Recent origin and semi-permeable species boundaries in the scleractinian coral genus Stylophora from the Red Sea.

ABSTRACT: Reticulate evolution, introgressive hybridisation, and phenotypic plasticity have been documented in scleractinian corals and have challenged our ability to interpret speciation processes. Stylophora is a key model system in coral biology and physiology, but genetic analyses have revealed that cryptic lineages concealed by morphological stasis exist in the Stylophora pistillata species complex. The Red Sea represents a hotspot for Stylophora biodiversity with six morphospecies described, two of which are regionally endemic. We investigated Stylophora species boundaries from the Red Sea and the associated Symbiodinium by sequencing seven DNA loci. Stylophora morphospecies from the Red Sea were not resolved based on mitochondrial phylogenies and showed nuclear allele sharing. Low genetic dif

SUBMITTER: Arrigoni R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5054360 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature