A SponBIODIV project meeting took place at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in April 2025, reinforcing international collaboration between Brazilian and Greek research teams. The event brought together partners from UFRJ (TaxoN Laboratory of the Zoology, Department of the Biology, Institute of UFRJ and the Department of Invertebrates at the National Museum Center for Research and Education) and the Ionian University (IURC), Greece.
The meeting was organized by Michelle Klautau and Eduardo Hajdu (UFRJ) and was attended by 24 participants, primarily early-career researchers and PhD students.
Throughout the event, participants presented their findings on various aspects of sponge research, including taxonomy, genetic diversity, population dynamics, ecology, and conservation of sponge-dominated habitats. A key focus was the identification of sponge specimens collected from Greece, paving the way for co-authored publications on Mediterranean sponge diversity, including the description of new species.
As part of the program, Prof. Vasilis Gerovasileiou (IURC) delivered a lecture on sponge-dominated marine cave habitats in the Mediterranean Sea. The talk attracted an audience of over 60 students and researchers.
The meeting underscored the value of international partnerships in advancing marine biodiversity research and provided a platform for discussing future joint activities and collaborative projects.
