Interspecific hybridisation provides a low-risk option for increasing genetic diversity of reef-building corals.

ABSTRACT: Interspecific hybridisation increases genetic diversity and has played a significant role in the evolution of corals in the genus Acropora. In vitro fertilisation can be used to increase the frequency of hybridisation among corals, potentially enhancing their ability to adapt to climate change. Here, we assessed the field performance of hybrids derived from the highly cross-fertile coral species Acropora sarmentosa and Acropora florida from the Great Barrier Reef. Following outplanting to an inshore reef environment, the 10-month survivorship of the hybrid offspring groups was intermediate between that of the purebred groups, although not all pairwise comparisons were statistically significant. The A. florida purebreds, which had the lowest survivorship, were significantly larger at 10 mon

SUBMITTER: Lamb AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11381923 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature