Luisa Dueñas

National University of Colombia | UNAL · Departamento de Biología (Bogotá)

Confronting a sustained coral reef conservation crisis, we need new opportunities to rethink how to protect areas successfully and efficiently in the face of a changing world. We studied the benthic community, including foraminifera, fish community, and genetic connectivity (SSRs and SNPs) of main reef-building coral, Orbicella faveolata and Agaric...

Despite the fact that much of the Colombian territory is submerged, knowledge of the seabed beyond a depth of 1,000 m is limited. Deepwater biodiversity is currently poorly understood in the Caribbean region, as no systematic exploration has been carried out. The greatest limitation for this exploration and characterization is the lack of technolog...

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) develop on a unique environment, where abrupt environmental changes take place. Using a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny (mtDNA: mtMutS), we examined the lineage membership of mesophotic gorgonian corals (Octocorallia: Cnidaria) in comparison to shallow and deep-sea lineages of the wider Caribbean-Gulf of Mexic...

Cold-seep chemosynthetic communities are found in patchy areas where methane and other hydrocarbons leak through the seafloor. Although relatively common in continental margins, chemosynthetic communities in the Caribbean region are poorly known. Their xistence in Colombian waters has been suggested by the presence of carbonates and specimens of se...

As a result of curatorial activites realized in the Museum of Marine Natural History of Colombia, Makuriwa-Invemar, on the material deposited by consulting companies hired by oil and gas operators, 13 new records of deep-water species were recognized within the families Nematocarcinidae, Acanthephyridae, Aristeidae, Oplophoridae, Glyphocrangonidae,...

Anthozoan cnidarians (corals and sea anemones) include some of the world's most important foundation species, capable of building massive reef complexes that support entire ecosystems. Although previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed widespread homoplasy of the morphological characters traditionally used to define orders and families...

Anthozoan cnidarians (corals and sea anemones) include some of the world's most important foundation species, capable of building massive reef complexes that support entire ecosystems. Although previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed widespread homoplasy of the morphological characters traditionally used to define orders and families...

Deep-sea sediments are considered an extreme environment due to high atmospheric pressure and low temperatures, harboring novel microorganisms. To explore marine bacterial diversity in the southern Colombian Caribbean Sea, this study used 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing to estimate bacterial composition and diversity of six samples collect...

1. Summary Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) develop on a unique environment, where abrupt environmental changes take place. Using a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny (mtDNA: mtMutS), we examined the lineage membership of mesophotic gorgonian corals (Octocorallia: Cnidaria) in comparison to shallow and deep-sea lineages of the wider Caribbean-G...

Marine litter is a world-wide problem, but the knowledge on this topic in remote areas such as the poles and the deep-sea is still limited. This paper seeks to provide the first accounts of deep-sea litter in the South-Western Caribbean Sea. The survey used 5066 still images from ROV video surveys around four hydrocarbon exploratory drilling zones....

Fifteen morphotypes of deep-sea holothurians were documented by photography or videography at depths of 596–2,566 m, using Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) video surveys and towed camera transects, during hydrocarbon exploratory activities in the Colombian Southern Caribbean. Most of the morphotypes were identified to the species level based on the i...

This visual guide is illustrated with images captured by Anadarko Colombia Company (ACC), a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC), during its normal offshore hydrocarbon exploration process at depths between 375 and 3288 m in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. Images were taken by towed camera, Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), and by samples...

Annelids are invertebrates including polychaetes, earthworms and leeches, among others (Rouse & Pleijel 2001). Their body is segmented with numerous rings; locomotion is based on body perisltaltic movements aided by muscles and the coelom. Most annelids have bristles or chaetae with different levels of development and function. Reproduction may be...

Acanthonus armatus Günther, 1878 is reported for the first time in the southwestern Caribbean region, off Colombia. Remote Operate Vehicle videos and towed camera still photographs captured 13 images of A. armatus between 2215 and 2564 m. These are the first records of the species in the Caribbean continental coast of Colombia, representing a range...

Mesophotic gorgonian corals comprise a polyphyletic group of octocorals mostly with a proteinaceous branching axial skeleton. Dense assemblages of gorgonian corals usually dominate the seascape in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs). In this chapter, we review the mesophotic gorgonian coral biodiversity, followed by a synthesis of the ecological imp...

Background Attention to the deep-sea environment has increased dramatically in the last decade due to the rising interest in natural resource exploitation. Although Colombia holds a large submerged territory, knowledge of the seabed and its biodiversity beyond 1,000 m depth is very limited. During 2015–2017, Anadarko Colombia Company (ACC) carried...

Poralia rufescens, Vanhöffen, 1902, is a bathypelagic Semaestomeae jellyfish that lives at depths below 600m in the Caribbean; this is the first report of this species and in general of a jellyfish in deep waters of the Colombian Caribbean and spotted in its natural environment thanks to ROV video recordings.

Anthozoans (e.g., corals, anemones) are an ecologically important and diverse group of marine metazoans that occur from shallow to deep waters worldwide. However, our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the ~7500 species within this class is hindered by the lack of phylogenetically informative markers that can be reliably sequence...

Anthozoans (e.g., corals, anemones) are an ecologically important and diverse group of marine metazoans that occur from shallow to deep waters worldwide. However, our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the ∼7500 species within this class is hindered by the lack of phylogenetically informative markers that can be reliably sequence...

Background Antarctica is surrounded by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the largest and strongest current in the world. Despite its potential importance for shaping biogeographical patterns, the distribution and connectivity of deep-sea populations across the ACC remain poorly understood. In this study we conducted the first assessment of p...

Owing to the decrease of reef organisms in general, it has become essential to study populations that are prone to marine diseases, with the purpose of developing accurate survivorship predictions and in turn alarm on triggers and drivers of disease outbreaks. In this study, we quantified the octocorals of Gorgona island, Tropical Eastern Pacific (...

A major environmental problem in the ocean is the alarming increase in diseases affecting diverse marine organisms including corals. Environmental factors such as the rising seawater temperatures and terrestrial microbial input to the ocean have contributed to the increase in diseased organisms. We isolated and identified the fungal agents that may...

During three expeditions to the island (2009 and 2010), the diversity, abundance and status of octocorals were explored. Seven species of octocorals were recorded: Leptogorgia alba, Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata, Pacifigorgia sp.1 y Pacifigorgia sp.2, Muricea cf. fruticosa, Muricea sp., and the invasive species Carijoa riisei. Octocorals form dense agg...

Recruitment, defined and measured as the incorporation of new individuals (i.e. coral juveniles) into a population, is a fundamental process for ecologists, evolutionists and conservationists due to its direct effect on population structure and function. Because most coral populations are self-feeding, a breakdown in recruitment would lead to local...

p> Abstract Recruitment, defined and measured as the incorporation of new individuals (i.e. coral juveniles) into a population, is a fundamental process for ecologists, evolutionists and conservationists due to its direct effect on population structure and function. Because most coral populations are self-feeding, a breakdown in recruitment would...

During three expeditions to the island (2009 and 2010), the diversity, abundance and status of octocorals were explored. Seven species of octocorals were recorded: Leptogorgia alba, Pacifigorgia cf. lacerata, Pacifigorgia sp.1 y Pacifigorgia sp.2, Muricea cf. fruticosa, Muricea sp., and the invasive species Carijoa riisei. Octocorals form dense agg...

Morphological traits that appear multiple times when mapped onto molecular phylogenies have been associated with character lability. In an ecological context, functional characters, if labile, could confer advantages for adaptation to specific habitats. Bamboo corals are long-lived, deep-sea octocorals characterized by an obvious modularity, which...