Shape-shifting Corals: Molecular Markers Show Morphology is Evolutionarily Plastic in Porites

Overview

Journal BMC Evol Biol

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Biology

Date 2009 Feb 26

PMID 19239678

Citations 44

Authors

Zac H Forsman

Daniel J Barshis

Cynthia L Hunter

Robert J Toonen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Corals are notoriously difficult to identify at the species-level due to few diagnostic characters and variable skeletal morphology. This 'coral species problem' is an impediment to understanding the evolution and biodiversity of this important and threatened group of organisms. We examined the evolution of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial markers (COI, putative control region) in Porites, one of the most taxonomically challenging and ecologically important genera of reef-building corals.

Results: Nuclear and mitochondrial markers were congruent, clearly resolving many traditionally recognized species; however, branching and mounding varieties were genetically indistinguishable within at least two clades, and specimens matching the description of 'Porites lutea' sorted into three genetically divergent groups. Corallite-level features were generally concordant with genetic groups, although hyper-variability in one group (Clade I) overlapped and obscured several others, and Synarea (previously thought to be a separate subgenus) was closely related to congeners despite its unique morphology. Scanning electron microscopy revealed subtle differences between genetic groups that may have been overlooked previously as taxonomic characters.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the coral skeleton can be remarkably evolutionarily plastic, which may explain some taxonomic difficulties, and obscure underlying patterns of endemism and diversity.

Citing Articles

AI-based coral species discrimination: A case study of the Siderastrea Atlantic Complex.

Barbeitos M, Perez F, Olaya-Restrepo J, Winter A, Florindo J, Laureano E PLoS One. 2024; 19(12):e0312494.

PMID: 39661592 PMC: 11634003. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312494.

Widespread scope for coral adaptation under combined ocean warming and acidification.

Jury C, Toonen R Proc Biol Sci. 2024; 291(2031):20241161.

PMID: 39317315 PMC: 11421923. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1161.

Genomic data reveals habitat partitioning in massive Porites on Guam, Micronesia.

Primov K, Burdick D, Lemer S, Forsman Z, Combosch D Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):17107.

PMID: 39048606 PMC: 11269739. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67992-w.

Barcoding and mitochondrial phylogenetics of Porites corals.

Combosch D, Burdick D, Primov K, Rios D, Rios K, Fernandez J PLoS One. 2024; 19(2):e0290505.

PMID: 38359055 PMC: 10868756. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290505.

Morphological and genetic variability in cosmopolitan tardigrade species-Paramacrobiotus fairbanksi Schill, Förster, Dandekar & Wolf, 2010.

Kayastha P, Szydlo W, Mioduchowska M, Kaczmarek L Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):17672.

PMID: 37848470 PMC: 10582252. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42653-6.

References

van Oppen M, McDonald B, Willis B, Miller D . The evolutionary history of the coral genus Acropora (Scleractinia, Cnidaria) based on a mitochondrial and a nuclear marker: reticulation, incomplete lineage sorting, or morphological convergence?. Mol Biol Evol. 2001; 18(7):1315-29. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003916. View

MEDINA , WEIL , Szmant . Examination of the Montastraea annularis Species Complex (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) Using ITS and COI Sequences. Mar Biotechnol (NY). 1999; 1(1):89-97. DOI: 10.1007/pl00011756. View

Coleman A . Pan-eukaryote ITS2 homologies revealed by RNA secondary structure. Nucleic Acids Res. 2007; 35(10):3322-9. PMC: 1904279. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm233. View

Fukami H, Budd A, Levitan D, Jara J, Kersanach R, Knowlton N . Geographic differences in species boundaries among members of the Montastraea annularis complex based on molecular and morphological markers. Evolution. 2004; 58(2):324-37. View

Vollmer S, Palumbi S . Hybridization and the evolution of reef coral diversity. Science. 2002; 296(5575):2023-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.1069524. View

Shearer T, van Oppen M, Romano S, Worheide G . Slow mitochondrial DNA sequence evolution in the Anthozoa (Cnidaria). Mol Ecol. 2002; 11(12):2475-87. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2002.01652.x. View

Lam K, Morton B . Morphological and ITS1, 5.8S, and partial ITS2 ribosomal DNA sequence distinctions between two species Platygyra (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) from Hong Kong [corrected]. Mar Biotechnol (NY). 2003; 5(6):555-67. DOI: 10.1007/s10126-002-0114-x. View

Coleman A . ITS2 is a double-edged tool for eukaryote evolutionary comparisons. Trends Genet. 2003; 19(7):370-5. DOI: 10.1016/S0168-9525(03)00118-5. View

Shearer T, Coffroth M . DNA BARCODING: Barcoding corals: limited by interspecific divergence, not intraspecific variation. Mol Ecol Resour. 2011; 8(2):247-55. DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-8286.2007.01996.x. View

10.

Tamura K, Dudley J, Nei M, Kumar S . MEGA4: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0. Mol Biol Evol. 2007; 24(8):1596-9. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msm092. View

11.

Todd P . Morphological plasticity in scleractinian corals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2008; 83(3):315-37. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2008.00045.x. View

12.

Vollmer S, Palumbi S . Testing the utility of internally transcribed spacer sequences in coral phylogenetics. Mol Ecol. 2004; 13(9):2763-72. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02265.x. View

13.

Edgar R . MUSCLE: multiple sequence alignment with high accuracy and high throughput. Nucleic Acids Res. 2004; 32(5):1792-7. PMC: 390337. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkh340. View

14.

Elder Jr J, Turner B . Concerted evolution of repetitive DNA sequences in eukaryotes. Q Rev Biol. 1995; 70(3):297-320. DOI: 10.1086/419073. View

15.

van Oppen M, Willis B, Miller D . Atypically low rate of cytochrome b evolution in the scleractinian coral genus Acropora. Proc Biol Sci. 1999; 266(1415):179-83. PMC: 1689658. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0619. View

16.

Rozen S, Skaletsky H . Primer3 on the WWW for general users and for biologist programmers. Methods Mol Biol. 1999; 132:365-86. DOI: 10.1385/1-59259-192-2:365. View

17.

Oppen M, Willis B, Vugt H, Miller D . Examination of species boundaries in the Acropora cervicornis group (Scleractinia, cnidaria) using nuclear DNA sequence analyses. Mol Ecol. 2000; 9(9):1363-73. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.01010.x. View

18.

Alvarez I, Wendel J . Ribosomal ITS sequences and plant phylogenetic inference. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2003; 29(3):417-34. DOI: 10.1016/s1055-7903(03)00208-2. View

19.

van Oppen M, Willis B, van Rheede T, Miller D . Spawning times, reproductive compatibilities and genetic structuring in the Acropora aspera group: evidence for natural hybridization and semi-permeable species boundaries in corals. Mol Ecol. 2002; 11(8):1363-76. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2002.01527.x. View

20.

Rodriguez-Lanetty M, Hoegh-Guldberg O . The phylogeography and connectivity of the latitudinally widespread scleractinian coral Plesiastrea versipora in the Western Pacific. Mol Ecol. 2002; 11(7):1177-89. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2002.01511.x. View