Ploidy Variation and Its Implications for Reproduction and Population Dynamics in Two Sympatric Hawaiian Coral Species.

ABSTRACT: Standing genetic variation is a major driver of fitness and resilience and therefore of fundamental importance for threatened species such as stony corals. We analyzed RNA-seq data generated from 132 Montipora capitata and 119 Pocillopora acuta coral colonies collected from Kāne'ohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i. Our goals were to determine the extent of colony genetic variation and to study reproductive strategies in these two sympatric species. Surprisingly, we found that 63% of the P. acuta colonies were triploid, with putative independent origins of the different triploid clades. These corals have spread primarily via asexual reproduction and are descended from a small number of genotypes, whose diploid ancestor invaded the bay. In contrast, all M. capitata colonies are diploid and outbreeding,

SUBMITTER: Stephens TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10445776 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature