11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

14.449
Mitochondrial Phylogeography of Acanthaster planci) (L.) Across the Indo-Pacific Region:
Does the Strong Genetic Break Reveal an Ongoing Speciation?
Karin GÉRARD* 1 , Nina YASUDA 2 , Kazuo NADAOKA 2 , Satoshi NAGAI 3 , Jean-Pierre
FÉRAL 4
1 CNRS DIMAR, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France, 2 Tokyo Institute of
Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 3 National Research Institute of Fisheries and Environment of Inland
Sea, Hiroshima, Japan, 4 CNRS DIMAR, Marseille, France
The crown-of-thorns-starfish, Acanthaster planci (L) is one of the most devastating
corallivorous asteroids, which unstable population dynamics rapidly switches from low density
to outbreak. Although the biology of this species is well illustrated, information about the origin
and mechanisms of outbreaks is scarce. Most of genetic studies on A. planci populations were
conducted in Pacific and East Indian Oceans from allozyme polymorphism, highlighting strong
dispersal abilities across the Indo-Pacific region. Here, to complete the nuclear genetic structure,
the relationships of A. planci populations from West Indian and Pacific Oceans were analysed
with two mitochondrial loci: 16S rDNA (16S) and cytochrome oxydase subunit I (COI).
The populations of A. planci from the Indian and Pacific Oceans did not share any haplotype of
both mitochondrial loci. The divergence of these populations reached 9% (16S), which was
particularly strong given that the inter-specific divergence within the genus Acanthaster is about
12%. These two populations have been isolated for long enough to reach the reciprocal
monophyly. Molecular clock calculations led to estimate the divergence time at 1.56 million
years.
Within the Pacific region, a genetic differentiation among populations from Japan, North central
Pacific (Pohnpei and Majuro) and French Polynesia is highlighted. The star-like network of the
16S haplotypes together with mismatch distributions and negatives values of neutrality tests,
suggested that the Japanese group has suffered a population expansion −however not recently−
while samples from Pohnpei Majuro and French Polynesia show characteristics of stable
populations. The populations from West Indian Ocean displayed both lower nucleotide and
haplotype diversities than Pacific populations and no genetic structure has been proved.
Populations of A. planci from both oceans may actually be on their way to speciation, but in
order to prove it, the putative contact zone of the two genetic entities remains to be analysed: the
Indo-Malayan region.
14.450
Tracking Multiple Fish Species' Movements Among Multiple Habitats: The Florida
Atlantic Coast Telemetry Array (FACT).
Samantha WHITCRAFT* 1,2 , Craig FAUNCE 3 , Eric REYIER 4 , David SABIN 5 ,
Christina CONRATH 6 , John LAMKIN 7 , Craig LAYMAN 8
1 Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, Miami,
FL, 2 Bilogical Sciences Dept., Florida International University, North Miami, 3 Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tequesta, FL, 4 DYNAMAC Corporation -
NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 5 Loxahatchee River District, Jupiter, FL, 6 Florida
Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 7 Early Life History
Lab, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Miami, FL, 8 Biological Sciences,
Florida International University, North Miami, FL
The Florida Atlantic Coast Telemetry Array (F.A.C.T.) is a regional coordination of
multiple acoustic telemetry projects aimed at tracking the movements of multiple species’
within and between ecosystems. The array is composed of two portions: the northern
array in the Mosquito/Indian River Lagoons, and the southern array of St. Lucie and
Loxahatchee estuaries and adjacent reefs. The northern array comprises 34 VEMCO VR2
receivers that span over ~256 km2 of lagoonal habitats, and tracks 44 tagged red drum
(Sciaenops ocellatus), and 50 rays (Dasyatis sp., Gymnura sp.). The southern array
combines 67 VR2 receivers, stretching over ~13 km from river to reef, and is currently
tracks 44 tagged juvenile and 33 adult mangrove snappers (Lutjanus griseus), 6 common
snook (Centropomus undecimalis), and lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris).
Comparisons of nocturnal/diurnal movement patterns suggest that some daily movement
patterns are conserved in both juvenile and adult L. griseus in two different habitats –
estuarine and coral reef. The FACT collaboration addresses and demonstrates the
importance of considering ecosystem-scale fish movements in subtropical coastal
research and management.
Poster Mini-Symposium 14: Reef Connectivity
14.451
Comparative Phylogeography Of Three Endangered Giant Clam Species Across The
Coral Triangle
Timery DEBOER* 1 , Matthew SUBIA 2 , Pak AMBARIYANTO 3 , Mark ERDMANN 4 , Katie
KOVITVONGSA 5 , Paul BARBER 1
1 Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 2 College of Science, Media Arts, and Technology,
Cal State University Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA, 3 Diponegoro University, Semarang,
Indonesia, 4 Conservation International Indonesia Marine Program, Bali, Indonesia, 5 Boston
University, Boston, MA
The Coral Triangle is the global center of marine biodiversity. Phylogeography seeks to explain
such contemporary distributions of taxa in the context of both species-specific biological factors
and geologic and climatic factors that are common to all species in a single geographic area. To
determine the relative importance of biological characteristics and environmental conditions, it
is necessary to know whether groups of taxa with similar distributions share the same history of
diversification. This study employed mitochondrial DNA sequence data to examine patterns of
genetic connectivity in three sympatric species of giant clams (Tridacna species) in an effort to
investigate the underlying cause of differentiation and speciation within this group and to guide
conservation efforts across the Coral Triangle. An approximately 485 base pair fragment of
mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) was collected from a total of 700 Tridacna
crocea, 350 T. maxima, and 350 T. squamosa individuals at 35 sites across Indonesia.
Intraspecific genetic structure revealed three divergent clades within each species. Clades were
geographically distributed in three primary regions across Indonesia from west to east: Sumatra,
central Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. However, the exact boundary between each region
varied by species. Times of separation between clades was broadly concordant for all three
species, indicating a common timing of divergence during Plio-Pleistocene sea level
fluctuations. Estimates of migration rates between populations varied by species. The
identification of deeply divergent lineages that are likely cryptic species, combined with
evidence for limited gene flow across portions of the Coral Triangle, has important
consequences for conservation planning and restocking efforts for these endangered marine
species.
14.452
Population Analysis of the Hermatypic Coral Galaxea fascicularis in Southwestern
Japan
Toshiki WATANABE* 1 , Yuta SUZUKI 1 , Hirohiko TAKESHIMA 1 , Mutsumi NISHIDA 1 ,
Mineo OKAMOTO 2 , Mariko ABE 3 , Michio HIDAKA 3
1 Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 2 Faculty of Marine Science,
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan, 3 Faculty of Science,
University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
A significant part of the coral reefs in the Ryukyu Archipelago (southwestern Japan) consists of
fringing reefs formed around islands and patch reefs near islands. Corals in reefs around
inhabited islands are subject to anthropogenic impacts. In this study, the genetic diversity in
populations of the coral Galaxea fascicularis (a broadcast spawner) was evaluated at three
locations around highly populated Okinawa Island, and comparison was made to populations
around remote islands. Connectivity between the local populations was also studied. Prior to the
population analysis, the question was addressed whether G. fascicularis is a single biological
species. Based on the genotypes in a mitochondrial intergeic region, this species was
distinguished to two types (mt-L and S). These two types were highly different in the
frequencies of morphotypes of a nematocyst type macrobasic p-mastigophore, and alleles at a
nuclear microsatellite locus. These observations argue that G. fascicularis in the Ryukyu
Archipelago consists of two sympatric cryptic species that rarely inter-breed. For the population
analysis, four polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified in a mt-S individual, and the fourlocus
genotype was determined in a toal of 256 mt-S colonies (only two of these markers turned
out to be useful for the mt-L group). The genetic diversity (indicated by expected heterozygosity
and allelic richness) in three local populations around Okinawa I. was lower than four other
locations near remote islands. Pairwise FST analysis showed significant genetic differentiation
between nearby populations (approx. 10 km apart) around Okinawa I., but not between the
populations in remote areas even beyond 350 km. Although G. fascicularis are still found in
large numbers around Okinawa I., human impacts such as coastal development and pollution
presumably fragmented the habitats into smaller sub-populations, resulting in reduction of
genetic diversity.
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