Solving the coral species delimitation conundrum
Authors/Creators
- 1. Université Libre de Bruxelles
- 2. ARC Centre of Excellence For Coral Reef Studies
- 3. National Museum of Natural History
- 4. University of the Ryukyus
Description
Distinguishing coral species is not only crucial for physiological, ecological and evolutionary studies, but also to enable effective management of threatened reef ecosystems. However, traditional hypotheses that delineate coral species based on morphological traits from the coral skeleton are frequently at odds with tree-based molecular approaches. Additionally, a dearth of species-level molecular markers has made species delimitation particularly challenging in species-rich coral genera, leading to the widespread assumption that inter-specific hybridization might be responsible for this apparent conundrum. Here, we used three lines of evidence – morphology, breeding trials and molecular approaches – to identify species boundaries in a group of ecologically important tabular Acropora corals. In contrast to previous studies, our morphological analyses yielded groups that were congruent with experimental crosses as well as with coalescent-based and allele sharing-based multilocus approaches to species delimitation. Our results suggest that species of the genus Acropora are reproductively isolated and independently evolving units that can be distinguished morphologically. These findings not only pave the way for a taxonomic revision of coral species but also outline an approach that can provide a solid basis to address species delimitation and provide conservation support to a wide variety of keystone organisms.
Notes
Dataset S1. Morphological Data. Excel spreadsheet with tabs containing variables coded according to Tables S1 and S2 from the manuscript. Coding and observations of qualitative variables are presented, as well as measurements and median values of quantitative variables and transformed categorical variables. Results of the tests for normality, homoscedasticity, corresponding transformations and MANOVA are also included.
Dataset S2. Breeding Trials Data. Excel spreadsheet with breeding trial matrix (similar to Fig. 2a), ID and counts of unfertilized eggs, mutants and embryos obtained from each type of cross and replicate in the experiment. Fertilization success calculated as a proportion (fertatio) and as percentage (fert%), and the corresponding statistics and tests of normality and significance are also shown.
Dataset S3 (separate files). Chromatograms Data. Sequencher files containing individual data for each one of the markers that were PCR-based amplified and Sanger sequenced: AcroCR, PMCA, FZD, TDH, DOPR and ASNA.
Supplementary Materials. PDF file containing all the Supplementary Figures (Figs. S1 - S5), Supplementary Tables (Tables S1 - S10) and Supplementary References.
Funding provided by: University of the Ryukyus
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008768
Award Number: Collaborative Research of the Tropical Biosphere Research Center
Funding provided by: Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002661
Award Number: F.R.S.-FNRS "ASP" n° 1.A.835.18F
Funding provided by: Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique de Belgique
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002661
Award Number: CDR Grant n° J.0272.17
Funding provided by: Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian Research Council
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014402
Award Number: Programme CE140100020
Funding provided by: Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian Research Council
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014402
Award Number: ARC DECRA Fellowship DE170100516
Funding provided by: Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002910
Award Number: ARC grant
Funding provided by: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001691
Award Number: Short Term Fellowship S-15086
Funding provided by: Fondattion Jaumotte-Demoulin*
Crossref Funder Registry ID:
Award Number: Fonds David et Alice Van Buuren
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Additional details
Related works
- Is source of
- 10.5281/zenodo.5555193 (DOI)