Characterisation and cross-amplification of 42 microsatellite markers in two Amphiprion species (Pomacentridae) and a natural hybrid anemonefish to inform genetic structure within a hybrid zone

Anemonefishes: A model system for evolutionary genomics

Anemonefishes are an iconic group of coral reef fish particularly known for their mutualistic relationship with sea anemones. This mutualism is especially intriguing as it likely prompted the rapid diversification of anemonefish. Understanding the genomic architecture underlying this process has indeed become one of the holy grails of evolutionary research in these fishes. Recently, anemonefishes have also been used as a model system to study the molecular basis of highly complex traits such as color patterning, social sex change, larval dispersal and life span. Extensive genomic resources including several high-quality reference genomes, a linkage map, and various genetic tools have indeed enabled the identification of genomic features controlling some of these fascinating attributes, but also provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive responses to changing environments. Here, we review the latest findings and new avenues of research that have led to this group of fish being regarded as a model for evolutionary genomics.

Species integrity, introgression, and genetic variation across a coral reef fish hybrid zone

Hybridization and introgression are evolutionarily significant phenomena breaking down species boundaries. "Hybrid zones" (regions of species overlap and hybridization) enable quantification of hybridization frequency and examination of mechanisms driving and maintaining gene flow. The hybrid anemonefish Amphiprion leucokranos is found where parent species (A. chrysopterus; A. sandaracinos) distributions overlap. Here, we examine geographic variation in hybridization and introgression, and potential impacts on parent species integrity through assessing relative abundance, social group composition, and genetic structure (mtDNA cytochrome b, 21 microsatellite loci) of taxa at three hybrid zone locations: Kimbe Bay (KB) and Kavieng (KA), Papua New Guinea; the Solomon Islands (SO). Relative abundances of and size disparities between parent species apparently drive hybridization frequency, introgression patterns, and genetic composition of taxa. Conspecific groups are most common in KB (65%) where parent species are similarly abundant. Conversely, mixed species groups dominate SO (82%), where A. chrysopterus is more abundant. Hybrids most commonly cohabit with A. sandaracinos in KB (17%), but with A. chrysopterus in KA (22%) and SO (50%). Genetic differentiation (nDNA) analyses indicate that parent species remain distinct, despite ongoing hybridization and hybrids are genetically similar to A. sandaracinos-resulting from persistent backcrossing with this smallest species. This study shows that hybridization outcomes may depend on the social and ecological context in which taxa hybridize, where relative abundance and disparate size of parent species explain the frequency and patterns of hybridization and introgression in the A. leucokranos hybrid zone, reflecting size-based dominance behaviors of anemonefish social groups.

Anemonefish, a model for Eco-Evo-Devo

Anemonefish, are a group of about 30 species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) that have long aroused the interest of coral reef fish ecologists. Combining a series of original biological traits and practical features in their breeding that are described in this paper, anemonefish are now emerging as an experimental system of interest for developmental biology, ecology and evolutionary sciences. They are small sized and relatively easy to breed in specific husbandries, unlike the large-sized marine fish used for aquaculture. Because they live in highly structured social groups in sea anemones, anemonefish allow addressing a series of relevant scientific questions such as the social control of growth and sex change, the mechanisms controlling symbiosis, the establishment and variation of complex color patterns, and the regulation of aging. Combined with the use of behavioral experiments, that can be performed in the lab or directly in the wild, as well as functional genetics and genomics, anemonefish provide an attractive experimental system for Eco-Evo-Devo.