skip to main content
Back to Project Search

Documenting invertebrate biodiversity in the Red Sea with morphological and molecular methods

Project

Project Details

Program
Marine Science
Field of Study
Marine Biology and Ecology
Division
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
https://bemlab.kaust.edu.sa/
Center Affiliation
Red Sea Research Center

Project Description

The candidate will join an active and dynamic research group, with ongoing projects related to marine biodiversity. These initiatives involve fieldwork, samples collection, preservation, sorting, identification and sequencing. The project focuses on exploring the morphological and molecular diversity of a specific taxonomic group of interest in Saudi waters of the Red Sea and/or Arabian Gulf. Key groups of interest include, but are not restricted to, Gastropoda, Polychaeta, Amphipoda. To this extent, the candidate will analyse specimens collected during ongoing biodiversity surveys in natural areas and from collectors, such as Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) and settlement panels. The identification of the specimens will be carried out with optical and, where necessary, electron microscopy. Molecular diversity will be explored through standardized DNA extraction methods employing universal or group-specific primers for the amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the COI gene. In some cases, the 18S rRNA gene may also be targeted. Special consideration will be given to species and species complexes with a biogeographical status identified as non-native or potentially non-native to the Red Sea and/or the Arabian Gulf.

About the Researcher

Susana Carvalho
Associate Professor of Practice of Marine Science , Marine Science Sector Manager
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division

Education Profile

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Portuguese Institute for Fisheries and Sea Research and Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia, Spain, 2008-2012
  • Ph.D., University of Algarve, Portugal,
  • M.Sc., University of Aveiro, Portugal,
  • B.Sc., Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal, 1998

Research Interests

Prof. Carvalho's expertise blends the fields of marine ecology, ecotoxicology, and coastal management. Prof. Carvalho is interested in untangling the role natural and anthropogenic stressors play in shaping marine biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning, using field and laboratory-based approaches. Her research advances fundamental knowledge of how marine organisms respond to environmental changes and the intrinsic patterns driving those changes. While her research aims to identify the main threats to the marine environment it has an applied aspect by incorporating the views of stakeholders into management pathways. Her goal is to keep fostering interactions with local stakeholders to improve decision-making in the field of marine science and ultimately contribute to the sustainability of the Red Sea.

Selected Publications

  • Peixoto RS, Voolstra CR, Sweet M, Duarte CM, Carvalho S, Vilela H, Lunshof JE, Gram L, Woodhams DC, Walter J, Roik A, Hentschel U, Thurber RV, Daisley B, Ushijima B, Daffonchio D, Costa R, Keller-Costa T, Bowman J, Rosado AS, Reid G, Mason CE, Walke JB, Thomas T, Berg G (2022) Harnessing the microbiome to prevent global biodiversity loss. Nature Microbiology, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01173-1
  • Aylagas E, Atalah J, SA¡nchez-Jerez P, Pearman J, Casado N, Asensi J, Toledo-Guedes K, Carvalho S (2021) A step towards the validation of bacteria biotic indices using DNA metabarcoding for benthic monitoring. Molecular Ecology Resources 21:1889-1903
  • Aylagas E, Borja A, Pochon X, Zaiko A, et al., Carvalho S (2020) Translational Molecular Ecology in practice: Linking DNA-based methods to actionable marine environmental management. Science of the Total Environment 744:140780
  • Ellis JI, Jamil T, Anlauf H, Coker D, Curdia J, Dasari H, Hewitt J, Jones BH, Krokos G, Roth F, Carvalho S, Hoteit I (2019) Multiple stressor effects on coral reef ecosystems in the Red Sea. Global Change Biology 25:4131-4146
  • Carvalho S, Aylagas E, Villalobos R, Kattan Y, Berumen M, Pearman JK (2019) Beyond the visual: introducing the hidden reef cryptobiome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286: 20182697

Desired Project Deliverables

A report describing the activities (e.g., field collection techniques) and procedures (e.g., subsampling of tissue, extraction, amplification and quantification of DNA markers, plus downstream processing) applied by the intern during the stay, as well as a database with reference to photos, taxonomy, and DNA barcode. Depending on the relevance of the results, a conference communication and/or a short publication can be expected.

Recommended Student Background

Biology
Environmental Sciences
On this page