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Rachmilovitz EN, Shaish L, Douek J, Rinkevich B. Population genetics assessment of two pocilloporid coral species from the northern red sea: Implications for urbanized reef sustainability. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 199:106580. [PMID: 38851082 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic makeup of key coral species is vital for effective coral reef management, as heightened genetic diversity directly influences long-term survival and resilience against environmental changes. This study focused on two widespread Indo-Pacific branching corals, Pocillopora damicornis (referred as Pocillopora cf. damicornis (as identified only morphologically) and Seriatopora hystrix, by genotyping 222 and 195 colonies, respectively, from 10 sites in the northern Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea, using six and five microsatellite markers, respectively. Both species exhibited low observed heterozygosity (0.47 for P. cf. damicornis, 0.32 for S. hystrix) and similar expected heterozygosity (0.576 for P. cf. damicornis, 0.578 for S. hystrix). Pocillopora cf. damicornis showed minimal deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and low but positive F values, indicating high gene flow, while S. hystrix exhibited higher diversion from HWE and positive F values, suggesting isolation by distance and possible non-random mating or genetic drift. As the Gulf of Eilat undergoes rapid urbanization, this study highlights the anthropogenic impacts on the population genetics of key ecosystem engineering species and emphasizes the importance of managing genetics of Marine Protected Areas while implementing active coral reef restoration. The differences in reproductive traits between the two species (S. hystrix being a brooder, while P. cf. damicornis a broadcast spawner), underscore the need for sustainable population genetics management of the coral reefs for the future and resilience of the coral reef ecosystem of the northern Red Sea region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elad Nehoray Rachmilovitz
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 2336, Haifa, 3102201, Israel; Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
| | - Lee Shaish
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 2336, Haifa, 3102201, Israel
| | - Jacob Douek
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 2336, Haifa, 3102201, Israel.
| | - Baruch Rinkevich
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel Shikmona, P.O. Box 2336, Haifa, 3102201, Israel.
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2
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Grupstra CGB, Gómez-Corrales M, Fifer JE, Aichelman HE, Meyer-Kaiser KS, Prada C, Davies SW. Integrating cryptic diversity into coral evolution, symbiosis and conservation. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:622-636. [PMID: 38351091 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02319-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how diversity evolves and is maintained is critical to predicting the future trajectories of ecosystems under climate change; however, our understanding of these processes is limited in marine systems. Corals, which engineer reef ecosystems, are critically threatened by climate change, and global efforts are underway to conserve and restore populations as attempts to mitigate ocean warming continue. Recently, sequencing efforts have uncovered widespread undescribed coral diversity, including 'cryptic lineages'-genetically distinct but morphologically similar coral taxa. Such cryptic lineages have been identified in at least 24 coral genera spanning the anthozoan phylogeny and across ocean basins. These cryptic lineages co-occur in many reef systems, but their distributions often differ among habitats. Research suggests that cryptic lineages are ecologically specialized and several examples demonstrate differences in thermal tolerance, highlighting the critical implications of this diversity for predicting coral responses to future warming. Here, we draw attention to recent discoveries, discuss how cryptic diversity affects the study of coral adaptation and acclimation to future environments, explore how it shapes symbiotic partnerships, and highlight challenges and opportunities for conservation and restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - James E Fifer
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Carlos Prada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Sarah W Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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3
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Goodbody-Gringley G, Martinez S, Bellworthy J, Chequer A, Nativ H, Mass T. Irradiance driven trophic plasticity in the coral Madracis pharensis from the Eastern Mediterranean. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3646. [PMID: 38351312 PMCID: PMC10864392 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54217-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The distribution of symbiotic scleractinian corals is driven, in part, by light availability, as host energy demands are partially met through translocation of photosynthate. Physiological plasticity in response to environmental conditions, such as light, enables the expansion of resilient phenotypes in the face of changing environmental conditions. Here we compared the physiology, morphology, and taxonomy of the host and endosymbionts of individual Madracis pharensis corals exposed to dramatically different light conditions based on colony orientation on the surface of a shipwreck at 30 m depth in the Bay of Haifa, Israel. We found significant differences in symbiont species consortia, photophysiology, and stable isotopes, suggesting that these corals can adjust multiple aspects of host and symbiont physiology in response to light availability. These results highlight the potential of corals to switch to a predominantly heterotrophic diet when light availability and/or symbiont densities are too low to sustain sufficient photosynthesis, which may provide resilience for corals in the face of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephane Martinez
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jessica Bellworthy
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alex Chequer
- Reef Ecology and Evolution, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
| | - Hagai Nativ
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tali Mass
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, Morris Kahn Marine Research Station, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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4
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Scucchia F, Wong K, Zaslansky P, Putnam HM, Goodbody-Gringley G, Mass T. Morphological and genetic mechanisms underlying the plasticity of the coral Porites astreoides across depths in Bermuda. J Struct Biol 2023; 215:108036. [PMID: 37832837 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2023.108036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The widespread decline of shallow-water coral reefs has fueled interest in assessing whether mesophotic reefs can act as refugia replenishing deteriorated shallower reefs through larval exchange. Here we explore the morphological and molecular basis facilitating survival of planulae and adults of the coral Porites astreoides (Lamarck, 1816; Hexacorallia: Poritidae) along the vertical depth gradient in Bermuda. We found differences in micro-skeletal features such as bigger calyxes and coarser surface of the skeletal spines in shallow corals. Yet, tomographic reconstructions reveal an analogous mineral distribution between shallow and mesophotic adults, pointing to similar skeleton growth dynamics. Our study reveals patterns of host genetic connectivity and minimal symbiont depth-zonation across a broader depth range than previously known for this species in Bermuda. Transcriptional variations across life stages showed different regulation of metabolism and stress response functions, unraveling molecular responses to environmental conditions at different depths. Overall, these findings increase our understanding of coral acclimatory capability across broad vertical gradients, ultimately allowing better evaluation of the refugia potential of mesophotic reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Scucchia
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences University of Haifa, Israel; The Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel.
| | - Kevin Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
| | - Paul Zaslansky
- Department for Operative, Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hollie M Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, United States
| | - Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley
- Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Little Cayman, Cayman Islands; Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, St. George's, Bermuda
| | - Tali Mass
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences University of Haifa, Israel.
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5
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Huang W, Chen Y, Wu Q, Feng Y, Wang Y, Lu Z, Chen J, Chen B, Xiao Z, Meng L, Huang X, Wang Y, Yu K. Reduced genetic diversity and restricted gene flow of broadcast-spawning coral Galaxea fascicularis in the South China Sea reveals potential degradation under environmental change. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 193:115147. [PMID: 37331272 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Under the dual effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities, coral reefs in the South China Sea (SCS) are at serious risk of degradation. Galaxea fascicularis is a widely distributed species in the SCS, and the study of its genetics, survival, and adaptability is conducive to further understanding the future characteristics of coral reefs in the SCS. In this study, 146 G. fascicularis samples were selected from 9 survey stations across 12 latitudes in the SCS, and 8 pairs of microsatellite markers were used to characterize their genetic diversity and structure. The results showed moderate genetic diversity index values (Ar = 3.444-4.147, He = 0.634-0.782, Ho = 0.367-0.586). The AMOVA results and pairwise FST values showed a moderate level of genetic differentiation (ΦST = 0.119, P < 0.05) among G. fascicularis populations in the SCS, whereas its genetic structure showed high genetic differentiation (FST = 0.062-0.225) among relatively high-latitude populations (n = 3) and low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.012-0.064) in low-latitude populations (n = 6). The living environment of relatively high-latitude populations is disturbed by high-intensity human activities, leading to the specialization of local populations. Mantel test results showed a significant positive correlation between genetic differentiation among G. fascicularis populations and sea surface temperature (SST) variance (R2 = 0.4885; Mantel test, p = 0.010 < 0.05) in addition to geographical distance (R2 = 0.1134; Mantel, test p = 0.040 < 0.05), indicating that SST and geographical isolation were primary factors affecting the genetic structure of this species in the SCS. The lower genetic diversity and limited gene flow of G. fascicularis indicate limited genetic adaptation, and corresponding vulnerability may be more pronounced under future environmental changes. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs in the SCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Huang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yinmin Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Qian Wu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yi Feng
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yonggang Wang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zhiying Lu
- The Ocean College, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Jinlian Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Biao Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Zunyong Xiao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Linqing Meng
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xueyong Huang
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yan Wang
- The Ocean College, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Kefu Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China.
