Complex spatial patterns of genetic differentiation in the Caribbean mustard hill coral Porites astreoides

Riquet, Florentine; Japaud, Aurélien; Nunes, Flávia L. D.; Serrano, Xaymara M.; Baker, Andrew C.; Bezault, Étienne; Bouchon, Claude; Fauvelot, Cécile

doi:10.1007/s00338-021-02157-z

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Genetic surveys are often consistent with these expectations when examined over moderate to large distances (tens to thousands of km), where broadcast spawners generally exhibit low or negligible horizontal population structure (Baums et al, 2010 ; Huang et al, 2018 ; Nakajima et al, 2010 ; Serrano et al, 2014 ; Severance & Karl, 2006 ; Studivan & Voss, 2018 ; Tay et al, 2015 ; van Oppen et al, 2015 ), whereas brooding taxa typically have discernible population structure over similar distances (e.g., Carlon & Budd, 2002 ; Casado‐Amezúa et al, 2012 ; Goffredo et al, 2004 ; Gorospe & Karl, 2015 ; Stoddart, 1984 ; Underwood et al, 2006 ). However, these patterns are not universal, and it is still common for broadcasters to demonstrate fine‐scale structure from local retention and brooders to demonstrate broad‐scale connectivity from a few widely dispersed propagules (Ayre & Hughes, 2000 ; Gorospe & Karl, 2013 ; Miller & Ayre, 2008 ; Riquet et al, 2021 ). At least in the Caribbean, most scleractinian coral species exclusive to mesophotic depths appear to be brooders (Bongaerts, Ridgway, et al, 2010 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep connections: Divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic Agaricia corals

et al. 2022

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Largely understudied, mesophotic coral ecosystems lie below shallow reefs (at >30 m depth) and comprise ecologically distinct communities. Brooding reproductive modes appear to predominate among mesophotic‐specialist corals and may limit genetic connectivity among populations. Using reduced representation genomic sequencing, we assessed spatial population genetic structure at 50 m depth in an ecologically important mesophotic‐specialist species Agaricia grahamae, among locations in the Southern Caribbean. We also tested for hybridisation with the closely related (but depth‐generalist) species Agaricia lamarcki, within their sympatric depth zone (50 m). In contrast to our expectations, no spatial genetic structure was detected between the reefs of Curaçao and Bonaire (~40 km apart) within A. grahamae. However, cryptic taxa were discovered within both taxonomic species, with those in A. lamarcki (incompletely) partitioned by depth and those in A. grahamae occurring sympatrically (at the same depth). Hybrid analyses and demographic modelling identified contemporary and historical gene flow among cryptic taxa, both within and between A. grahamae and A. lamarcki. These results (1) indicate that spatial connectivity and subsequent replenishment may be possible between islands of moderate geographic distances for A. grahamae, an ecologically important mesophotic species, (2) that cryptic taxa occur in the mesophotic zone and environmental selection along shallow to mesophotic depth gradients may drive divergence in depth‐generalists such as A. lamarcki, and (3) highlight that gene flow links taxa within this relativity diverse Caribbean genus.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep connections: Divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic Agaricia corals

et al. 2022

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“…While much effort has been made toward understanding the processes that shape genetic structure and diversity in reef fish (Rocha and Bowen 2008;Selkoe and Toonen 2011;Gaither et al 2015;Bowen et al 2016) and scleractinians (Baums et al 2006;Vollmer and Palumbi 2007;Nunes et al 2009;Serrano et al 2014;Peluso et al 2018;Riquet et al 2021), less is known about other benthic invertebrates that also serve important ecological roles on coral reefs. For example, the fire corals of the genus Millepora are the only branching reef-building organisms of the Southwestern Atlantic (Laborel 1970;de Souza et al 2017), and so they provide a unique habitat type for other reef dwellers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remarkable population structure in the tropical Atlantic lace corals Stylaster roseus (Pallas, 1766) and Stylaster blatteus (Boschma, 1961)

