Assessing genetic diversity and connectivity of the dominant massive coral Porites lutea in the Gulf of Thailand
Keywords:
population genetics, Porites lutea, connectivity, microsatellite, Gulf of ThailandAbstract
In light of recent coral reef ecosystems, there has been significantly degraded biodiversity in coral reef ecosystems by anthropogenic disturbance and global climate change. Studies on the genetic diversity and connectivity of coral populations are very important. However, there are very few studies of population genetics of corals in the Gulf of Thailand. In this study, we used four microsatellite loci to examine the genetic structure of the broadcast spawning coral Porites lutea populations. Our results revealed that P. lutea populations had relatively low genetic diversity. A significant genetic difference was detected among populations (p < 0.001). Population differentiation among study sites was examined using pairwise FST comparison. The highest FST values were observed between Ko Taiphlao and Ko Prong, while the lowest one was observed between Ko Samet and Ko Kula, Ko Samet and Ko Thong Lang. Principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) based on FSTvalues showed that genetic connectivity was not influenced with the geographic location and distance between study sites. Genetic structure analyses also indicated closely knit genetic units within all study sites in the Gulf of Thailand. Our study provides important data of the connectivity and genetic diversity of P. lutea populations, and also supports coral reef conservation and restoration in Thailand.
References
Adjeroud M, Guérécheau A, Vidal‑Dupiol J, Flot JF, Arnaud‑Haond S, Bonhomme F (2014) Genetic diversity, clonality and connectivity in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis: a multi‑scale analysis in an insular, fragmented reef system. Mar Biol 161: 531–541.
Adjeroud M, Tsuchiya M (1999) Genetic variation and clonal structure in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis in the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Mar Biol 134:753 –760.
Ayre DJ, & Hughes TP (2004) Climate change, genotypic diversity and gene flow in reef‐building corals. Ecology Letters, 7(4), 273-278.
Ayre DJ, Hughes TP (2000) Genotypic diversity and gene flow in brooding and spawning corals along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Evolution 54:1590–1605.
Ayre DJ, Hughes TP (2004) Climate change, genotypic diversity and gene flow in reef-building corals. Ecol Lett 7:273–278.
Ayre DJ, Hughes TP, Standish RJ (1997) Genetic differentiation, reproductive mode, and gene flow in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 159:175–187
Barrett RD, & Schluter D (2008). Adaptation from standing genetic variation. Trends in ecology & evolution, 23(1), 38-44.
Basiita RK, Henrich Bruggemann J, Cai N. et al. (2016). Erratum to: Microsatellite records for volume 7, issue 4. Conservation Genet Resour 8, 85–87.
Bell G (1982) The masterpiece of nature: the evolution and genetics of sexuality. Croon Helm, London
Benzie J, Haskell A, Lehman H (1995) Variation in the genetic composition of coral (Pocillopora damicornis and Acropora palifera) populations from different reef habitats. Mar Biol 121:731–739.
Bernhardt JR, & Leslie HM (2013) Resilience to climate change in coastal marine ecosystems. Annual review of marine science, 5, 371-392.
Burke L, Reytar K, Spalding M, Perry A (2011) Reefs at risk revisited. World Resources Institute. Washington DC. 114 pp
Chen JE, Cui G, Wang X, Liew YJ & Aranda M (2018) Recent expansion of heat-activated retrotransposons in the coral symbiont Symbiodinium microadriaticum. The ISME journal, 12(2), 639-643.
Combosch DJ, Vollmer SV (2011) Population genetics of an ecosystem-defining reef coral Pocillopora damicornis in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. PLoS ONE 6(8): e21200. doi: 10.1371/ journal. pone.0021200
Costantini F, Fauvelot C, Abbiati M (2007) Fine-scale genetic structuring in Corallium rubrum: evidence of inbreeding and limited effective larval dispersal. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 340:109–119
Cowen RK, Gawarkiewicz G, Pineda J, Thorrold SR, Werner FE (2007) Population connectivity in marine systems. Oceanography 20:14–21
Earl DA, VonHoldt BM (2011) STRUCTURE HARVESTER: a website and program for visualizing STRUCTURE output and implementing the Evanno method. Conserv Genet Resour 4:359–361
Edmunds PJ, McIlroy SE, Adjeroud M, Ang P, Bergman JL, Carpenter RC, Coffroth MA, Fujimura A, Hench J, Holbrook SJ, Leichter JJ, Muko S, Nakajima Y, Nakamura M, Paris CB, Schmitt R, Sutthacheep M, Toonen R, Sakai K, Suzuki G, Washburn L, Wyatt ASJ, Mitarai S (2018) Critical information gaps impeding understanding of the role of larval connectivity among coral reef islands in an era of global change. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:290. doi: 10.3389/fmars. 2018.00290.
Flot JF, Magalon H, Cruaud C, Couloux A, Tillier S (2008) Patterns of genetic structure among Hawaiian corals of the genus Pocillopora yield clusters of individuals that are compatible with morphology. CR Biol 331:39–247
Francesco Ficetola G, & Bonin A (2011) Conserving adaptive genetic diversity in dynamic landscapes.
Glynn PW (1996) Coral reef bleaching: facts, hypotheses and implications. Glob Change Biol 2:495–509.
Glynn PW, Gassman NJ, Eakin CM, Cortes J, Smith DB, Guzman HM (1991) Reef coral reproduction in the eastern Pacific, Costa Rica, Panama, and Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). I. Pocilloporidae. Mar Biol 109:355–368.
Goodbody‐Gringley, G, Woollacott, RM, & Giribet, G (2012) Population structure and connectivity in the Atlantic scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa (Linnaeus, 1767). Marine Ecology, 33(1), 32-48.
Gorospe KD, Karl SA (2013) Genetic relatedness does not retain spatial pattern across multiple spatial scales: dispersal and colonization in the coral, Pocillopora damicornis. Mol Ecol 22 (14):3721–3736.
Harrison PL, Wallace CC (1990) Reproduction, dispersal and recruitment of scleractinian corals. In “Ecosystems of the World, Vol 25, Coral Reefs” Ed by Z Dubinsky, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 133 –207.
Hellberg ME (1995) Stepping−stone gene flow in the solitary coral Balanophylla elegans: equilibrium and nonequilibrium at different spatial scales. Mar Biol 123:573−581.
Hellberg ME (1996) Dependence of gene flow on geographic distance in two solitary corals with different larval dispersal capabilities. Evolution 50:1167–1175.
Hellberg ME (2007) Footprints on water: the genetic wake of dispersal among reefs. Coral Reefs 26:463–473.
Heyward AJ, Babcock RC (1986) Self- and cross-fertilization in scleractinian corals. Mar Biol 90: 191 – 195.
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318(5857):1737–1742.
Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E & Hatziolos M (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. science, 318(5857), 1737-1742.
Huang W, Li M, Yu K, Wang Y, Li J, Liang J & Wei F (2018) Genetic diversity and large-scale connectivity of the scleractinian coral Porites lutea in the South China Sea. Coral Reefs, 37, 1259-1271.
Hughes AR, & Stachowicz J (2009) Ecological impacts of genotypic diversity in the clonal seagrass Zostera marina. Ecology, 90(5), 1412-1419.
Hughes AR, Inouye BD, Johnson MT, Underwood N, & Vellend M (2008) Ecological consequences of genetic diversity. Ecology letters, 11(6), 609-623.
Jones GP, Almany GR, Russ GR, Sale PF, Steneck RS, van Oppen MJH, Willis BL (2009) Larval retention and connectivity among populations of corals and reef fishes: history, advances and challenges. Coral Reefs 28:307–325.
Luo Y, Huang LYW, Yu K, Li M, Chen B, Huang X & Qin Z (2022) Genetic diversity and structure of tropical Porites lutea populations highlight their high adaptive potential to environmental changes in the South China Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 791149.
