Title: VERTICAL CONNECTIVITY ON ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC REEFS: A GENOME-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF SIX DEPTH-GENERALIST CORAL SPECIES

Abstract: Mesophotic coral ecosystems can act as important refuges against disturbances affecting shallow reefs. Consequently, they have been hypothesized to aid in shallow reef recovery by acting as a source of propagules. However, to date, this assumption of vertical connectivity has only been tested for three different scleractinian coral species. Here, we summarize the results of vertical connectivity assessments for six different depth-generalist coral species (Agaricia fragilis, Agaricia lamarcki, Stephanocoenia intersepta, Acropora aculeus, Seriatopora hystrix and Pachyseris speciosa) from various locations in the Western Atlantic (Bermuda, Bonaire, Curacao) and Indo-Pacific (Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Papua New Guinea). Using a modified RAD-seq approach that comprehensively removes endosymbiont contamination, we characterized genome-wide variation (~20,000-150,000 SNPs) across ~1,500 individuals from paired shallow (10-15 m) and deep (40-60 m) populations sampled at different locations and/or regions. Brooding species all exhibited genome-wide differentiation by depth, indicative of varying degrees of adaptive divergence. In contrast, differentiation in broadcasting species was mostly observed across geographic regions and not by depth. These results establish the first broader pattern demonstrating a contrasting potential for vertical connectivity based on reproductive mode, and allow us to move towards a more generic characterization of connectivity between shallow and mesophotic coral reefs.

Authors: Bongaerts P, Riginos C, van Oppen M, Hoegh-Guldberg O

Presentation: Oral

Session: 29

Date: 06/22/16

Time: 13:45

Location: 308 A/B

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