, 14 US, 10 Panamanian and 2 international undergraduate students, 3 postdocs, 4 technicians and 3 Botany faculty from the Univ. of Panama have received training as part of the current project. Additional funds leveraged through the project, which have made possible three intensive field courses conducted in Caribbean and Pacifica Panama, have resulted in the training of an additional 32 undergraduate, graduate and/or professional biologists. The products of these training opportunities include two editions of The Common Marine Algae of Bocas del Toro, Panama, and the production of 6 informational posters in Spanish highlighting Panamanian algal resources for laypeople distributed to government and education organizations in Panama. The posting of video clips on YouTube demonstrated the science behind the project in order to reach a wide audience that may not be familiar with concepts of biodiversity, seaweeds, tropical biology, biogeography, and evolutionary approaches in general.
