Effect of tropical storms on sexual and asexual reproduction in coral Pocillopora verrucosa subpopulations in the Gulf of California

Aranceta‐Garza, Fernando; Balart, Eduardo F.; Reyes‐Bonilla, Héctor; Cruz-Hernández, Pedro

doi:10.1007/s00338-012-0941-9

Cited by 29 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…This high morphological similarity does not seem to stem from a lack of genetic differentiation between individuals at the high-flow site, as evidenced an analysis of microsatellite loci by Pinzón et al (2012) who noted that the high-flow site (Punta Galeras) is composed of many genetically different colonies while the low-flow site (Isla Gaviotas) is dominated by extensive clones. These results are in contrast with those of Aranceta-Garza et al (2012), who found a higher clonality in P. Table 1. cc Percentage of correct classification of colonies in each group verrucosa in areas of high flow that were also associated with hurricane disturbance.…”

Section: Genetic Identity and Patterns Of Morphological Variationcontrasting

confidence: 85%

Morphological variation and different branch modularity across contrasting flow conditions in dominant Pocillopora reef-building corals

Paz‐García¹,

Aldana-Moreno²,

Cabral-Tena³

et al. 2015

Oecologia

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Pocillopora corals, the dominant reef-builders in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, exhibit a high level of phenotypic plasticity, making the interpretation of morphological variation and the identification of species challenging. To test the hypothesis that different coral morphospecies represent phenotypes that develop in different flow conditions, we compared branch characters in three Pocillopora morphospecies (P. damicornis, P. verrucosa, and P. meandrina) from two communities in the Gulf of California exposed to contrasting flow conditions. Morphological variation and branch modularity (i.e., the tendency of different sets of branch traits to vary in a coordinated way) were assessed in colonies classified as Pocillopora type 1 according to two mitochondrial regions. Our results can be summarized as follows. (1) Pocillopora type 1 morphospecies corresponded to a pattern of morphological variation in the Gulf of California. Overall, P. damicornis had the thinnest branches and its colonies the highest branch density, followed by P. verrucosa, and then by P. meandrina, which had the thickest branches and its colonies the lowest branch density. (2) The differentiation among morphospecies was promoted by different levels of modularity of traits. P. verrucosa had the highest coordination of traits, followed by P. damicornis, and P. meandrina. (3) The variation and modularity of branch traits were related to water flow condition. Morphology under the high-flow condition was more similar among morphospecies than under the low-flow condition and seemed to be related to mechanisms for coping with these conditions. Our results provide the first evidence that in scleractinian corals different levels of modularity can be promoted by different environmental conditions.

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Section: Genetic Identity and Patterns Of Morphological Variationcontrasting

confidence: 85%

Morphological variation and different branch modularity across contrasting flow conditions in dominant Pocillopora reef-building corals

Paz‐García¹,

Aldana-Moreno²,

Cabral-Tena³

et al. 2015

Oecologia

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“…; Aranceta‐Garza et al. ). In G. fascicularis, both sexual and asexual reproductions contribute to population persistence and recovery from anthropogenic disturbances, showing a high degree of clonal diversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species that comprise the frameworks of ecosystems, such as corals and seagrasses, often reproduce clonally (Baums et al 2006). Small-scale disturbances, such as waves during local storms, may increase the rates of clonal reproduction in coral populations as a result of fragmentation (Baums et al 2006;Aranceta-Garza et al 2012). In G. fascicularis, both sexual and asexual reproductions contribute to population persistence and recovery from anthropogenic disturbances, showing a high degree of clonal diversity.…”

Section: Population Maintenance Of Galaxea Within Mitochondrial Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic differentiation and connectivity of morphological types of the broadcast‐spawning coral Galaxea fascicularis in the Nansei Islands, Japan

Nakajima

Zayasu

Shinzato

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Population connectivity resulting from larval dispersal is essential for the maintenance or recovery of populations in marine ecosystems, including coral reefs. Studies of species diversity and genetic connectivity within species are essential for the conservation of corals and coral reef ecosystems. We analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequence types and microsatellite genotypes of the broadcast‐spawning coral, Galaxea fascicularis, from four regions in the subtropical Nansei Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Two types (soft and hard types) of nematocyst morphology are known in G. fascicularis and are significantly correlated with the length of a mitochondrial DNA noncoding sequence (soft type: mt‐L; hard type: mt‐S type). Using microsatellites, significant genetic differentiation was detected between the mitochondrial DNA sequence types in all regions. We also found a third genetic cluster (mt‐L+), and this unexpected type may be a cryptic species of Galaxea. High clonal diversity was detected in both mt‐L and mt‐S types. Significant genetic differentiation, which was found among regions within a given type (F ST = 0.009–0.024, all Ps ≤ 0.005 in mt‐L; 0.009–0.032, all Ps ≤ 0.01 in mt‐S), may result from the shorter larval development than in other broadcast‐spawning corals, such as the genus Acropora. Nevertheless, intraspecific genetic diversity and connectivity have been maintained, and with both sexual and asexual reproduction, this species appears to have a potential for the recovery of populations after disturbance.

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“…Extractions of coral tissue were conducted in Stoddart's modified buffer (Stoddart 1983, Weil 1992) with a sonic distintas originadas por vía sexual) o ramets (colonias generadas por fragmentación), dando la contribución de una estrategia reproductiva (reproducción sexual vs reproducción asexual) a la estructura genética existente de las poblaciones (Aranceta-Garza et al 2012.…”

Section: Allozyme Electrophoresisunclassified

“…Traditionally, the success of sexual reproduction has been addressed by following the presence or release of gametes and settlement of recruits (Harrison 2011, Schmidt-Roach et al 2012, while the success of asexual reproduction by fragmentation has been addressed by counting fragments before and after disturbances and following the condition of naturally-or artificially-generated fragments (Smith and Hughes 1999). Genetic markers can be used to determine the genotypic diversity of a population, the number of distinct genets (genetically-different colonies originated by sexual means) or ramets (colonies generated by fragmantaion), giving the contribution of the reproductive strategy (sexual vs asexual reproduction) to the existing genetic structure of the populations (Aranceta-Garza et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Difference in reproductive strategies of two scleractinian corals (branching vs massive) along the west coast of Mexico

et al. 2013

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This study addressed the relative contribution of sexual and asexual reproduction to the genetic composition of populations of two scleractinian corals, Pocillopora damicornis and Porites panamensis, off the west coast of mainland Mexico. Reproductive indexes showed that P. damicornis reproduced both sexually and asexually; P. panamensis reproduced sexually, but colonies with an asexual origin were also observed (10-30%). Asexual reproduction is usually attributed to fragmentation caused by hurricanes; however, no significant association between reproductive index values and frequency of hurricanes was observed for either species. Environmental conditions in the Gulf of California seem to be more favorable for sexual reproduction in both species than other parts of the west coast of Mexico. This study contributes baseline information of differences in sexual and asexual reproduction in massive and branching corals.

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Effect of tropical storms on sexual and asexual reproduction in coral Pocillopora verrucosa subpopulations in the Gulf of California

Cited by 29 publications

References 43 publications

Morphological variation and different branch modularity across contrasting flow conditions in dominant Pocillopora reef-building corals

Morphological variation and different branch modularity across contrasting flow conditions in dominant Pocillopora reef-building corals

Genetic differentiation and connectivity of morphological types of the broadcast‐spawning coral Galaxea fascicularis in the Nansei Islands, Japan

Difference in reproductive strategies of two scleractinian corals (branching vs massive) along the west coast of Mexico

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