Luo Y, Huang W, Yu K, Li M, Chen B, Huang X and Qin Z (2022) Genetic diversity and structure of tropical Porites lutea populations highlight their high adaptive potential to environmental changes in the South China Sea. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:791149. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.791149
Luo Y, Huang W, Yu K, Li M, Chen B, Huang X. & Qin Z (2022)
Magalon H, Samadi S, Richard M, Adjeroud M, Veuille M (2004) Development of coral and zooxanthella-specific microsatellites in three species of Pocillopora (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) from French Polynesia. Mol Ecol Notes 4:206–208.
Marshall PA, Baird AH (2000) Bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reefs: differential susceptibilities among taxa. Coral Reefs 19 (2):155–163.
McClanahan TR, Cinner JE, Maina J, Graham NAJ, Daw TM, Stead SM, Wamukota A, Brown K, Ateweberhan M, Venus V, Polunin NVC (2008) Conservation action in a changing climate. Conserv Lett 1 (2):53–59.
McClanahan TR, Maina J, Davies J (2005) Perceptions of resource users and managers towards fisheries management options in Kenyan coral reefs. Fish Manag Ecol 12:105–112.
McCook LJ, Almany GR, Berumen ML, Day JC, Green AL, Jones GP & Thorrold SR (2009). Management under uncertainty: guide-lines for incorporating connectivity into the protection of coral reefs. Coral Reefs, 28, 353-366.
McFadden CS, Aydin KY (1996) Spatial autocorrelation analysis of small-scale genetic structure in a clonal soft coral with limited larval dispersal. Mar Biol 126:215–224.
McManus LC, Forrest DL, Tekwa EW, Schindler DE, Colton MA, Webster MM., Pinsky, ML (2021) Evolution and connectivity influence the persistence and recovery of coral reefs under climate change in the Caribbean, Southwest Pacific, and Coral Triangle. Global Change Biology, 27(18), 4307–4321. doi:10.1111/gcb.15725
Miller K (1998) Short-distance dispersal of black coral larvae: inference from spatial analysis of colony genotypes. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 163:225–233.
Miller K, Ayre D (2004) The role of sexual and asexual reproduction in structuring high latitude populations of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis. Heredity 92:557–568.
Miller K, Mundy C (2003) Rapid settlement in broadcast spawning corals: Implications for larval dispersal. Coral Reefs 22:99–106.
Miller KJ, & Ayre DJ (2008) Protection of genetic diversity and maintenance of connectivity among reef corals within marine protected areas. Conservation Biology, 22(5), 1245-1254.
Miller KJ, Ayre DJ (2008) Protection of genetic diversity and maintenance of connectivity among reef corals within marine protected areas. Conserv Biol 22:1245–1254.
Nakajima Y, Nishikawa A, Iguchi A, Sakai K (2012) Regional genetic differentiation among northern high-latitude island populations of a broadcast-spawning coral. Coral Reefs 31: 1125–1133.
Nishikawa A (2008) Degree and pattern of gene flow in several scleractinian corals in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Southern Japan. Pacific Science 62:413– 421.
Nishikawa A, Katoh M, Sakai K (2003) Larval settlement rates and gene flow of broadcast-spawning (Acropora tenuis) and planula-brooding (Stylophora pistillata) corals. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 256:87–97.
Niu WT, Tian P, Lin RC, Chen B, Suharsono Shi XF, & Zheng XQ (2015) Genetic structure of ITS gene sequence of Porites lutea populations in Lembeh Strait. J App Oceanogr, 33: 46-52.
Palumbi SR (2004) Ocean neighborhoods and marine reserves. Annu Rev Environ Resour 29: 31–68.
Peakall R, Smouse PE (2006) GenAlEx6: genetic analysis in Excel. Population genetic software for teaching and research. Mol Ecol Notes 6:288–295.
Pengsakun S (2013) The susceptibility of corals to elevated seawater temperature and low salinity at Ko Khang Khao, the Inner Gulf of Thailand. M. Sc. Thesis, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand (in Thai with English abstract).
Pengsakun S, Samsuvan W, Yucharoen M, Suanta P, Sutthacheep M, Yeemin T (2012a) Status of coral community at Hin Ang Wang: after the 2010 coral bleaching event. Proceedings of 38th Congress on Science and Technology of Thailand. 4 pp.
Pengsakun S, Sutthacheep M, Yeemin T (2012b) Comparing recruitment of Pocillopora damicornis affected by the 2010 bleaching event. In: Proceedings of 12th International Coral Reef Symposium, Cairns, Australia. 4 pp.
Pinzón JH, Reyes-Bonilla H, Baums IB, LaJeunesse TC (2012) Contrasting clonal structure among Pocillopora (Scleractinia) communities at two environmentally distinct sites in the Gulf of California. Coral Reefs 31:765–777.
Qin Z, Yu K, Wang Y, Xu L, Huang X, Chen B & Pan Z (2019) Spatial and intergeneric variation in physiological indicators of corals in the South China Sea: insights into their current state and their adaptability to environmental stress. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(5), 3317-3332.
Richmond RH, Hunter CL (1990) Reproduction and recruitment of corals: comparisons among the Caribbean, the Tropical Pacific and the Red Sea. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 60:185–203.
Ridgway T, Riginos C, Davis J, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2008) Genetic connectivity patterns of Pocillopora verrucosa in southern African Marine Protected Areas. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 354:161–168.
Saavedra-Sotelo, NC, Calderón-Aguilera, LE, Reyes-Bonilla, H, López-Pérez, RA, Medina-Rosas, P, & Rocha-Olivares, A (2011). Limited genetic connectivity of Pavona gigantea in the Mexican Pacific. Coral Reefs, 30, 677-686.
Selkoe KA, Watson JR, White C, Ben Horin T, Iachhei M, Mitarai S, Siegel DA, Gaines SD, Toonen RJ (2010) Taking the chaos out of genetic patchiness: seascape genetics reveals ecological and oceanographic drivers of genetic patterns in three temperate reef species. Mol Ecol 19:708–372.
Sherman CDH, Ayre DJ, Miller KJ (2006) Asexual reproduction does not produce clonal populations of the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 25: 7 – 18.
Souter P, Henriksson O, Olsson N, Grahn M (2009) Patterns of genetic structuring in the coral Pocillopora damicornis on reefs in East Africa. BMC Ecology 9:19
Starger CJ, Yeoh SSR, Dai CF, Baker AC, DeSalle R (2008) Ten polymorphic STR loci in the cosmopolitan reef coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mol Ecol Resour 8:619–621.
Stoddart J (1984) Genetic differentiation amongst populations of the coral Pocillopora damicornis off Southwest Australia. Coral Reefs 3:149–156.
Stoddart JA (1983) Asexual production of planulae in the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 76:279–284.
Stoddart JA, Black R (1985) Cycles of gametogenesis and planulation in the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 23:153–164.
Sutthacheep M, Nakajima Y, Sakai K, Yeemin T, Pengsakun S, Klinthong W, Chamchoy C, & Samsuvan W (2018b) First evidence of genetic connectivity of the brooder coral Pocillopora damicornis in the Gulf of Thailand. Ramkhamhaeng International Journal of Science and Technology, 1(2), 41-50.
Sutthacheep M, Sakai K, Yeemin T, Pensakun S, Klinthong W, Samsuvan W (2018a) Assessing coral reef resilience to climate change in Thailand. Ramkhamhaeng International Journal of Science and Technology 1(1):22-34.
Tanzil JT, Brown BE, Dunne RP, Lee JN, Kaandorp JA, & Todd PA (2013) Regional decline in growth rates of massive Porites corals in S outheast A sia. Global change biology, 19(10), 3011-3023.
Tay YC, Noreen AME, Suharsono Chou LM & Todd PA (2015) Genetic connectivity of the broadcast spawning reef coral Platygyra sinensis on impacted reefs, and the description of new microsatellite markers. Coral Reefs, 34, 301-311.
Thomas L, Kennington WJ, Evans RD, Kendrick GA & Stat M (2017) Restricted gene flow and local adaptation highlight the vulnerability of high‐latitude reefs to rapid environmental change. Global Change Biology, 23(6), 2197-2205.
Tian P, Niu WT, Lin RC, Chen B, Suharsono (2014) Applicability of two molecular markers in genetic diversity study of Porites lutea population. J App Oceanogr 33:46–52.
Underwood JN, Smith LD, van Oppen MJH, Gilmour JP (2007) Multiple scales of genetic connectivity in a brooding coral on isolated reefs following catastrophic bleaching. Mol Ecol 16:771–784.
Underwood JN, Smith LD, van Oppen MJH, Gilmour JP (2009) Ecologically relevant dispersal of corals on isolated reefs: implications for managing resilience. Ecol Appl 19:18–29.
van der Ven RM, Heynderickx H, & Kochzius M (2021) Differences in genetic diversity and divergence between brooding and broadcast spawning corals across two spatial scales in the Coral Triangle region. Mar Biol 168, 17 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-020-03813-8
van Oppen MJH, Gates RD (2006) Understanding the resilience of reef corals: the roles of molecular biology and genetics. Mol Ecol 15:3863– 3883.
Veron JEN (2000) Corals of the world. The Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville
Ward S (1992) Evidence for broadcast spawning as well as brooding in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 112:641–646.
Wattayakorn G (2006) Environmental issues in the Gulf of Thailand. In Wolanski, E. (ed.), The Environment in Asia Pacific Harbours. Springer, the Netherlands, pp. 249–259.
Whitaker K (2006) Genetic evidence for mixed modes of reproduction in the coral Pocillopora damicornis and its effect on population structure. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 306:115–124.
Wilkinson C (2004) Status of coral reefs of the world: 2004 vol. 1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville
Williams DE, Miller MW & Baums IB (2014) Cryptic changes in the genetic structure of a highly clonal coral population and the relationship with ecological performance. Coral Reefs, 33, 595-606.
Willis BL, Babcock RC, Harrison PL, Wallace CC (1997) Experimental hybridization and breeding incompatibilities within the mating systems of mass spawning reef corals. Coral Reefs 16:S53 –S65.
Wu Q, Huang W, Chen B, Yang E, Meng L, Chen Y & Yu K (2021) Genetic structure of Turbinaria peltata in the northern South China Sea suggest insufficient genetic adaptability of relatively high-latitude scleractinian corals to environment stress. Science of the Total Environment, 775, 145775.
Xu L, Yu K, Li S, Liu G, Tao S, Shi Q & Zhang H (2017) Interseasonal and interspecies diversities of Symbiodinium density and effective photochemical efficiency in five dominant reef coral species from Luhuitou fringing reef, northern South China Sea. Coral Reefs, 36, 477-487.
Yeemin T, Saenghaisuk C, Sittiporn P, Klinthong W, Sangmanee K, Yucharoen M, Donsomjit W, Saengsawang L, Nuclear P, Sutthacheep M (2010) Status of coral reefs in Thailand following the 2010 coral bleaching event. Kimura, T., Tun, K. (eds) Status of Coral Reefs in East Asian Seas Region: 2010. Ministry of the Environment, Japan, pp. 29–49.
Yeemin T, Ruengsawang N, Buaruang J, Nopchinwong P, Asa S, Panthewee W (1998) Coral bleaching in the Gulf of Thailand: a significant natural disturbance. Proceedings of the 24th congress on science and technology of Thailand: Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 698 – 699.
Yeemin T, Sutthacheep M, Pettongma R (2006) Coral reef restoration projects in Thailand. Ocean Coast Manag 49:562–575.
Yeoh SR, Dai CF (2010) The production of sexual and asexual larvae within single broods of the scleractinian coral, Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 157:351–359.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Ramkhamhaeng International Journal of Science and Technology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice: a copyright on any article in the published journal is retained by the Ramkhamhaeng International Journal of Science and Technology. Readers or Users grant the right to use of the Article contained in the Content in accordance with the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license and the Data contained in the Content in accordance with the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND.
