Disparate genetic divergence patterns in three corals across a pan-Pacific environmental gradient highlight species-specific adaptation.

ABSTRACT: Tropical coral reefs are among the most affected ecosystems by climate change and face increasing loss in the coming decades. Effective conservation strategies that maximize ecosystem resilience must be informed by the accurate characterization of extant genetic diversity and population structure together with an understanding of the adaptive potential of keystone species. Here we analyzed samples from the Tara Pacific Expedition (2016-2018) that completed an 18,000 km longitudinal transect of the Pacific Ocean sampling three widespread corals-Pocillopora meandrina, Porites lobata, and Millepora cf. platyphylla-across 33 sites from 11 islands. Using deep metagenomic sequencing of 269 colonies in conjunction with morphological analyses and climate variability data, we can show that despite

SUBMITTER: Voolstra CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11332039 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature