Arne Nygren

Postdoctoral fellow, Systematics and Biodiversity

Tel: 46 (0)31 786 38 63 | arne.nygren@zool.gu.se

Research interests

Polychaete species complexes in Swedish waters

The purpose of my research is to investigate polychaete species complexes in Swedish waters using mitochondrial, nuclear, and morphological data in order to identify and describe unknown taxa of polychaetes for the area.

There are about 650 reported polychaete species in Swedish waters. A substantial part of these is described from the Mediterranean Sea or the Arctic Ocean. Many of the taxa identified as Mediterranean or Arctic species along our coast are incorrectly determined, and may represent undescribed, or previously not recognized, taxa for the area. The core of my research is to investigate species boundaries for Swedish polychaetes with type localities in the Mediterranean Sea or the Arctic region. By comparing specimens living in e.g. the Mediterranean with specimens living in Sweden it is possible to tell whether they belong to one and the same species or not. In order to find new polychaete species for Swedish waters, it is also rewarding to investigate species where there is some sort of polymorphism, in colour pattern (even if it as just colour nuances), in behaviour, in reproduction, or in habitat preference.

I have concentrated my efforts on errant polychaetes (Aciculata) so far, but focus will be changed towards including also sedentary polychaetes (Scolecida and Canalipalpata). Several studies using molecular information for sedentary polychaetes has identified cryptic species in the Northeast Atlantic, which certainly promises many more undiscovered species since these studies represent scattered investigations for a few of the sedentary polychaetes that exist in the North Atlantic.

Publications

Nygren, A., Eklöf, J., & Pleijel, F. In press. Arctic-boreal sibling species of Paranaitis (Polychaeta, Phyllodocidae). Marine biology research.

Pleijel, F., Rouse, G., & Nygren, A. 2009. Five colour morphs and three new species of Gyptis (Hesionidae, Annelida) under a jetty in Edithburgh, South Australia. Zoologica Scripta 38, 89-99.

Nygren, A., Pleijel, F. & Berggren, M. (2008) Drakulamask ny havsborstmask i Sverige. Fauna & flora 103, 20-25.

Pleijel, F., Jondelius, U., Norlinder, E., Nygren A., Oxelman, B., Schander, C., Sundberg, P., & Thollesson, M. 2008. Phylogenies without roots? A plea for the use of vouchers in molecular phylogenetic studies. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 48, 369-371.

Wiklund, H., Nygren, A., Pleijel, F. and Sundberg, P. (2008). The phylogenetic relationships between Amphinomidae, Archinomidae and Euphrosinidae (Amphinomida: Aciculata: Polychaeta), inferred from molecular data. Journal of the Marine Biological Association (UK) 88, 509-513.

Pleijel, F., G.W. Rouse, C. Ruta, H. Wiklund and A. Nygren. (2008). Vrijenhoekia balaenophila, a new hesionid polychaete from a whale fall off California. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152, 625-634.

Nygren, A. and Pleijel, F. (2007) A new species of Myrianida (Syllidae, Polychaeta) from Belize. Zootaxa 1595: 17–29.

Pleijel, F., G.W. Rouse, C. Ruta, H. Wiklund and A. Nygren. In press. Vrijenhoekia balaenophila, a new hesionid polychaete from a whale fall off California. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Aguado, M. T., Nygren, A. and Siddall, M. (2007). Phylogeny of Syllidae (Polychaeta) based on combined molecular analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Cladistics 23:552-564.

Ruta, C., A. Nygren, V. Rousset, P. Sundberg., A. Tillier, H. Wiklund and F. Pleijel. (2007) Phylogeny of Hesionidae (Aciculata, Polychaeta), assessed from morphology, 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, 16S rDNA and COI. Zoologica Scripta 36: 99-107.

Eriksson, R., Nygren, A., and Sundberg, P. (2006) Genetic evidence of phenotypic polymorphism in the Aeolid nudibranch Flabellina verrucosa (M. Sars, 1829) (Opisthobranchia: Nudibranchia). Organisms diversity and evolution, 6: 71-76.

Aguado, M.T., San Martín, G., and Nygren, A. (2005) A new species of Opisthosyllis (Polychaetea: Syllidae) from California (U.S.A). Zootaxa, 1068: 47-58.

Nygren, A., Pleijel, F., and Sundberg, P. (2005) Genetic relationships between Nereimyra punctata and N. woodsholea (Hesionidae, Polychaeta). Journal of Zoological systematics and Evolutionary research, 43: 273-276.

Wiklund, H., Nygren, A., Pleijel, F., and Sundberg, P. (2005) Phylogeny of Aphroditiformia (Polychaeta) based on molecular and morphological data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37: 494-502.

Worsaee, K., Nygren, A., Pleijel, F., Rouse, G., Giribet, G., Persson, J., and Sundberg, P. (2005) Phylogenetic position of Nerillidae and Aberranta (Annelida: Polychaeta) analysed by direct optimization of combined molecular and morphological datasets. Zoologica Scripta, 34: 313-328.

Nygren, A. (2004) Revision of Autolytinae (Syllidae: Polychaeta). Zootaxa, 680: 1-314.

Nygren, A. (2003) Autolytinae: molecules, morphology, and reproduction. Thesis.

Nygren, A. & Sundberg. P. (2003) Phylogeny and evolution of reproductive modes in Autolytinae (Syllidae, Annelida). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29:235-249.

Nygren, A. & Gidholm, L. (2001) Three new species of Proceraea (Polychaeta: Syllidae: Autolytinae) from Brazil and the United States, with a synopsis of all Proceraea-like taxa. Ophelia 54(3):177-191.

Nygren, A. (1999) Phylogeny and reproduction in Syllidae (Polychaeta). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 126(3): 365-386.

Reviewed abstracts from conferences
Nygren, A., Norlinder, E., and Pleijel, F. (2007) Identifying new polychaetes in Scandinavian waters with the barcode gene COI. Abstract at the 9th international polychaete conference.

Nygren, A. (2001) Phylogeny and evolution of reproductive modes within Autolytinae using two different genes and morphology. Abstract at the 7th international polychaete conference.

Nygren, A. (1996) Phylogeny and reproduction in Syllidae (Polychaeta). Abstract at the 6th international polychaete conference.

Popular papers
Pleijel, F & Nygren, A. (2006) Snarlika havsborstmaskar i svenska vatten. Fauna & flora 101: 28-31.