Morphotype is not linked to mitochondrial haplogroups of Caribbean acroporid hybrids

Kitchen, Sheila A.; Osborne, C. Cornelia; Fogarty, Nicole D.; Baums, Iliana B.

doi:10.1007/s00338-021-02135-5

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Polyphyletic species groups based on mtDNA have been widely reported in Scleractinian corals at family (Kitahara et al, 2010 ), genus (Van Oppen et al, 2001 ), and species levels (Kitchen et al, 2021 ; Ramírez‐Portilla et al, 2021 ). In particular, complex polyphyly and monophyly have been seen in many other studies of the genus Acropora (see Van Oppen et al, 2001 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small‐scale genetic structure of coral populations in Palau based on whole mitochondrial genomes: Implications for future coral resilience

Palumbi

Walker

Hanson

et al. 2023

Evolutionary Applications

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The ability of local populations to adapt to future climate conditions is facilitated by a balance between short range dispersal allowing local buildup of adaptively beneficial alleles, and longer dispersal moving these alleles throughout the species range. Reef building corals have relatively low dispersal larvae, but most population genetic studies show differentiation only over 100s of km. Here, we report full mitochondrial genome sequences from 284 tabletop corals ( Acropora hyacinthus ) from 39 patch reefs in Palau, and show two signals of genetic structure across reef scales from 1 to 55 km. First, divergent mitochondrial DNA haplotypes exist in different proportions from reef to reef, causing Phi ST values of 0.02 ( p = 0.02). Second, closely related sequences of mitochondrial Haplogroups are more likely to be co‐located on the same reefs than expected by chance alone. We also compared these sequences to prior data on 155 colonies from American Samoa. In these comparisons, many Haplogroups in Palau were disproportionately represented or absent in American Samoa, and inter‐regional Phi ST = 0.259. However, we saw three instances of identical mitochondrial genomes between locations. Together, these data sets suggest two features of coral dispersal revealed by occurrence patterns in highly similar mitochondrial genomes. First, the Palau‐American Samoa data suggest that long distance dispersal in corals is rare, as expected, but that it is common enough to deliver identical mitochondrial genomes across the Pacific. Second, higher than expected co‐occurrence of Haplogroups on the same Palau reefs suggests greater retention of coral larvae on local reefs than predicted by many current oceanographic models of larval movement. Increased attention to local scales of coral genetic structure, dispersal, and selection may help increase the accuracy of models of future adaptation of corals and of assisted migration as a reef resilience intervention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small‐scale genetic structure of coral populations in Palau based on whole mitochondrial genomes: Implications for future coral resilience

Palumbi

Walker

Hanson

et al. 2023

Evolutionary Applications

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“…Acropora prolifera is described as having a "bushy" or "palmate" morphology that is intermediate between the parental species and originally attributed, at least in part, to the maternal species (Vollmer and Palumbi, 2002). Recent molecular evidence from hybrid samples across a broader geographic range suggests egg donor is not predictive of hybrid morphology (Kitchen et al, 2021). Hybrids are often found at shallow depths (<2 m) with moderate to high wave energy, but occasionally can be found in deeper, calmer environments (Fogarty, 2012).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The two parental species are also capable of reproducing with each other to produce an F1 hybrid, Acropora prolifera (van Oppen et al, 2000;Vollmer and Palumbi, 2002;Kitchen et al, 2019). Like the parental species, A. prolifera can reproduce asexually through fragmentation, and the molecular signatures suggest they reproduce sexually with the parental species (Vollmer and Palumbi, 2002;Kitchen et al, 2019;Kitchen et al, 2021). In recent decades, A. cervicornis and A. palmata have declined in abundance primarily from disease, but also bleaching, storm damage, and predation (Aronson and Precht, 2001;Bruckner, 2002;Jackson et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Should Hybrids Be Used in Coral Nurseries? A Case Study Comparing Caribbean Acropora spp. and Their Hybrid in the Bahamas

et al. 2021

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For decades, coral reef ecosystems have been in decline due to environmental stressors such as rising sea temperatures, increased disease prevalence, and other local anthropogenic sources. Considering this decline, coral restoration efforts in the Caribbean have been implemented to promote reef recovery with a focus on the coral genus Acropora. Current methods target the threatened species Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, but little is known about the restoration potential of their hybrid taxon, A. prolifera. Using interspecific hybrids with higher fitness than one or both parental species has gained traction as a novel restoration technique. For this study, three in situ coral tree nurseries were established around Great Stirrup Cay, The Bahamas, to compare the growth and survival among acroporid taxa. Three 150 mm fragments from six putative genotypes of each acroporid taxa were collected from reefs around New Providence, The Bahamas, and transported to Great Stirrup Cay in June 2018. One fragment from each genotype was transported to each nursery site, cut into three sections (apical, middle, and basal), and suspended from PVC coral trees. Fragment survival was collected monthly for 13 months, and Total Linear Extension (TLE) values were calculated for each fragment monthly for 12 months. Nursery site significantly affected fragment survival, while taxon and fragment section did not. Total fragment mortality was 29.3% in the first month but ranged from 0 to 5% for the rest of the study period until July 2019 (32.7% of remaining fragments died primarily at N1). Overall, A. prolifera growth was significantly greater than the parental species. Taxon, nursery site, and fragment section were identified as important factors affecting TLE. Apical A. prolifera fragment sections at site N3 had the greatest average linear growth at 12 months and had the greatest average growth rate per month. This study highlights the rapid growth rate of hybrid corals and suggests that fragment sections have equivalent survival and growth. Consequently, these results suggest that restoration managers may capitalize on fast growing hybrids for outplanting to degraded reefs and to increase the scale of nursery projects.

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Morphotype is not linked to mitochondrial haplogroups of Caribbean acroporid hybrids

Cited by 2 publications

References 33 publications

Small‐scale genetic structure of coral populations in Palau based on whole mitochondrial genomes: Implications for future coral resilience

Small‐scale genetic structure of coral populations in Palau based on whole mitochondrial genomes: Implications for future coral resilience

Should Hybrids Be Used in Coral Nurseries? A Case Study Comparing Caribbean Acropora spp. and Their Hybrid in the Bahamas

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