1
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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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2
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Chukaew T, Isomura N, Mezaki T, Matsumoto H, Kitano YF, Nozawa Y, Tachikawa H, Fukami H. Molecular Phylogeny and Taxonomy of the Coral Genus Cyphastrea (Cnidaria, Scleractinia, Merulinidae) in Japan, With the First Records of Two Species. Zoolog Sci 2023; 40:326-340. [PMID: 37522604 DOI: 10.2108/zs230009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
The scleractinian coral genus Cyphastrea is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region and is common from the subtropical to the warm-temperate regions in Japan. Three new species in this genus have recently been reported from south-eastern Australia or the Red Sea. However, taxonomic and species diversity have been little studied so far in Japan. In this study, we analyzed 112 specimens of Cyphastrea collected from the subtropical to the warm-temperate regions in Japan to clarify the species diversity in the country. This analysis was based on skeletal morphological and molecular analyses using three genetic markers of the nuclear 28S rDNA, histone H3 gene, and the mitochondrial noncoding intergenic region between COI and tRNAmet. The molecular phylogenetic trees showed that our specimens are separated mainly into four clades. Considering the morphological data with the molecular phylogenetic relationships, we confirmed a total of nine species, including two species, C. magna and C. salae, recorded for the first time in Japan. Although eight out of nine species were genetically included within Cyphastrea, one species, C. agassizi, was genetically distant from all other species and was closely related to the genus Leptastrea, suggesting the return of this species to the genus to which it was originally ascribed. Two newly recorded species were reciprocally monophyletic, while the other six species (excluding C. agassizi) clustered in two clades without forming species-specific lineages, including three polyphyletic species. Thus, the species boundary between species in Cyphastrea remains unclear in most species using these three sequenced loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanapat Chukaew
- Graduate School of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2155, Japan
| | - Naoko Isomura
- Bioresources Engineering, Institute of Technology, Okinawa College, Nago-city, Okinawa 905-2192, Japan
| | - Takuma Mezaki
- Kuroshio Biological Research Foundation, Otsuki, Kochi 788-0333, Japan
| | | | - Yuko F Kitano
- Japan Wildlife Research Center, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8606, Japan
| | - Yoko Nozawa
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Hiroyuki Tachikawa
- Coastal Branch of Natural History Museum and Institute, Katsuura, Chiba 299-5242, Japan
| | - Hironobu Fukami
- Department of Marine Biology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University, Miyazaki 889-2155, Japan,
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3
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Juszkiewicz DJ, White NE, Stolarski J, Benzoni F, Arrigoni R, Baird AH, Hoeksema BW, Wilson NG, Bunce M, Richards ZT. Full Title: Phylogeography of recent Plesiastrea (Scleractinia: Plesiastreidae) based on an integrated taxonomic approach. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 172:107469. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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4
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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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5
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Grinblat M, Cooke I, Shlesinger T, Ben-Zvi O, Loya Y, Miller DJ, Cowman PF. Biogeography, reproductive biology and phylogenetic divergence within the Fungiidae (mushroom corals). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2021; 164:107265. [PMID: 34274488 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
While the escalating impacts of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures on coral reefs are well documented at the coral community level, studies of species-specific trends are less common, owing mostly to the difficulties and uncertainties in delineating coral species. It has also become clear that traditional coral taxonomy based largely on skeletal macromorphology has underestimated the diversity of many coral families. Here, we use targeted enrichment methods to sequence 2476 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and exonic loci to investigate the relationship between populations of Fungia fungites from Okinawa, Japan, where this species reproduces by brooding (i.e., internal fertilization), and Papua New Guinea and Australia, where it reproduces by broadcast-spawning (i.e., external fertilization). Moreover, we analyzed the relationships between populations of additional fungiid species (Herpolitha limax and Ctenactis spp.) that reproduce only by broadcast-spawning. Our phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses reveal strong biogeographic structuring in both F. fungites and Herpolitha limax, consistent with cryptic speciation in Okinawa in both species and additionally for H. limax in the Red Sea. By combining UCE/exon data and mitochondrial sequences captured in off-target reads, we reinforce earlier findings that Ctenactis, a genus consisting of three nominal morphospecies, is not a natural group. Our results highlight the need for taxonomic and systematic re-evaluations of some species and genera within the family Fungiidae. This work demonstrates that sequence data generated by the application of targeted capture methods can provide objective criteria by which we can test phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphological and/or life history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mila Grinblat
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Ira Cooke
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Tom Shlesinger
- Institute for Global Ecology, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA
| | - Or Ben-Zvi
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; The Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Eilat, Israel
| | - Yossi Loya
- School of Zoology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - David J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Peter F Cowman
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Museum of Tropical Queensland, Queensland Museum, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
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6
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Burgess SC, Johnston EC, Wyatt ASJ, Leichter JJ, Edmunds PJ. Response diversity in corals: hidden differences in bleaching mortality among cryptic Pocillopora species. Ecology 2021; 102:e03324. [PMID: 33690896 PMCID: PMC8244046 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Variation among functionally similar species in their response to environmental stress buffers ecosystems from changing states. Functionally similar species may often be cryptic species representing evolutionarily distinct genetic lineages that are morphologically indistinguishable. However, the extent to which cryptic species differ in their response to stress, and could therefore provide a source of response diversity, remains unclear because they are often not identified or are assumed to be ecologically equivalent. Here, we uncover differences in the bleaching response between sympatric cryptic species of the common Indo-Pacific coral, Pocillopora. In April 2019, prolonged ocean heating occurred at Moorea, French Polynesia. 72% of pocilloporid colonies bleached after 22 d of severe heating (>8o C-days) at 10 m depth on the north shore fore reef. Colony mortality ranged from 11% to 42% around the island four months after heating subsided. The majority (86%) of pocilloporids that died from bleaching belonged to a single haplotype, despite twelve haplotypes, representing at least five species, being sampled. Mitochondrial (open reading frame) sequence variation was greater between the haplotypes that experienced mortality versus haplotypes that all survived than it was between nominal species that all survived. Colonies > 30 cm in diameter were identified as the haplotype experiencing the most mortality, and in 1125 colonies that were not genetically identified, bleaching and mortality increased with colony size. Mortality did not increase with colony size within the haplotype suffering the highest mortality, suggesting that size-dependent bleaching and mortality at the genus level was caused instead by differences among cryptic species. The relative abundance of haplotypes shifted between February and August, driven by declines in the same common haplotype for which mortality was estimated directly, at sites where heat accumulation was greatest, and where larger colony sizes occurred. The identification of morphologically indistinguishable species that differ in their response to thermal stress, but share a similar ecological function in terms of maintaining a coral-dominated state, has important consequences for uncovering response diversity that drives resilience, especially in systems with low or declining functional diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott C Burgess
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-4296, USA
| | - Erika C Johnston
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-4296, USA
| | - Alex S J Wyatt
- Department of Ocean Science and Hong Kong Branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - James J Leichter
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA
| | - Peter J Edmunds
- Department of Biology, California State University, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, California, 91330-8303, USA
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7
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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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8
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Alidoost Salimi P, Ghavam Mostafavi P, Chen CA, Pichon M, Alidoost Salimi M. Molecular phylogeny of some coral species from the Persian Gulf. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:2993-2999. [PMID: 33675466 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06251-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
As evolutionary relationships among some coral species still remain unclear, studies on unstudied area such as the Persian Gulf (PG), as part of the western Indo-Pacific, may reveal a better understanding of phylogenetic positions and relationships of corals. In the present study, the phylogenetic relationships of eight common coral species (Favites pentagona, Platygyra daedalea, Cyphastrea microphthalma, Siderastrea savignyana, Pavona decussata, Pavona cactus, Goniopora columna, and Goniopora djiboutiensis) collected from two Iranian Islands were compared with the congeneric sequences from the Indo-Pacific (IP) using rDNA region. The result shows that some coral species which were hitherto considered as representatives of widespread species from IP are related to distinct lineages. Further, it appears that morphological convergence between the taxa leads to an underestimation of the real coral species diversity in the PG. The current study is the first attempt to investigate the phylogenetic position of coral species from the PG in comparison to their counterparts from the IP. As conservation planning hinges on the identification of species, taxonomic revisions have to be undertaken in order to obtain a more reliable picture of coral species diversity in the PG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Alidoost Salimi
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Pargol Ghavam Mostafavi
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Chaolun Allen Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Michel Pichon
- Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Mahsa Alidoost Salimi
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
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9
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Arrigoni R, Huang D, Berumen ML, Budd AF, Montano S, Richards ZT, Terraneo TI, Benzoni F. Integrative systematics of the scleractinian coral genera
Caulastraea
,
Erythrastrea
and
Oulophyllia. ZOOL SCR 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Arrigoni
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM) Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli Italy
| | - Danwei Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences and Tropical Marine Science Institute National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
| | - Michael L. Berumen
- Reef Ecology Laboratory Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia
| | - Ann F. Budd
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Iowa Iowa City IA USA
| | - Simone Montano
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT) University of Milano − Bicocca Milano Italy
- Marine Research and High Education Center Magoodhoo Island Faafu Atoll Maldives
| | - Zoe T. Richards
- Coral Conservation and Research Group, Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Bentley WA Australia
- Department of Aquatic Zoology Western Australian Museum Welshpool WA Australia
| | - Tullia I. Terraneo
- Habitat and Benthic Biodiversity Laboratory Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia
| | - Francesca Benzoni
- Habitat and Benthic Biodiversity Laboratory Red Sea Research Center Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal Saudi Arabia
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10
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Mitsuki Y, Isomura N, Nozawa Y, Tachikawa H, Huang D, Fukami H. Distinct species hidden in the widely distributed coral Coelastrea aspera (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia). INVERTEBR SYST 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/is21025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Species identification is key for coral reef conservation and restoration. Recent coral molecular-morphological studies have indicated the existence of many cryptic species. Coelastrea aspera (Verrill, 1866) is a zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific. In Japan, this species is distributed from the subtropical reef region to the high-latitudinal non-reef region. Previous studies have reported that C. aspera colonies in the non-reef region release egg-sperm bundles (bundle type), whereas those in the reef region release eggs and sperm separately (non-bundle type) and release planula larvae after spawning. This difference in reproduction might be relevant to species differences. To clarify the species delimitation of C. aspera, the reproduction, morphology and molecular phylogeny of C. aspera samples collected from reef and non-reef regions in Japan were analysed, along with additional morphological and molecular data of samples from northern Taiwan. The results show that C. aspera is genetically and morphologically separated into two main groups. The first group is the non-bundle type, distributed only in reef regions, whereas the second group is the bundle type, widely distributed throughout the reef and non-reef regions. Examination of type specimens of the taxon’s synonyms leads us to conclude that the first group represents the true C. aspera, whereas the second is Coelastrea incrustans comb. nov., herein re-established, that was originally described as Goniastrea incrustans Duncan, 1886, and had been treated as a junior synonym of C. aspera.