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6
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Oury N, Noël C, Mona S, Aurelle D, Magalon H. From genomics to integrative species delimitation? The case study of the Indo-Pacific Pocillopora corals. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 184:107803. [PMID: 37120114 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of genomics, sequencing thousands of loci from hundreds of individuals now appears feasible at reasonable costs, allowing complex phylogenies to be resolved. This is particularly relevant for cnidarians, for which insufficient data is available due to the small number of currently available markers and obscures species boundaries. Difficulties in inferring gene trees and morphological incongruences further blur the study and conservation of these organisms. Yet, can genomics alone be used to delimit species? Here, focusing on the coral genus Pocillopora, whose colonies play key roles in Indo-Pacific reef ecosystems but have challenged taxonomists for decades, we explored and discussed the usefulness of multiple criteria (genetics, morphology, biogeography and symbiosis ecology) to delimit species of this genus. Phylogenetic inferences, clustering approaches and species delimitation methods based on genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were first used to resolve Pocillopora phylogeny and propose genomic species hypotheses from 356 colonies sampled across the Indo-Pacific (western Indian Ocean, tropical southwestern Pacific and south-east Polynesia). These species hypotheses were then compared to other lines of evidence based on genetic, morphology, biogeography and symbiont associations. Out of 21 species hypotheses delimited by genomics, 13 were strongly supported by all approaches, while six could represent either undescribed species or nominal species that have been synonymised incorrectly. Altogether, our results support (1) the obsolescence of macromorphology (i.e., overall colony and branches shape) but the relevance of micromorphology (i.e., corallite structures) to refine Pocillopora species boundaries, (2) the relevance of the mtORF (coupled with other markers in some cases) as a diagnostic marker of most species, (3) the requirement of molecular identification when species identity of colonies is absolutely necessary to interpret results, as morphology can blur species identification in the field, and (4) the need for a taxonomic revision of the genus Pocillopora. These results give new insights into the usefulness of multiple criteria for resolving Pocillopora, and more widely, scleractinian species boundaries, and will ultimately contribute to the taxonomic revision of this genus and the conservation of its species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Oury
- UMR ENTROPIE (Université de La Réunion, IRD, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie, CNRS), Université de La Réunion, St Denis, La Réunion, France; Laboratoire Cogitamus, Paris, France.
| | - Cyril Noël
- IFREMER - IRSI - Service de Bioinformatique (SeBiMER), Plouzané, France
| | - Stefano Mona
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, EPHE-PSL, Université PSL, CNRS, SU, UA, Paris, France; EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris, France; Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
| | - Didier Aurelle
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, EPHE-PSL, Université PSL, CNRS, SU, UA, Paris, France; Aix Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Marseille, France
| | - Hélène Magalon
- UMR ENTROPIE (Université de La Réunion, IRD, IFREMER, Université de Nouvelle-Calédonie, CNRS), Université de La Réunion, St Denis, La Réunion, France; Laboratoire Cogitamus, Paris, France; Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, Perpignan, France
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7
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Matias AMA, Popovic I, Thia JA, Cooke IR, Torda G, Lukoschek V, Bay LK, Kim SW, Riginos C. Cryptic diversity and spatial genetic variation in the coral Acropora tenuis and its endosymbionts across the Great Barrier Reef. Evol Appl 2023; 16:293-310. [PMID: 36793689 PMCID: PMC9923489 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic studies are uncovering extensive cryptic diversity within reef-building corals, suggesting that evolutionarily and ecologically relevant diversity is highly underestimated in the very organisms that structure coral reefs. Furthermore, endosymbiotic algae within coral host species can confer adaptive responses to environmental stress and may represent additional axes of coral genetic variation that are not constrained by taxonomic divergence of the cnidarian host. Here, we examine genetic variation in a common and widespread, reef-building coral, Acropora tenuis, and its associated endosymbiotic algae along the entire expanse of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We use SNPs derived from genome-wide sequencing to characterize the cnidarian coral host and organelles from zooxanthellate endosymbionts (genus Cladocopium). We discover three distinct and sympatric genetic clusters of coral hosts, whose distributions appear associated with latitude and inshore-offshore reef position. Demographic modelling suggests that the divergence history of the three distinct host taxa ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 million years ago, preceding the GBR's formation, and has been characterized by low-to-moderate ongoing inter-taxon gene flow, consistent with occasional hybridization and introgression typifying coral evolution. Despite this differentiation in the cnidarian host, A. tenuis taxa share a common symbiont pool, dominated by the genus Cladocopium (Clade C). Cladocopium plastid diversity is not strongly associated with host identity but varies with reef location relative to shore: inshore colonies contain lower symbiont diversity on average but have greater differences between colonies as compared with symbiont communities from offshore colonies. Spatial genetic patterns of symbiont communities could reflect local selective pressures maintaining coral holobiont differentiation across an inshore-offshore environmental gradient. The strong influence of environment (but not host identity) on symbiont community composition supports the notion that symbiont community composition responds to habitat and may assist in the adaptation of corals to future environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambrocio Melvin A Matias
- Institute of Biology University of the Philippines Diliman Quezon City Philippines.,School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Iva Popovic
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Joshua A Thia
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkeville Victoria Australia
| | - Ira R Cooke
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Gergely Torda
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Vimoksalehi Lukoschek
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia.,Gold Coast University Hospital QLD Health Southport Queensland Australia
| | - Line K Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Sun W Kim
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Cynthia Riginos
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
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Quigley KM, Ramsby B, Laffy P, Harris J, Mocellin VJL, Bay LK. Symbioses are restructured by repeated mass coral bleaching. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq8349. [PMID: 36475796 PMCID: PMC9728966 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq8349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Survival of symbiotic reef-building corals under global warming requires rapid acclimation or adaptation. The impact of accumulated heat stress was compared across 1643 symbiont communities before and after the 2016 mass bleaching in three coral species and free-living in the environment across ~900 kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. Resilient reefs (less aerial bleaching than predicted from high satellite sea temperatures) showed low variation in symbioses. Before 2016, heat-tolerant environmental symbionts were common in ~98% of samples and moderately abundant (9 to 40% in samples). In corals, heat-tolerant symbionts were at low abundances (0 to 7.3%) but only in a minority (13 to 27%) of colonies. Following bleaching, environmental diversity doubled (including heat-tolerant symbionts) and increased in one coral species. Communities were dynamic (Acropora millepora) and conserved (Acropora hyacinthus and Acropora tenuis), including symbiont community turnover and redistribution. Symbiotic restructuring after bleaching occurs but is a taxon-specific ecological opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M. Quigley
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Minderoo Foundation, Perth, WA, Australia
- Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Blake Ramsby
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Patrick Laffy
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | | | | | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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9
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LaJeunesse TC, Casado-Amezúa P, Hume BCC, Butler CC, Mordret S, Piredda R, De Luca P, Pannone R, Sarno D, Wiedenmann J, D’Ambra I. Mutualistic dinoflagellates with big disparities in ribosomal DNA variation may confound estimates of symbiont diversity and ecology in the jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata. Symbiosis 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13199-022-00880-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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10
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Prata KE, Riginos C, Gutenkunst RN, Latijnhouwers KRW, Sánchez JA, Englebert N, Hay KB, Bongaerts P. Deep connections: divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic
Agaricia
corals. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:2511-2527. [PMID: 35152496 PMCID: PMC9303685 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine E. Prata
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD Australia
- California Academy of Sciences San Francisco CA USA
| | - Cynthia Riginos
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD Australia
| | - Ryan N. Gutenkunst
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology University of Arizona Tuscon AZ USA
| | | | - Juan A. Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Marina (BIOMMAR) Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Universidad de los Andes Bogotá Colombia
| | - Norbert Englebert
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD Australia
| | - Kyra B. Hay
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD Australia
| | - Pim Bongaerts
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD Australia
- California Academy of Sciences San Francisco CA USA
- Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation Willemstad, Curaçao
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11
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Kriefall NG, Kanke MR, Aglyamova GV, Davies SW. Reef environments shape microbial partners in a highly connected coral population. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212459. [PMID: 35042418 PMCID: PMC8767194 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence is mounting that composition of microorganisms within a host can play an essential role in total holobiont health. In corals, for instance, studies have identified algal and bacterial taxa that can significantly influence coral host function and these communities depend on environmental context. However, few studies have linked host genetics to algal and microbial partners across environments within a single coral population. Here, using 2b-RAD sequencing of corals and metabarcoding of their associated algal (ITS2) and bacterial (16S) communities, we show evidence that reef zones (locales that differ in proximity to shore and other environmental characteristics) structure algal and bacterial communities at different scales in a highly connected coral population (Acropora hyacinthus) in French Polynesia. Fore reef (FR) algal communities in Mo'orea were more diverse than back reef (BR) communities, suggesting that these BR conditions constrain diversity. Interestingly, in FR corals, host genetic diversity correlated with bacterial diversity, which could imply genotype by genotype interactions between these holobiont members. Our results illuminate that local reef conditions play an important role in shaping unique host-microbial partner combinations, which may have fitness consequences for dispersive coral populations arriving in novel environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M. R. Kanke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - G. V. Aglyamova
- Department of Integrative Biology, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - S. W. Davies
- Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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12
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Monchanin C, Mehrotra R, Haskin E, Scott CM, Urgell Plaza P, Allchurch A, Arnold S, Magson K, Hoeksema BW. Contrasting coral community structures between natural and artificial substrates at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 172:105505. [PMID: 34717128 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Concrete cubic frames and decommissioned steel naval vessels have been deployed in Thailand liberally to act as artificial substrates for coral restoration and marine recreation. We assessed recruitment at such substrate types at Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand, and compared the community structure of scleractinian corals between artificial substrates and nearby natural reefs. Our results from a sample of 2677 recruits from nine sites highlighted significant differences in community structure between both reef types. Investigations of variables including time since deployment, distance from the natural reef, and seafloor depth revealed only the latter as a possible influencing factor. The diversity of recruits could not be explained by dynamics in coral spawning, and were found to represent groups with lower structural complexity. Our results suggest that coral community structure on artificial and natural reefs differs and supports distinct ecological and functional roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coline Monchanin
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA; Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), CNRS, University Paul Sabatier - Toulouse III, France; Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, FREC Bangkok, 77 Nakhon Sawan Rd, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, 10100, Thailand
| | - Rahul Mehrotra
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA; Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, FREC Bangkok, 77 Nakhon Sawan Rd, Wat Sommanat, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, 10100, Thailand; Reef Biology Research Group. Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
| | - Elouise Haskin
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA; The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Chad M Scott
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA
| | - Pau Urgell Plaza
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA
| | - Alyssa Allchurch
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA; School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Spencer Arnold
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA
| | - Kirsty Magson
- Conservation Diver, 7321 Timber Trail Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439, USA; New Heaven Reef Conservation Program, 48 Moo 2, Chalok Ban Kao, Koh Tao, Suratthani, 84360, Thailand
| | - Bert W Hoeksema
- Taxonomy, Systematics, and Geodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300, RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700, CC, Groningen, the Netherlands
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13
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de Palmas S, Soto D, Ho MJ, Denis V, Chen CA. Strong horizontal and vertical connectivity in the coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Ludao, Taiwan, a small oceanic island. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258181. [PMID: 34634065 PMCID: PMC8504772 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesophotic habitats could be sheltered from natural and anthropogenic disturbances and act as reproductive refuges, providing propagules to replenish shallower populations. Molecular markers can be used as proxies evaluating the connectivity and inferring population structure and larval dispersal. This study characterizes population structure as well as horizontal and vertical genetic connectivity of the broadcasting coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Ludao, a small oceanic island off the eastern coast of Taiwan. We genotyped 75 P. verrucosa specimens from three sites (Gongguan, Dabaisha, and Guiwan) at three depth ranges (Shallow: 7-15 m, Mid-depth: 23-30 m, and Deep: 38-45 m), spanning shallow to upper mesophotic coral reefs, with eight microsatellite markers. F-statistics showed a moderate differentiation (FST = 0.106, p<0.05) between two adjacent locations (Dabaisha 23-30 and Dabaisha 38-45 m), but no differentiation elsewhere, suggesting high levels of connectivity among sites and depths. STRUCTURE analysis showed no genetic clustering among sites or depths, indicating that all Pocillopora individuals could be drawn from a single panmictic population. Simulations of recent migration assigned 30 individuals (40%) to a different location from where they were collected. Among them, 1/3 were assigned to deeper locations, 1/3 to shallower populations and 1/3 were assigned to the right depth but a different site. These results suggest high levels of vertical and horizontal connectivity, which could enhance the recovery of P. verrucosa following disturbances around Ludao, a feature that agrees with demographic studies portraying this species as an opportunistic scleractinian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane de Palmas
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Derek Soto
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Jay Ho
- Green Island Marine Research Station, Marine Science Thematic Centre, Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Green Island, Taitung, Taiwan
| | - Vianney Denis
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chaolun Allen Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
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14
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Rippe JP, Dixon G, Fuller ZL, Liao Y, Matz M. Environmental specialization and cryptic genetic divergence in two massive coral species from the Florida Keys Reef Tract. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:3468-3484. [PMID: 33894013 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Broadcast-spawning coral species have wide geographical ranges spanning strong environmental gradients, but it is unclear how much spatially varying selection these gradients actually impose. Strong divergent selection might present a considerable barrier for demographic exchange between disparate reef habitats. We investigated whether the cross-shelf gradient is associated with spatially varying selection in two common coral species, Montastraea cavernosa and Siderastrea siderea, in the Florida Keys. To this end, we generated a de novo genome assembly for M. cavernosa and used 2bRAD to genotype 20 juveniles and 20 adults of both species from each of the three reef zones to identify signatures of selection occurring within a single generation. Unexpectedly, each species was found to be composed of four genetically distinct lineages, with gene flow between them still ongoing but highly reduced in 13.0%-54.7% of the genome. Each species includes two sympatric lineages that are only found in the deep (20 m) habitat, while the other lineages are found almost exclusively on the shallower reefs (3-10 m). The two "shallow" lineages of M. cavernosa are also specialized for either nearshore or offshore: comparison between adult and juvenile cohorts indicates that cross-shelf migrants are more than twice as likely to die before reaching adulthood than local recruits. S. siderea and M. cavernosa are among the most ecologically successful species on the Florida Keys Reef Tract, and this work offers important insight into the genomic background of divergent selection and environmental specialization that may in part explain their resilience and broad environmental range.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Rippe
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Groves Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Zachary L Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yi Liao
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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15
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Morphological stasis masks ecologically divergent coral species on tropical reefs. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2286-2298.e8. [PMID: 33811819 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs are the epitome of species diversity, yet the number of described scleractinian coral species, the framework-builders of coral reefs, remains moderate by comparison. DNA sequencing studies are rapidly challenging this notion by exposing a wealth of undescribed diversity, but the evolutionary and ecological significance of this diversity remains largely unclear. Here, we present an annotated genome for one of the most ubiquitous corals in the Indo-Pacific (Pachyseris speciosa) and uncover, through a comprehensive genomic and phenotypic assessment, that it comprises morphologically indistinguishable but ecologically divergent lineages. Demographic modeling based on whole-genome resequencing indicated that morphological crypsis (across micro- and macromorphological traits) was due to ancient morphological stasis rather than recent divergence. Although the lineages occur sympatrically across shallow and mesophotic habitats, extensive genotyping using a rapid molecular assay revealed differentiation of their ecological distributions. Leveraging "common garden" conditions facilitated by the overlapping distributions, we assessed physiological and quantitative skeletal traits and demonstrated concurrent phenotypic differentiation. Lastly, spawning observations of genotyped colonies highlighted the potential role of temporal reproductive isolation in the limited admixture, with consistent genomic signatures in genes related to morphogenesis and reproduction. Overall, our findings demonstrate the presence of ecologically and phenotypically divergent coral species without substantial morphological differentiation and provide new leads into the potential mechanisms facilitating such divergence. More broadly, they indicate that our current taxonomic framework for reef-building corals may be scratching the surface of the ecologically relevant diversity on coral reefs, consequently limiting our ability to protect or restore this diversity effectively.
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16
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Inclusivity is key to progressing coral biodiversity research: Reply to comment by Bonito et al. (2021). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 162:107135. [PMID: 33684528 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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17
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Forsman ZH, Ritson-Williams R, Tisthammer KH, Knapp ISS, Toonen RJ. Host-symbiont coevolution, cryptic structure, and bleaching susceptibility, in a coral species complex (Scleractinia; Poritidae). Sci Rep 2020; 10:16995. [PMID: 33046719 PMCID: PMC7550562 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73501-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'species' is a key concept for conservation and evolutionary biology, yet the lines between population and species-level variation are often blurred, especially for corals. The 'Porites lobata species complex' consists of branching and mounding corals that form reefs across the Pacific. We used reduced representation meta-genomic sequencing to examine genetic relationships within this species complex and to identify candidate loci associated with colony morphology, cryptic genetic structure, and apparent bleaching susceptibility. We compared existing Porites data with bleached and unbleached colonies of the branching coral P. compressa collected in Kāne'ohe Bay Hawai'i during the 2015 coral bleaching event. Loci that mapped to coral, symbiont, and microbial references revealed genetic structure consistent with recent host-symbiont co-evolution. Cryptic genetic clades were resolved that previous work has associated with distance from shore, but no genetic structure was associated with bleaching. We identified many candidate loci associated with morphospecies, including candidate host and symbiont loci with fixed differences between branching and mounding corals. We also found many loci associated with cryptic genetic structure, yet relatively few loci associated with bleaching. Recent host-symbiont co-evolution and rapid diversification suggests that variation and therefore the capacity of these corals to adapt may be underappreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z H Forsman
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA.
| | | | - K H Tisthammer
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - I S S Knapp
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
| | - R J Toonen
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne'ohe, HI, USA
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18
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Swain TD, Lax S, Backman V, Marcelino LA. Uncovering the role of Symbiodiniaceae assemblage composition and abundance in coral bleaching response by minimizing sampling and evolutionary biases. BMC Microbiol 2020; 20:124. [PMID: 32429833 PMCID: PMC7236918 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-01765-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biodiversity and productivity of coral-reef ecosystems depend upon reef-building corals and their associations with endosymbiotic Symbiodiniaceae, which offer diverse functional capabilities to their hosts. The number of unique symbiotic partners (richness) and relative abundances (evenness) have been hypothesized to affect host response to climate change induced thermal stress. Symbiodiniaceae assemblages with many unique phylotypes may provide greater physiological flexibility or form less stable symbioses; assemblages with low abundance phylotypes may allow corals to retain thermotolerant symbionts or represent associations with less-suitable symbionts. RESULTS Here we demonstrate that true richness of Symbiodiniaceae phylotype assemblages is generally not discoverable from direct enumeration of unique phylotypes in association records and that cross host-species comparisons are biased by sampling and evolutionary patterns among species. These biases can be minimized through rarefaction of richness (rarefied-richness) and evenness (Probability of Interspecific Encounter, PIE), and analyses that account for phylogenetic patterns. These standardized metrics were calculated for individual Symbiodiniaceae assemblages composed of 377 unique ITS2 phylotypes associated with 123 coral species. Rarefied-richness minimized correlations with sampling effort, while maintaining important underlying characteristics across host bathymetry and geography. Phylogenetic comparative methods reveal significant increases in coral bleaching and mortality associated with increasing Symbiodiniaceae assemblage richness and evenness at the level of host species. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the potential flexibility afforded by assemblages characterized by many phylotypes present at similar relative abundances does not result in decreased bleaching risk and point to the need to characterize the overall functional and genetic diversity of Symbiodiniaceae assemblages to quantify their effect on host fitness under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Swain
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA
| | - Simon Lax
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Vadim Backman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Luisa A Marcelino
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA.
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA.
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19
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Mizuyama M, Iguchi A, Iijima M, Gibu K, Reimer JD. Comparison of Symbiodiniaceae diversities in different members of a Palythoa species complex (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Zoantharia)-implications for ecological adaptations to different microhabitats. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8449. [PMID: 32117611 PMCID: PMC7003691 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we compared genotypes of zoantharian host-associating algal symbionts among Palythoa species, which are among the dominant benthic reef organisms in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, and evaluated Symbiodiniaceae diversities of closely related congeneric Palythoa species. We targeted a species complex of the zoantharian genus Palythoa (P. tuberculosa, P. sp. yoron, P. mutuki) living among different microhabitats in a narrow reef area of Tokunoshima Island. For phylogenetic analyses, we used two DNA marker regions; nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and plastid mini-circle non-coding region (psbAncr), both of which have previously been used to determine Symbiodiniaceae genotypes of zoantharian species. Our results showed that all Palythoa species hosted symbionts of the genus Cladocopium, with genotypic compositions of this genus showing some variations among the three different Palythoa species. Additionally, we found that the Cladocopium genotypic composition was statistically different among Palythoa species, and among P. tuberculosa specimens in different microhabitats. Our results suggest that ecological divergence among these three Palythoa species may be related to differing Symbiodiniaceae diversities that may in turn contribute to eco-physiological adaptation into different microhabitats on coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Mizuyama
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.,Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akira Iguchi
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Mariko Iijima
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kodai Gibu
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.,Department of Bioresources Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Nago, Okinawa, Japan
| | - James Davis Reimer
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.,Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
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20
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Tisthammer KH, Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ, Richmond RH. Genetic structure is stronger across human-impacted habitats than among islands in the coral Porites lobata. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8550. [PMID: 32110487 PMCID: PMC7034377 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined genetic structure in the lobe coral Porites lobata among pairs of highly variable and high-stress nearshore sites and adjacent less variable and less impacted offshore sites on the islands of Oahu and Maui, Hawaii. Using an analysis of molecular variance framework, we tested whether populations were more structured by geographic distance or environmental extremes. The genetic patterns we observed followed isolation by environment, where nearshore and adjacent offshore populations showed significant genetic structure at both locations (AMOVA F ST = 0.04∼0.19, P < 0.001), but no significant isolation by distance between islands. Strikingly, corals from the two nearshore sites with higher levels of environmental stressors on different islands over 100 km apart with similar environmentally stressful conditions were genetically closer (FST = 0.0, P = 0.73) than those within a single location less than 2 km apart (FST = 0.04∼0.08, P < 0.01). In contrast, a third site with a less impacted nearshore site (i.e., less pronounced environmental gradient) showed no significant structure from the offshore comparison. Our results show much stronger support for environment than distance separating these populations. Our finding suggests that ecological boundaries from human impacts may play a role in forming genetic structure in the coastal environment, and that genetic divergence in the absence of geographical barriers to gene flow might be explained by selective pressure across contrasting habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaho H. Tisthammer
- Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Zac H. Forsman
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI, United States of America
| | - Robert J. Toonen
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI, United States of America
| | - Robert H. Richmond
- Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States of America
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21
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Leveque S, Afiq-Rosli L, Ip YCA, Jain SS, Huang D. Searching for phylogenetic patterns of Symbiodiniaceae community structure among Indo-Pacific Merulinidae corals. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7669. [PMID: 31565579 PMCID: PMC6746223 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Over half of all extant stony corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Scleractinia) harbour endosymbiotic dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae, forming the foundational species of modern shallow reefs. However, whether these associations are conserved on the coral phylogeny remains unknown. Here we aim to characterise Symbiodiniaceae communities in eight closely-related species in the genera Merulina, Goniastrea and Scapophyllia, and determine if the variation in endosymbiont community structure can be explained by the phylogenetic relatedness among hosts. We perform DNA metabarcoding of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 using Symbiodiniaceae-specific primers on 30 coral colonies to recover three major endosymbiont clades represented by 23 distinct types. In agreement with previous studies on Southeast Asian corals, we find an abundance of Cladocopium and Durusdinium, but also detect Symbiodinium types in three of the eight coral host species. Interestingly, differences in endosymbiont community structure are dominated by host variation at the intraspecific level, rather than interspecific, intergeneric or among-clade levels, indicating a lack of phylogenetic constraint in the coral-endosymbiont association among host species. Furthermore, the limited geographic sampling of four localities spanning the Western and Central Indo-Pacific preliminarily hints at large-scale spatial structuring of Symbiodiniaceae communities. More extensive collections of corals from various regions and environments will help us better understand the specificity of the coral-endosymbiont relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Leveque
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Université de La Rochelle, La Rochelle, Singapore
| | | | | | | | - Danwei Huang
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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22
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Titus BM, Blischak PD, Daly M. Genomic signatures of sympatric speciation with historical and contemporary gene flow in a tropical anthozoan (Hexacorallia: Actiniaria). Mol Ecol 2019; 28:3572-3586. [PMID: 31233641 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Sympatric diversification is recognized to have played an important role in the evolution of biodiversity. However, an in situ sympatric origin for codistributed taxa is difficult to demonstrate because different evolutionary processes can lead to similar biogeographic outcomes, especially in ecosystems that can readily facilitate secondary contact due to a lack of hard barriers to dispersal. Here we use a genomic (ddRADseq), model-based approach to delimit a species complex of tropical sea anemones that are codistributed on coral reefs throughout the Tropical Western Atlantic. We use coalescent simulations in fastsimcoal2 and ordinary differential equations in Moments to test competing diversification scenarios that span the allopatric-sympatric continuum. Our results suggest that the corkscrew sea anemone Bartholomea annulata is a cryptic species complex whose members are codistributed throughout their range. Simulation and model selection analyses from both approaches suggest these lineages experienced historical and contemporary gene flow, supporting a sympatric origin, but an alternative secondary contact model receives appreciable model support in fastsimcoal2. Leveraging the genome of the closely related Exaiptasia diaphana, we identify five loci under divergent selection between cryptic B. annulata lineages that fall within mRNA transcripts or CDS regions. Our study provides a rare empirical, genomic example of sympatric speciation in a tropical anthozoan and the first range-wide molecular study of a tropical sea anemone, underscoring that anemone diversity is under-described in the tropics, and highlighting the need for additional systematic studies into these ecologically and economically important species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Titus
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul D Blischak
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Marymegan Daly
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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23
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Gabay Y, Parkinson JE, Wilkinson SP, Weis VM, Davy SK. Inter-partner specificity limits the acquisition of thermotolerant symbionts in a model cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. ISME JOURNAL 2019; 13:2489-2499. [PMID: 31186513 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0429-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The ability of corals and other cnidarians to survive climate change depends partly on the composition of their endosymbiont communities. The dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae is genetically and physiologically diverse, and one proposed mechanism for cnidarians to acclimate to rising temperatures is to acquire more thermally tolerant symbionts. However, cnidarian-dinoflagellate associations vary in their degree of specificity, which may limit their capacity to alter symbiont communities. Here, we inoculated symbiont-free polyps of the sea anemone Exaiptasia pallida (commonly referred to as 'Aiptasia'), a model system for the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, with simultaneous or sequential mixtures of thermally tolerant and thermally sensitive species of Symbiodiniaceae. We then monitored symbiont success (relative proportional abundance) at normal and elevated temperatures across two to four weeks. All anemones showed signs of bleaching at high temperature. During simultaneous inoculations, the native, thermally sensitive Breviolum minutum colonized polyps most successfully regardless of temperature when paired against the non-native but more thermally tolerant Symbiodinium microadriaticum or Durusdinium trenchii. Furthermore, anemones initially colonized with B. minutum and subsequently exposed to S. microadriaticum failed to acquire the new symbiont. These results highlight how partner specificity may place strong limitations on the ability of certain cnidarians to acquire more thermally tolerant symbionts, and hence their adaptive potential under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmin Gabay
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
| | - John Everett Parkinson
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
| | - Shaun P Wilkinson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand
| | - Virginia M Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Simon K Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Parade, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand.
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24
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Soto D, De Palmas S, Ho MJ, Denis V, Chen CA. Spatial variation in the morphological traits of Pocillopora verrucosa along a depth gradient in Taiwan. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202586. [PMID: 30118513 PMCID: PMC6097691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pocillopora verrucosa is a widely distributed depth-generalist coral that presents plasticity in its skeletal macro- and microstructure in response to environmental gradients. Light and water movement, which covary with depth, are the main environmental drivers of morphological plasticity in this genus; however, assessing environmentally-induced plasticity may be confounded by the extent of interspecific variation in Pocillopora. We examine the morphology of 8 typed P. verrucosa specimens collected along a depth gradient ranging from 7 to 45 meters and comprising 3 sites throughout Ludao, Taiwan. We measured 36 morphological characters, 14 which are novel, in 3 regions on the corallum-the apex, branch and base-in order to quantify their relationship to site and depth. We found significant correlation between depth and 19 morphological characters, notably branch verruca area, branch verruca height, base verruca spacing, base spinule length, and branch corallite area. 60% of microstructural characters and 25% of macrostructural characters showed a correlative relation to depth, suggesting that depth acclimatization is manifested primarily at the microstructural level. Canonical discriminant analysis of all morphometric characters by depth supports clustering into 3 groups: an overlapping 7m and 15m group, a 23-30m group, and a 38-45m group. Canonical discriminant analysis by site supports clustering into low- and high-current sites, differentiated primarily by branch septa width, base septa width, pre-terminal branch width, terminal branch maximum length, and terminal branch minimum length. We conclude that distinctive patterns of morphological variation in mesophotic specimens of P. verrucosa could reflect the effects of abiotic parameters such as light and water flow. Elucidating the mechanisms behind the morphological changes that occur in response to environmental gradients can help clarify the role that physiological plasticity plays in the acclimatization of corals to the unique environmental settings of mesophotic coral ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Soto
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Stephane De Palmas
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming Jay Ho
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Green Island Marine Research Station, Academia Sinica, Ludao, Taiwan
| | - Vianney Denis
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chaolun Allen Chen
- Biodiversity Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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25
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Ziegler M, Stone E, Colman D, Takacs-Vesbach C, Shepherd U. Patterns of Symbiodinium (Dinophyceae) diversity and assemblages among diverse hosts and the coral reef environment of Lizard Island, Australia. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2018; 54:447-460. [PMID: 29696650 PMCID: PMC6105428 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale environmental disturbances may impact both partners in coral host-Symbiodinium systems. Elucidation of the assembly patterns in such complex and interdependent communities may enable better prediction of environmental impacts across coral reef ecosystems. In this study, we investigated how the community composition and diversity of dinoflagellate symbionts in the genus Symbiodinium were distributed among 12 host species from six taxonomic orders (Actinaria, Alcyonacea, Miliolida, Porifera, Rhizostoma, Scleractinia) and in the reef water and sediments at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef before the 3rd Global Coral Bleaching Event. 454 pyrosequencing of the ITS2 region of Symbiodinium yielded 83 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% similarity cut-off. Approximately half of the Symbiodinium OTUs from reef water or sediments were also present in symbio. OTUs belonged to six clades (A-D, F-G), but community structure was uneven. The two most abundant OTUs (100% matches to types C1 and A3) comprised 91% of reads and OTU C1 was shared by all species. However, sequence-based analysis of these dominant OTUs revealed host species specificity, suggesting that genetic similarity cut-offs of Symbiodinium ITS2 data sets need careful evaluation. Of the less abundant OTUs, roughly half occurred at only one site or in one species and the background Symbiodinium communities were distinct between individual samples. We conclude that sampling multiple host taxa with differing life history traits will be critical to fully understand the symbiont diversity of a given system and to predict coral ecosystem responses to environmental change and disturbance considering the differential stress response of the taxa within.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Ziegler
- Author for correspondence: Maren Ziegler, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Building 2, Office 2227, 3955-6900 Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, Tel.: +966 12 808 2446,
| | - Elizabeth Stone
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Castetter Hall, MSC03-2020 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Daniel Colman
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Castetter Hall, MSC03-2020 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Cristina Takacs-Vesbach
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Castetter Hall, MSC03-2020 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Ursula Shepherd
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Castetter Hall, MSC03-2020 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA; Honors College, University of New Mexico, Student Health Center Building, MSCO6-3890 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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26
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van Oppen MJH, Bongaerts P, Frade P, Peplow L, Boyd SE, Nim HT, Bay LK. Adaptation to reef habitats through selection on the coral animal and its associated microbiome. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:2956-2971. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science; Townsville MC Qld Australia
- School of BioSciences; University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. Australia
| | - Pim Bongaerts
- Global Change Institute; The University of Queensland; St Lucia Qld Australia
- California Academy of Sciences; San Francisco California
| | - Pedro Frade
- Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR); University of Algarve; Faro Portugal
| | - Lesa M. Peplow
- Australian Institute of Marine Science; Townsville MC Qld Australia
| | - Sarah E. Boyd
- Faculty of Information Technology; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Hieu T. Nim
- Faculty of Information Technology; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute; Monash University; Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Line K. Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science; Townsville MC Qld Australia
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27
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Arrigoni R, Berumen ML, Stolarski J, Terraneo TI, Benzoni F. Uncovering hidden coral diversity: a new cryptic lobophylliid scleractinian from the Indian Ocean. Cladistics 2018; 35:301-328. [DOI: 10.1111/cla.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Arrigoni
- Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955‐6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael L. Berumen
- Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955‐6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - Jaroslaw Stolarski
- Institute of Paleobiology Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55 Warsaw PL‐00‐818 Poland
| | - Tullia I. Terraneo
- Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955‐6900 Saudi Arabia
- College of Marine and Environmental Science James Cook University Townsville QLD 4811 Australia
| | - Francesca Benzoni
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences University of Milano‐Bicocca Piazza della Scienza 2 Milano 20126 Italy
- UMR ENTROPIE (IRD, Université de La Réunion, CNRS) Laboratoire d'excellence‐CORAIL Centre IRD de Nouméa 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, BP A5 Noumea Cedex 98848 New Caledonia
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28
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Quigley KM, Strader ME, Matz MV. Relationship between Acropora millepora juvenile fluorescence and composition of newly established Symbiodinium assemblage. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5022. [PMID: 29922515 PMCID: PMC6005160 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis is the key biological interaction enabling existence of modern-type coral reefs, but the mechanisms regulating initial host-symbiont attraction, recognition and symbiont proliferation thus far remain largely unclear. A common reef-building coral, Acropora millepora, displays conspicuous fluorescent polymorphism during all phases of its life cycle, due to the differential expression of fluorescent proteins (FPs) of the green fluorescent protein family. In this study, we examine whether fluorescent variation in young coral juveniles exposed to natural sediments is associated with the uptake of disparate Symbiodinium assemblages determined using ITS-2 deep sequencing. We found that Symbiodinium assemblages varied significantly when redness values varied, specifically in regards to abundances of clades A and C. Whether fluorescence was quantified as a categorical or continuous trait, clade A was found at higher abundances in redder juveniles. These preliminary results suggest juvenile fluorescence may be associated with Symbiodinium uptake, potentially acting as either an attractant to ecologically specific types or as a mechanism to modulate the internal light environment to control Symbiodinium physiology within the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M. Quigley
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marie E. Strader
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Mikhail V. Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
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29
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Baumann JH, Davies SW, Aichelman HE, Castillo KD. Coral Symbiodinium Community Composition Across the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System is Influenced by Host Species and Thermal Variability. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2018; 75:903-915. [PMID: 29098358 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-017-1096-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Reef-building corals maintain a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium, and this symbiosis is vital for the survival of the coral holobiont. Symbiodinium community composition within the coral host has been shown to influence a coral's ability to resist and recover from stress. A multitude of stressors including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and eutrophication have been linked to global scale decline in coral health and cover in recent decades. Three distinct thermal regimes (highTP, modTP, and lowTP) following an inshore-offshore gradient of declining average temperatures and thermal variation were identified on the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS). Quantitative metabarcoding of the ITS-2 locus was employed to investigate differences and similarities in Symbiodinium genetic diversity of the Caribbean corals Siderastrea siderea, S. radians, and Pseudodiploria strigosa between the three thermal regimes. A total of ten Symbiodinium lineages were identified across the three coral host species. S. siderea was associated with distinct Symbiodinium communities; however, Symbiodinium communities of its congener, S. radians and P. strigosa, were more similar to one another. Thermal regime played a role in defining Symbiodinium communities in S. siderea but not S. radians or P. strigosa. Against expectations, Symbiodinium trenchii, a symbiont known to confer thermal tolerance, was dominant only in S. siderea at one sampled offshore site and was rare inshore, suggesting that coral thermal tolerance in more thermally variable inshore habitats is achieved through alternative mechanisms. Overall, thermal parameters alone were likely not the only primary drivers of Symbiodinium community composition, suggesting that environmental variables unrelated to temperature (i.e., light availability or nutrients) may play key roles in structuring coral-algal communities in Belize and that the relative importance of these environmental variables may vary by coral host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Baumann
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3300, USA.
| | - S W Davies
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3300, USA
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - H E Aichelman
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3300, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, 302 Miles Godwin building, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA
| | - K D Castillo
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3300, USA
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30
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Underwood JN, Richards ZT, Miller KJ, Puotinen ML, Gilmour JP. Genetic signatures through space, time and multiple disturbances in a ubiquitous brooding coral. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:1586-1602. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jim N. Underwood
- Indian Oceans Marine Research Centre Australian Institute of Marine Science Crawley WA Australia
| | - Zoe T. Richards
- Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Bentley WA Australia
- Department of Aquatic Zoology Western Australian Museum Perth WA Australia
| | - Karen J. Miller
- Indian Oceans Marine Research Centre Australian Institute of Marine Science Crawley WA Australia
| | - Marji L. Puotinen
- Indian Oceans Marine Research Centre Australian Institute of Marine Science Crawley WA Australia
| | - James P. Gilmour
- Indian Oceans Marine Research Centre Australian Institute of Marine Science Crawley WA Australia
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31
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Rosa IC, Rocha RJM, Cruz I, Lopes A, Menezes N, Bandarra N, Kikuchi R, Serôdio J, Soares AMVM, Rosa R. Effect of tidal environment on the trophic balance of mixotrophic hexacorals using biochemical profile and photochemical performance as indicators. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 135:55-62. [PMID: 29397993 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Fluctuations of environmental factors in intertidal habitats can disrupt the trophic balance of mixotrophic cnidarians. We investigated the effect of tidal environments (subtidal, tidal pools and emerged areas) on fatty acid (FA) content of Zoanthus sociatus and Siderastrea stellata. Effect on photophysiology was also accessed as an autotrophy proxy. There was a general tendency of a lower percentage of zooplankton-associated FAs in colonies from emerged areas or tidal pools when compared with colonies from the subtidal environment. Moreover, tidal environment significantly affected the photophysiology of both species. Colonies from the subtidal generally showed lower values of α, ETRmax and Ek when compared with their conspecifics from tidal pools or emerged areas. However, the absence of consistent patterns in Fv/Fm and in dinoflagellate-associated FAs, suggest that these corals are well adapted to intertidal conditions. This suggests that intertidal pressures may disturb the trophic balance, mainly by affecting heterotrophy of these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês C Rosa
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Rui J M Rocha
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Igor Cruz
- Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Praça do Oceanógrafo, 191, Butantã, 05508120, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Lopes
- MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374, Cascais, Portugal
| | - Natália Menezes
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Barão Geraldo, CEP 13083-970, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Narcisa Bandarra
- Divisão de Aquacultura e Valorização (DivAV), Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA, I.P.), Av. Brasília, Lisbon, 1449-006, Portugal
| | - Ruy Kikuchi
- Laboratório de Recifes de Corais e Mudanças Globais (RECOR), Departamento de Oceanografia, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40170-115, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - João Serôdio
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Amadeu M V M Soares
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Rui Rosa
- MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente, Laboratório Marítimo da Guia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Nossa Senhora do Cabo, 939, 2750-374, Cascais, Portugal
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32
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33
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Kennedy EV, Tonk L, Foster NL, Chollett I, Ortiz JC, Dove S, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Stevens JR. Symbiodinium biogeography tracks environmental patterns rather than host genetics in a key Caribbean reef-builder, Orbicella annularis. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1938. [PMID: 27807263 PMCID: PMC5124097 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological performance of a reef-building coral is a combined outcome of both the coral host and its algal endosymbionts, Symbiodinium. While Orbicella annularis—a dominant reef-building coral in the Wider Caribbean—is known to be a flexible host in terms of the diversity of Symbiodinium types it can associate with, it is uncertain how this diversity varies across the Caribbean, and whether spatial variability in the symbiont community is related to either O. annularis genotype or environment. Here, we target the Symbiodinium-ITS2 gene to characterize and map dominant Symbiodinium hosted by O. annularis at an unprecedented spatial scale. We reveal northwest–southeast partitioning across the Caribbean, both in terms of the dominant symbiont taxa hosted and in assemblage diversity. Multivariate regression analyses incorporating a suite of environmental and genetic factors reveal that observed spatial patterns are predominantly explained by chronic thermal stress (summer temperatures) and are unrelated to host genotype. Furthermore, we were able to associate the presence of specific Symbiodinium types with local environmental drivers (for example, Symbiodinium C7 with areas experiencing cooler summers, B1j with nutrient loading and B17 with turbidity), associations that have not previously been described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma V Kennedy
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK .,Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, 4111 Queensland, Australia
| | - Linda Tonk
- Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Nicola L Foster
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Iliana Chollett
- Smithsonian Marine Station, Smithsonian Institution, Fort Pierce, FL 34949, USA
| | - Juan-Carlos Ortiz
- Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Sophie Dove
- Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
- Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter J Mumby
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, 4072 Queensland, Australia
| | - Jamie R Stevens
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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34
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Bertucci F, Parmentier E, Berthe C, Besson M, Hawkins AD, Aubin T, Lecchini D. Snapshot recordings provide a first description of the acoustic signatures of deeper habitats adjacent to coral reefs of Moorea. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4019. [PMID: 29158970 PMCID: PMC5691791 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic recording has been recognized as a valuable tool for non-intrusive monitoring of the marine environment, complementing traditional visual surveys. Acoustic surveys conducted on coral ecosystems have so far been restricted to barrier reefs and to shallow depths (10–30 m). Since they may provide refuge for coral reef organisms, the monitoring of outer reef slopes and describing of the soundscapes of deeper environment could provide insights into the characteristics of different biotopes of coral ecosystems. In this study, the acoustic features of four different habitats, with different topographies and substrates, located at different depths from 10 to 100 m, were recorded during day-time on the outer reef slope of the north Coast of Moorea Island (French Polynesia). Barrier reefs appeared to be the noisiest habitats whereas the average sound levels at other habitats decreased with their distance from the reef and with increasing depth. However, sound levels were higher than expected by propagation models, supporting that these habitats possess their own sound sources. While reef sounds are known to attract marine larvae, sounds from deeper habitats may then also have a non-negligible attractive potential, coming into play before the reef itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Bertucci
- USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Moorea, French Polynesia.,Laboratoire de Morphologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, AFFISH-RC, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Eric Parmentier
- Laboratoire de Morphologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, AFFISH-RC, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Cécile Berthe
- USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Marc Besson
- USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Moorea, French Polynesia.,Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, UMR 7232, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), CNRS, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | | | - Thierry Aubin
- Neuro-PSI, UMR 9197, Université Paris Sud (Paris XI), CNRS, Orsay, France
| | - David Lecchini
- USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, Moorea, French Polynesia.,Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL, EPHE, Paris, France
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35
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Noda H, Parkinson JE, Yang SY, Reimer JD. A preliminary survey of zoantharian endosymbionts shows high genetic variation over small geographic scales on Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3740. [PMID: 29018596 PMCID: PMC5629959 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) shape the responses of their host reef organisms to environmental variability and climate change. To date, the biogeography of Symbiodinium has been investigated primarily through phylogenetic analyses of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 region. Although the marker can approximate species-level diversity, recent work has demonstrated that faster-evolving genes can resolve otherwise hidden species and population lineages, and that this diversity is often distributed over much finer geographical and environmental scales than previously recognized. Here, we use the noncoding region of the chloroplast psbA gene (psbAncr) to examine genetic diversity among clade C Symbiodinium associating with the common reef zoantharian Palythoa tuberculosa on Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. We identify four closely related Symbiodinium psbAncr lineages including one common generalist and two potential specialists that appear to be associated with particular microhabitats. The sea surface temperature differences that distinguish these habitats are smaller than those usually investigated, suggesting that future biogeographic surveys of Symbiodinium should incorporate fine scale environmental information as well as fine scale molecular data to accurately determine species diversity and their distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatsuko Noda
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
| | - John Everett Parkinson
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Sung-Yin Yang
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.,Microbiology and Biochemistry of Secondary Metabolites Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, Japan.,Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - James Davis Reimer
- Molecular Invertebrate Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan.,Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
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Dimond JL, Gamblewood SK, Roberts SB. Genetic and epigenetic insight into morphospecies in a reef coral. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:5031-5042. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James L. Dimond
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
- Shannon Point Marine Center Western Washington University Anacortes WA USA
| | | | - Steven B. Roberts
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
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Calixto-Botía I, Sánchez JA. A case of modular phenotypic plasticity in the depth gradient for the gorgonian coral Antillogorgia bipinnata (Cnidaria: Octocorallia). BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:55. [PMID: 28212607 PMCID: PMC5316182 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phenotypic plasticity, as a phenotypic response induced by the environment, has been proposed as a key factor in the evolutionary history of corals. A significant number of octocoral species show high phenotypic variation, exhibiting a strong overlap in intra- and inter-specific morphologic variation. This is the case of the gorgonian octocoral Antillogorgia bipinnata (Verrill 1864), which shows three polyphyletic morphotypes along a bathymetric gradient. This research tested the phenotypic plasticity of modular traits in A. bipinnata with a reciprocal transplant experiment involving 256 explants from two morphotypes in two locations and at two depths. Vertical and horizontal length and number of new branches were compared 13 weeks following transplant. The data were analysed with a linear mixed-effects model and a graphic approach by reaction norms. RESULTS At the end of the experiment, 91.8% of explants survived. Lower vertical and horizontal growth rates and lower branch promotion were found for deep environments compared to shallow environments. The overall variation behaved similarly to the performance of native transplants. In particular, promotion of new branches showed variance mainly due to a phenotypic plastic effect. CONCLUSIONS Globally, environmental and genotypic effects explain the variation of the assessed traits. Survival rates besides plastic responses suggest an intermediate scenario between adaptive plasticity and local adaptation that may drive a potential process of adaptive divergence along depth cline in A. bipinnata.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Calixto-Botía
- Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig Universität, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 IFZ D-35392, Giessen, Germany.
- Laboratory of Biología Molecular Marina-Biommar, Department of Biological Sciences-Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1E No 18A - 10, P.O. Box 4976, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Juan A Sánchez
- Laboratory of Biología Molecular Marina-Biommar, Department of Biological Sciences-Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1E No 18A - 10, P.O. Box 4976, Bogotá, Colombia
- Marine Sciences, International Giessen Graduate Centre for the Life Sciences (GGL), Justus Liebig Universität, Giessen, Germany
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Bongaerts P, Riginos C, Brunner R, Englebert N, Smith SR, Hoegh-Guldberg O. Deep reefs are not universal refuges: Reseeding potential varies among coral species. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1602373. [PMID: 28246645 PMCID: PMC5310828 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Deep coral reefs (that is, mesophotic coral ecosystems) can act as refuges against major disturbances affecting shallow reefs. It has been proposed that, through the provision of coral propagules, such deep refuges may aid in shallow reef recovery; however, this "reseeding" hypothesis remains largely untested. We conducted a genome-wide assessment of two scleractinian coral species with contrasting reproductive modes, to assess the potential for connectivity between mesophotic (40 m) and shallow (12 m) depths on an isolated reef system in the Western Atlantic (Bermuda). To overcome the pervasive issue of endosymbiont contamination associated with de novo sequencing of corals, we used a novel subtraction reference approach. We have demonstrated that strong depth-associated selection has led to genome-wide divergence in the brooding species Agaricia fragilis (with divergence by depth exceeding divergence by location). Despite introgression from shallow into deep populations, a lack of first-generation migrants indicates that effective connectivity over ecological time scales is extremely limited for this species and thus precludes reseeding of shallow reefs from deep refuges. In contrast, no genetic structuring between depths (or locations) was observed for the broadcasting species Stephanocoenia intersepta, indicating substantial potential for vertical connectivity. Our findings demonstrate that vertical connectivity within the same reef system can differ greatly between species and that the reseeding potential of deep reefs in Bermuda may apply to only a small number of scleractinian species. Overall, we argue that the "deep reef refuge hypothesis" holds for individual coral species during episodic disturbances but should not be assumed as a broader ecosystem-wide phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pim Bongaerts
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Corresponding author.
| | - Cynthia Riginos
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Ramona Brunner
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Norbert Englebert
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | | | - Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
- Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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Costantini F, Gori A, Lopez-González P, Bramanti L, Rossi S, Gili JM, Abbiati M. Limited Genetic Connectivity between Gorgonian Morphotypes along a Depth Gradient. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160678. [PMID: 27490900 PMCID: PMC4973999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Gorgonian species show a high morphological variability in relation to the environment in which they live. In coastal areas, parameters such as temperature, light, currents, and food availability vary significantly with depth, potentially affecting morphology of the colonies and the structure of the populations, as well as their connectivity patterns. In tropical seas, the existence of connectivity between shallow and deep populations supported the hypothesis that the deep coral reefs could potentially act as (reproductive) refugia fostering re-colonization of shallow areas after mortality events. Moreover, this hypothesis is not so clear accepted in temperate seas. Eunicella singularis is one of the most common gorgonian species in Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, playing an important role as ecosystem engineer by providing biomass and complexity to the coralligenous habitats. It has a wide bathymetric distribution ranging from about 10 m to 100 m. Two depth-related morphotypes have been identified, differing in colony morphology, sclerite size and shape, and occurrence of symbiotic algae, but not in mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. In the present study the genetic structure of E. singularis populations along a horizontal and bathymetric gradient was assessed using microsatellites and ITS1 sequences. Restricted gene flow was found at 30-40 m depth between the two Eunicella morphotypes. Conversely, no genetic structuring has been found among shallow water populations within a spatial scale of ten kilometers. The break in gene flow between shallow and deep populations contributes to explain the morphological variability observed at different depths. Moreover, the limited vertical connectivity hinted that the refugia hypothesis does not apply to E. singularis. Re-colonization of shallow water populations, occasionally affected by mass mortality events, should then be mainly fueled by larvae from other shallow water populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Costantini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali (BiGeA) & Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), University of Bologna, CoNISMa, Via S. Alberto 163, I-48123, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Andrea Gori
- Departament d’Ecología, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Ciències del Mar–CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37–49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Lopez-González
- Biodiversidad y Ecología de Invertebrados Marinos, Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Bramanti
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650, Banyuls sur Mer, France
| | - Sergio Rossi
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Josep-Maria Gili
- Institut de Ciències del Mar–CSIC, Pg. Maritim de la Barceloneta 37–49, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marco Abbiati
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche ed Ambientali (BiGeA) & Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca per le Scienze Ambientali (CIRSA), University of Bologna, CoNISMa, Via S. Alberto 163, I-48123, Ravenna, Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Scienze Marine, ISMAR, Bologna, Italy
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The Microbial Signature Provides Insight into the Mechanistic Basis of Coral Success across Reef Habitats. mBio 2016; 7:mBio.00560-16. [PMID: 27460792 PMCID: PMC4981706 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00560-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED For ecosystems vulnerable to environmental change, understanding the spatiotemporal stability of functionally crucial symbioses is fundamental to determining the mechanisms by which these ecosystems may persist. The coral Pachyseris speciosa is a successful environmental generalist that succeeds in diverse reef habitats. The generalist nature of this coral suggests it may have the capacity to form functionally significant microbial partnerships to facilitate access to a range of nutritional sources within different habitats. Here, we propose that coral is a metaorganism hosting three functionally distinct microbial interactions: a ubiquitous core microbiome of very few symbiotic host-selected bacteria, a microbiome of spatially and/or regionally explicit core microbes filling functional niches (<100 phylotypes), and a highly variable bacterial community that is responsive to biotic and abiotic processes across spatial and temporal scales (>100,000 phylotypes). We find that this coral hosts upwards of 170,000 distinct phylotypes and provide evidence for the persistence of a select group of bacteria in corals across environmental habitats of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. We further show that a higher number of bacteria are consistently associated with corals on mesophotic reefs than on shallow reefs. An increase in microbial diversity with depth suggests reliance by this coral on bacteria for nutrient acquisition on reefs exposed to nutrient upwelling. Understanding the complex microbial communities of host organisms across broad biotic and abiotic environments as functionally distinct microbiomes can provide insight into those interactions that are ubiquitous niche symbioses and those that provide competitive advantage within the hosts' environment. IMPORTANCE Corals have been proposed as the most diverse microbial biosphere. The high variability of microbial communities has hampered the identification of bacteria playing key functional roles that contribute to coral survival. Exploring the bacterial community in a coral with a broad environmental distribution, we found a group of bacteria present across all environments and a higher number of bacteria consistently associated with mesophotic corals (60 to 80 m). These results provide evidence of consistent and ubiquitous coral-bacterial partnerships and support the consideration of corals as metaorganisms hosting three functionally distinct microbiomes: a ubiquitous core microbiome, a microbiome filling functional niches, and a highly variable bacterial community.
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Steinert G, Taylor MW, Deines P, Simister RL, de Voogd NJ, Hoggard M, Schupp PJ. In four shallow and mesophotic tropical reef sponges from Guam the microbial community largely depends on host identity. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1936. [PMID: 27114882 PMCID: PMC4841226 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Sponges (phylum Porifera) are important members of almost all aquatic ecosystems, and are renowned for hosting often dense and diverse microbial communities. While the specificity of the sponge microbiota seems to be closely related to host phylogeny, the environmental factors that could shape differences within local sponge-specific communities remain less understood. On tropical coral reefs, sponge habitats can span from shallow areas to deeper, mesophotic sites. These habitats differ in terms of environmental factors such as light, temperature, and food availability, as well as anthropogenic impact. In order to study the host specificity and potential influence of varying habitats on the sponge microbiota within a local area, four tropical reef sponges, Rhabdastrella globostellata, Callyspongia sp., Rhaphoxya sp., and Acanthella cavernosa, were collected from exposed shallow reef slopes and a deep reef drop-off. Based on 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing profiles, beta diversity analyses revealed that each sponge species possessed a specific microbiota that was significantly different to those of the other species and exhibited attributes that are characteristic of high- and/or low-microbial-abundance sponges. These findings emphasize the influence of host identity on the associated microbiota. Dominant sponge- and seawater-associated bacterial phyla were Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, and Proteobacteria. Comparison of individual sponge taxa and seawater samples between shallow and deep reef sites revealed no significant variation in alpha diversity estimates, while differences in microbial beta diversity (variation in community composition) were significant for Callyspongia sp. sponges and seawater samples. Overall, the sponge-associated microbiota is significantly shaped by host identity across all samples, while the effect of habitat differentiation seems to be less predominant in tropical reef sponges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Steinert
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven, Germany; Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael W Taylor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Peter Deines
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Rachel L Simister
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Michael Hoggard
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
| | - Peter J Schupp
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg , Wilhelmshaven , Germany
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Madin JS, Anderson KD, Andreasen MH, Bridge TC, Cairns SD, Connolly SR, Darling ES, Diaz M, Falster DS, Franklin EC, Gates RD, Hoogenboom MO, Huang D, Keith SA, Kosnik MA, Kuo CY, Lough JM, Lovelock CE, Luiz O, Martinelli J, Mizerek T, Pandolfi JM, Pochon X, Pratchett MS, Putnam HM, Roberts TE, Stat M, Wallace CC, Widman E, Baird AH. The Coral Trait Database, a curated database of trait information for coral species from the global oceans. Sci Data 2016; 3:160017. [PMID: 27023900 PMCID: PMC4810887 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2016.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Trait-based approaches advance ecological and evolutionary research because traits provide a strong link to an organism's function and fitness. Trait-based research might lead to a deeper understanding of the functions of, and services provided by, ecosystems, thereby improving management, which is vital in the current era of rapid environmental change. Coral reef scientists have long collected trait data for corals; however, these are difficult to access and often under-utilized in addressing large-scale questions. We present the Coral Trait Database initiative that aims to bring together physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information into a single repository. The database houses species- and individual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data that provide important framing for analyses. In this data descriptor, we release data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and present a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S. Madin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Kristen D. Anderson
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Magnus Heide Andreasen
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution & Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark
| | - Tom C.L. Bridge
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Townsville 4810, Australia
| | - Stephen D. Cairns
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, Washington, District Of Columbia 20013, USA
| | - Sean R. Connolly
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Emily S. Darling
- Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York 10460, USA
| | - Marcela Diaz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Daniel S. Falster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Erik C. Franklin
- University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA
| | - Ruth D. Gates
- University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA
| | - Mia O. Hoogenboom
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Danwei Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences and Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Sally A. Keith
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution & Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK-2100, Denmark
| | - Matthew A. Kosnik
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Chao-Yang Kuo
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Janice M. Lough
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Townsville 4810, Australia
| | - Catherine E. Lovelock