et al. 2022

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Biodiversity on coral reefs depends not only on primary reef-builders, but also on associated taxa that create microhabitats for other species. Hydrocorals of the genus Stylaster, commonly known as lace corals, form small branching colonies that enhance three-dimensional complexity on reefs and are known to support a variety of commensal species. Furthermore, the genus is highly speciose, further increasing biodiversity. Despite their important ecological roles, little is known about the evolutionary history and the intraspecific diversity and structure in these broadly distributed hydrocorals. Here, we assessed the phylogenetic relationships among Atlantic species in the genus Stylaster and examined the genetic structure of S. roseus in the Tropical Western Atlantic (Caribbean and Brazil) and of S. blatteus in the Tropical Eastern Atlantic (Africa), using DNA sequences from the 16S ribosomal gene. Time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses showed that S. roseus and S. blatteus diverged at ~ 24.6 Ma. A well-supported Brazilian clade within S. roseus indicates a possible cryptic species that diverged at ~ 11.6 Ma, consistent with the formation of the Amazon River at 9 Ma (Hoorn et al. in Glob Planet Change 153:51–65, 2017). Strong genetic structure was observed even over moderate distances, with ΦST values over all populations being 0.98 for S. roseus and 0.90 for S. blatteus. Nearly, all haplotypes were private (found in a single location) and diverged by many mutational steps from one another. In contrast, genetic diversity was low at the local scale for both species, with most sites showing no variation (a single haplotype). These results are coherent with the reproductive strategy of Stylasteridae, where larvae are brooded and are highly developed at the time of release, often settling near the parental colony. Limited dispersal coupled with possible clonal reproduction have likely contributed to the high levels of genetic differentiation observed here. Lace corals show unusual reproductive and population dynamics compared to other reef inhabiting cnidarians. Future work may reveal additional cryptic diversity in this poorly studied family.

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“…Conversely, true heritability for a given trait may be lower than estimated if phenotypically dissimilar individuals shared the same genetic identity. In the absence of genotyping data we are unable to rule out the possibility of clones, however, it is unlikely that we collected clonal or sibling adult colonies because we sampled individuals that were at least 10 m apart in the field, a greater distance compared to 1 m used in other studies (Riquet et al, 2021;Serrano et al, 2016). Despite overall moderate to high heritability levels, estimates differed among life stages and across different physiological traits within a given stage.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Cross-generational heritability analysis of physiological traits in Porites astreoides across an inshore-offshore gradient in the Lower Florida Keys

2022

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Estimating the heritable genetic variation in fitness-related traits is key to projecting the adaptive evolution of organisms in response to a changing environment. While heritability studies on reef-building corals to date support adaptive capacity, little is known about the dynamics of trait heritability across life stages in which distinct selective pressures can have long-lasting effects both within and across generations. In this study, we obtained heritability estimates for energetic and thermal stress response traits in larval, recruit, and adult Porites astreoides from two populations in the Lower Florida Keys. To induce bleaching phenotypes among individual families, larvae were exposed to a 4-day thermal stress at 32 ˚C, whereas adults and recruits received the same treatment for 22 days. Origin-dependent tolerance was observed in two life stages where offshore recruits lost more symbiont cells under heat than inshore recruits compared to their respective controls and heat-treated offshore adults suffered a greater loss in total protein content. Surprisingly, larvae appeared to be largely insensitive to heat regardless of origin. Broad sense heritability (H 2 ) estimates varied greatly among traits and life stages, which may reflect changes in the relative importance of genetic and environmental variation throughout development. Notably, more than 80% of the variation in larval chlorophyll a concentration was attributed to genetic factors. The overall moderate to high H 2 estimates measured here suggest these corals have considerable potential to adapt to environmental change.

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Complex spatial patterns of genetic differentiation in the Caribbean mustard hill coral Porites astreoides

Cited by 11 publications

References 95 publications

Deep connections: Divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic Agaricia corals

Deep connections: Divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic Agaricia corals

Remarkable population structure in the tropical Atlantic lace corals Stylaster roseus (Pallas, 1766) and Stylaster blatteus (Boschma, 1961)

Cross-generational heritability analysis of physiological traits in Porites astreoides across an inshore-offshore gradient in the Lower Florida Keys

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