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11
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Terraneo TI, Benzoni F, Baird AH, Arrigoni R, Berumen ML. Morphology and molecules reveal two new species ofPorites(Scleractinia, Poritidae) from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. SYST BIODIVERS 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2019.1643806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- 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
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Francesca Benzoni
- Department of Biotechnologies and Bioscience, University of Milano – Bicocca, Milan, 20126, Italy
| | - Andrew H. Baird
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - 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
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate A – Strategy, Work Programme and Resources, Exploratory Research, Ispra, 21027, Italy
| | - 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
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12
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Montgomery AD, Fenner D, Toonen RJ. Annotated checklist for stony corals of American Sāmoa with reference to mesophotic depth records. Zookeys 2019; 849:1-170. [PMID: 31171897 PMCID: PMC6538593 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.849.34763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
An annotated checklist of the stony corals (Scleractinia, Milleporidae, Stylasteridae, and Helioporidae) of American Sāmoa is presented. A total of 377 valid species has been reported from American Sāmoa with 342 species considered either present (251) or possibly present (91). Of these 342 species, 66 have a recorded geographical range extension and 90 have been reported from mesophotic depths (30–150 m). Additionally, four new species records (Acanthastreasubechinata Veron, 2000, Favitesparaflexuosus Veron, 2000, Echinophylliaechinoporoides Veron & Pichon, 1980, Turbinariairregularis Bernard, 1896) are presented. Coral species of concern include species listed under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. Approximately 17.5% of the species present or possibly present are categorized as threatened by IUCN compared to 27% of the species globally. American Sāmoa has seven ESA-listed or ESA candidate species, including Acroporaglobiceps (Dana, 1846), Acroporajacquelineae Wallace, 1994, Acroporaretusa (Dana, 1846), Acroporaspeciosa (Quelch, 1886), Fimbriaphylliaparadivisa (Veron, 1990), Isoporacrateriformis (Gardiner, 1898), and Pocilloporameandrina Dana, 1846. There are two additional species possibly present, i.e., Pavonadiffluens (Lamarck, 1816) and Poritesnapopora Veron, 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Montgomery
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, HI 96744, USA University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Kāne'ohe United States of America.,U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96850, USA U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honolulu United States of America
| | - Douglas Fenner
- Ocean Associates, Inc., NOAA Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office, Pago Pago, AS, USA NOAA Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Regional Office Pago Pago American Samoa
| | - Robert J Toonen
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, HI 96744, USA University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Kāne'ohe United States of America
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13
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14
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Niu W, Yu S, Tian P, Xiao J. Complete mitochondrial genome of Echinophylliaaspera (Scleractinia, Lobophylliidae): Mitogenome characterization and phylogenetic positioning. Zookeys 2018; 793:1-14. [PMID: 30405308 PMCID: PMC6218560 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.793.28977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lack of mitochondrial genome data of Scleractinia is hampering progress across genetic, systematic, phylogenetic, and evolutionary studies concerning this taxon. Therefore, in this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the stony coral Echinophylliaaspera (Ellis & Solander, 1786), has been decoded for the first time by next generation sequencing and genome assembly. The assembled mitogenome is 17,697 bp in length, containing 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), two transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs. It has the same gene content and gene arrangement as in other Scleractinia. All genes are encoded on the same strand. Most of the PCGs use ATG as the start codon except for ND2, which uses ATT as the start codon. The A+T content of the mitochondrial genome is 65.92% (25.35% A, 40.57% T, 20.65% G, and 13.43% for C). Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis have been performed using PCGs, and the result shows that E.aspera clustered closely with Sclerophylliamaxima (Sheppard & Salm, 1988), both of which belong to Lobophylliidae, when compared with species belonging to Merulinidae and other scleractinian taxa used as outgroups. The complete mitogenome of E.aspera provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses of corals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Niu
- Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic AdministrationXiamenChina
| | - Shuangen Yu
- Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic AdministrationXiamenChina
| | - Peng Tian
- Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic AdministrationXiamenChina
| | - Jiaguang Xiao
- Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen, ChinaLaboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic AdministrationXiamenChina
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