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Osmar Luiz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Julieta Martinelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Toni Mizerek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - John M. Pandolfi
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Xavier Pochon
- Environmental Technologies, Coastal & Freshwater Group, The Cawthron Institute, Nelson 7010, New Zealand
- Institute of Marine Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Morgan S. Pratchett
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Hollie M. Putnam
- University of Hawaii, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA
| | - T. Edward Roberts
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
| | - Michael Stat
- Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Carden C. Wallace
- Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum Network, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Widman
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Andrew H. Baird
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
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Holstein DM, Smith TB, Paris CB. Depth-Independent Reproduction in the Reef Coral Porites astreoides from Shallow to Mesophotic Zones. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146068. [PMID: 26789408 PMCID: PMC4720483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesophotic coral ecosystems between 30–150 m may be important refugia habitat for coral reefs and associated benthic communities from climate change and coastal development. However, reduced light at mesophotic depths may present an energetic challenge to the successful reproduction of light-dependent coral organisms, and limit this refugia potential. Here, the relationship of depth and fecundity was investigated in a brooding depth-generalist scleractinian coral, Porites astreoides from 5–37 m in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) using paraffin tissue histology. Despite a trend of increasing planulae production with depth, no significant differences were found in mean peak planulae density between shallow, mid-depth and mesophotic sites. Differential planulae production over depth is thus controlled by P. astreoides coral cover, which peaks at 10 m and ~35 m in the USVI. These results suggest that mesophotic ecosystems are reproductive refuge for P. astreoides in the USVI, and may behave as refugia for P. astreoides metapopulations providing that vertical larval exchanges are viable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M. Holstein
- Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tyler B. Smith
- Center for Marine and Environmental Studies, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, United States of America
| | - Claire B. Paris
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America
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Cryptic genetic divergence within threatened species of Acropora coral from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. CONSERV GENET 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-015-0807-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Kenkel CD, Almanza AT, Matz MV. Fine-scale environmental specialization of reef-building corals might be limiting reef recovery in the Florida Keys. Ecology 2015; 96:3197-212. [DOI: 10.1890/14-2297.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Goodbody-Gringley G, Marchini C, Chequer AD, Goffredo S. Population Structure of Montastraea cavernosa on Shallow versus Mesophotic Reefs in Bermuda. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142427. [PMID: 26544963 PMCID: PMC4636301 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesophotic coral reef ecosystems remain largely unexplored with only limited information available on taxonomic composition, abundance and distribution. Yet, mesophotic reefs may serve as potential refugia for shallow-water species and thus understanding biodiversity, ecology and connectivity of deep reef communities is integral for resource management and conservation. The Caribbean coral, Montastraea cavernosa, is considered a depth generalist and is commonly found at mesophotic depths. We surveyed abundance and size-frequency of M. cavernosa populations at six shallow (10m) and six upper mesophotic (45m) sites in Bermuda and found population structure was depth dependent. The mean surface area of colonies at mesophotic sites was significantly smaller than at shallow sites, suggesting that growth rates and maximum colony surface area are limited on mesophotic reefs. Colony density was significantly higher at mesophotic sites, however, resulting in equal contributions to overall percent cover. Size-frequency distributions between shallow and mesophotic sites were also significantly different with populations at mesophotic reefs skewed towards smaller individuals. Overall, the results of this study provide valuable baseline data on population structure, which indicate that the mesophotic reefs of Bermuda support an established population of M. cavernosa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chiara Marchini
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy, European Union
| | - Alex D. Chequer
- Ocean Support Foundation, Suite 1222, 48 Par-la-Ville Road, Hamilton, Bermuda HM 11
| | - Stefano Goffredo
- Marine Science Group, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy, European Union
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De Novo Assembly and Characterization of Four Anthozoan (Phylum Cnidaria) Transcriptomes. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2015; 5:2441-52. [PMID: 26384772 PMCID: PMC4632063 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.020164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Many nonmodel species exemplify important biological questions but lack the sequence resources required to study the genes and genomic regions underlying traits of interest. Reef-building corals are famously sensitive to rising seawater temperatures, motivating ongoing research into their stress responses and long-term prospects in a changing climate. A comprehensive understanding of these processes will require extending beyond the sequenced coral genome (Acropora digitifera) to encompass diverse coral species and related anthozoans. Toward that end, we have assembled and annotated reference transcriptomes to develop catalogs of gene sequences for three scleractinian corals (Fungia scutaria, Montastraea cavernosa, Seriatopora hystrix) and a temperate anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima). High-throughput sequencing of cDNA libraries produced ~20-30 million reads per sample, and de novo assembly of these reads produced ~75,000-110,000 transcripts from each sample with size distributions (mean ~1.4 kb, N50 ~2 kb), comparable to the distribution of gene models from the coral genome (mean ~1.7 kb, N50 ~2.2 kb). Each assembly includes matches for more than half the gene models from A. digitifera (54-67%) and many reasonably complete transcripts (~5300-6700) spanning nearly the entire gene (ortholog hit ratios ≥0.75). The catalogs of gene sequences developed in this study made it possible to identify hundreds to thousands of orthologs across diverse scleractinian species and related taxa. We used these sequences for phylogenetic inference, recovering known relationships and demonstrating superior performance over phylogenetic trees constructed using single mitochondrial loci. The resources developed in this study provide gene sequences and genetic markers for several anthozoan species. To enhance the utility of these resources for the research community, we developed searchable databases enabling researchers to rapidly recover sequences for genes of interest. Our analysis of de novo assembly quality highlights metrics that we expect will be useful for evaluating the relative quality of other de novo transcriptome assemblies. The identification of orthologous sequences and phylogenetic reconstruction demonstrates the feasibility of these methods for clarifying the substantial uncertainties in the existing scleractinian phylogeny.
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Thomas CJ, Bridge TC, Figueiredo J, Deleersnijder E, Hanert E. Connectivity between submerged and near‐sea‐surface coral reefs: can submerged reef populations act as refuges? DIVERS DISTRIB 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Thomas
- Institute of Mechanics Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC) Université catholique de Louvain 1348 Louvain‐la‐Neuve Belgium
| | - Tom C.L. Bridge
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Qld 4811 Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science PMB #3 Townsville MC Qld 4810 Australia
| | - Joana Figueiredo
- Oceanographic Center Nova Southeastern University 8000 N Ocean Drive Dania Beach FL 33004 USA
| | - Eric Deleersnijder
- Institute of Mechanics Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC) Université catholique de Louvain 1348 Louvain‐la‐Neuve Belgium
- Earth and Life Institute (ELI) Université catholique de Louvain 1348 Louvain‐la‐Neuve Belgium
- Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics (DIAM) Delft University of Technology Mekelweg 4 2628CD Delft The Netherlands
| | - Emmanuel Hanert
- Earth and Life Institute (ELI) Université catholique de Louvain 1348 Louvain‐la‐Neuve Belgium
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Silva-Lima AW, Walter JM, Garcia GD, Ramires N, Ank G, Meirelles PM, Nobrega AF, Siva-Neto ID, Moura RL, Salomon PS, Thompson CC, Thompson FL. Multiple Symbiodinium Strains Are Hosted by the Brazilian Endemic Corals Mussismilia spp. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2015; 70:301-310. [PMID: 25666537 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-015-0573-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Corals of genus Mussismilia (Mussidae) are one of the oldest extant clades of scleractinians. These Neogene relicts are endemic to the Brazilian coast and represent the main reef-building corals in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (SAO). The relatively low-diversity/high-endemism SAO coralline systems are under rapid decline from emerging diseases and other local and global stressors, but have not been severely affected by coral bleaching. Despite the biogeographic significance and importance for understanding coral resilience, there is scant information about the diversity of Symbiodinium in this ocean basin. In this study, we established the first culture collections of Symbiodinium from Mussismilia hosts, comprising 11 isolates, four of them obtained by fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). We also analyzed Symbiodinium diversity directly from Mussismilia tissue samples (N = 16) and characterized taxonomically the cultures and tissue samples by sequencing the dominant ITS2 region. Symbiodinium strains A4, B19, and C3 were detected. Symbiodinium C3 was predominant in the larger SAO reef system (Abrolhos), while Symbiodinium B19 was found only in deep samples from the oceanic Trindade Island. Symbiodinium strains A4 and C3 isolates were recovered from the same Mussismilia braziliensis coral colony. In face of increasing threats, these results indicate that Symbiodinium community dynamics shall have an important contribution for the resilience of Mussismilia spp. corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur W Silva-Lima
- Laboratório de Microbiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Av. Carlos Chagas Fo. S/N - CCS - IB - Lab de Microbiologia - BLOCO A (Anexo) A3 - sl 102, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, 21941-599
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50
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Abstract
The persistence of natural metapopulations may depend on subpopulations that exist at the edges of species ranges, removed from anthropogenic stress. Mesophotic coral ecosystems (30–150 m) are buffered from disturbance by depth and distance, and are potentially massive reservoirs of coral diversity and fecundity; yet we know little about the reproductive capabilities of their constituent species and the potential for these marginal environments to influence patterns of coral reef persistence. We investigated the reproductive performance of the threatened depth-generalist coral Orbicella faveolata over the extent of its vertical range to assess mesophotic contributions to regional larval pools. Over equal habitat area, mesophotic coral populations were found to produce over an order of magnitude more eggs than nearby shallow populations. Positive changes with depth in both population abundance and polyp fecundity contributed to this discrepancy. Relative larval pool contributions of deeper living corals will likely increase as shallow habitats further degrade due to climate change and local habitat degradation. This is a compelling example of the potential for marginal habitat to be critical to metapopulation persistence as reproductive refugia.
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