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Contrasting clonal structure among Pocillopora (Scleractinia) communities at two environmentally distinct sites in the Gulf of California

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Abstract

The contributions of sexual versus asexual reproduction are thought to play an important role in the abundance and ecological success of corals, especially in marginal habitats. Pocillopora corals are distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and dominate shallow hard-bottom communities in the eastern Pacific where broad seasonal fluctuations in temperature and water turbidity create suboptimal conditions for reef community development. Previous work had revealed three genetic clades in the eastern Pacific that show little correspondence with colony morphology; the broad distribution of type 1 extends into the subtropical southern Gulf of California. Here we examine genetic and clonal structure of two type 1 communities separated by 10 km with microsatellite data. Samples were collected randomly in six 10 m radius circular plots (20 colonies per plot, 3 plots per site). Sites differed in their relative clonality because clonemates (ramets) from a single clone (genet) dominated a large portion (90.9 m long) of the protected leeward side of Gaviota Island (Number of genets/Number of samples = 0.35; observed Genotypic diversity/expected Genotypic diversity = 0.087), while an exposed community at the entrance to La Paz Bay, Punta Galeras, exhibited high genotypic diversity (N g /N = 0.85; G o /G e  = 0.714). Gene flow was unrestricted between sites indicating these communities comprised a single population. The relative proportion of asexual colonies found between community aggregations of Pocillopora in the Gulf of California differed significantly and suggests factors at local, not regional, scales affect these patterns. The possibility that heterogeneity in clonal structure is common throughout the eastern Pacific and across the west Indo-Pacific requires further study. Finally, since morphological variation in Pocillopora has been underappreciated and is in need of taxonomic revision, the use of a consistent field-sampling protocol and high-resolution makers will advance ecological research and aid in the conservation of these corals.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Tye Pettay and Mark Warner for assistance in the field and the Penn State Genomics Core Facility—University Park, PA. Comments of three anonymous reviewers help in the final version of the manuscript. This research was funded in part by The Pennsylvania State University, the National Science Foundation (IOB 544854 and OCE 09287664), and an Alfred P. Sloan Scholarship to JP.

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  1. J. H. Pinzón

    Present address: Department of Biology, The University of Texas Arlington, 501 South Nedderman, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

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  1. Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, 221 Mueller Lab, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    J. H. Pinzón, I. B. Baums & T. C. LaJeunesse

  2. Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur, Apartado postal 19-B, 23080, La Paz, BCS, Mexico

    H. Reyes-Bonilla

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338_2012_887_MOESM1_ESM.eps

Figure S1. Estimated number of genetically homogenous clusters between populations at ISLG and PGAL with duplicated genotypes removed. Analysis using Structure (Pritchard et al. 2000) resolved the optimal number of clusters (i.e., populations) at one indicating no population subdivision. The plot figure shown for a given K is based on the composite probabilities of 5 independent statistical runs at that K and depicts both sites combine to form a single genetically homogenous population. Supplementary material 1 (EPS 590 kb)

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Pinzón, J.H., Reyes-Bonilla, H., Baums, I.B. et al. Contrasting clonal structure among Pocillopora (Scleractinia) communities at two environmentally distinct sites in the Gulf of California. Coral Reefs 31, 765–777 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0887-y

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