Hybridization as driving force for cryptic species diversity in the Caribbean coral genus Madracis.

ABSTRACT: Species boundaries in scleractinian corals remain highly elusive due to conflicting patterns between morphological and molecular phylogenies, often caused by morphological plasticity, occurrence of cryptic species, incomplete lineage sorting or introgressive hybridization. Here, we use an integrated systematics approach, which combines reduced representation genome sequencing (nextRAD), micro-morphometric characterization, SEM analyses and compilation of life history traits, to infer phylogenetic relationships among closely related species in the Caribbean coral genus Madracis. In total, we analyzed 235 Madracis specimens from Curaçao and Bermuda collected from 10-90 m depth. Sequence- and SNP-based analyses for 115 samples generated unprecedented species resolution in Madracis, greatly su

SUBMITTER: Frade PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12480546 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature