TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic structure of Orbicella faveolata population reveals high connectivity among a marine protected area and Varadero Reef in the Colombian Caribbean
AU - Alegría-Ortega, Angela
AU - Sanín-Pérez, María José
AU - Quan-Young, Lizette Irene
AU - Londoño-Mesa, Mario H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was possible thanks to the support of the research group LimnoBasE y Biotamar, Institute of Biology and Universidad de Antioquia. We offer special thanks: to the Universidad de Antioquia Institute of Biology for a Student‐Instructor scholarship (2015‐2017) granted to AA‐O; to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, in collaboration with the Research Group of Marine Natural Products and Humax Pharmaceutical (Co‐Investigation Contract 086‐2014), for economic support in the fieldwork phase; to the Biologia CES research group, Faculty of Sciences and Biotechnology of the Universidad CES, Dirección de Investigación, Innovación y Empresarismo of Universidad CES, for economic support (Proyectos de Mínima Cuantía – project INV.020217.013) and for technical support in the laboratory; to the National Natural Park Corales del Rosario and Esteban Zarza, for allowing us to carry out sampling in the protected area; to UAEPNN for the collection permit (20172300017781); to the Medina Lab and to Dr Monica Medina of Pennsylvania State University, EUA, for their collaboration in the field and laboratory phase; to Dr Sarah Davies, for the donation of the primers used in the amplification for this investigation; and to Fabián Mejía, for technical support.
Funding Information:
This research was possible thanks to the support of the research group LimnoBasE y Biotamar, Institute of Biology and Universidad de Antioquia. We offer special thanks: to the Universidad de Antioquia Institute of Biology for a Student-Instructor scholarship (2015-2017) granted to AA-O; to the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences, in collaboration with the Research Group of Marine Natural Products and Humax Pharmaceutical (Co-Investigation Contract 086-2014), for economic support in the fieldwork phase; to the Biologia CES research group, Faculty of Sciences and Biotechnology of the Universidad CES, Direcci?n de Investigaci?n, Innovaci?n y Empresarismo of Universidad CES, for economic support (Proyectos de M?nima Cuant?a ? project INV.020217.013) and for technical support in the laboratory; to the National Natural Park Corales del Rosario and Esteban Zarza, for allowing us to carry out sampling in the protected area; to UAEPNN for the collection permit (20172300017781); to the Medina Lab and to Dr Monica Medina of Pennsylvania State University, EUA, for their collaboration in the field and laboratory phase; to Dr Sarah Davies, for the donation of the primers used in the amplification for this investigation; and to Fabi?n Mej?a, for technical support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - The protection of ecosystems with high diversity, such as coral reefs, is not an approach that guarantees their conservation. Thus, maintaining connectivity among coral populations over the long term is a strategy that should be adopted in order to protect diversity and ecological processes. Although coral reefs in Colombia are highly diverse, the population genetics baseline data of keystone species such as Orbicella faveolata are limited. To provide current information about the connectivity between populations of O. faveolata in the Colombian Caribbean, the genetic diversity and distribution of O. faveolata was evaluated with analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal components, and migration estimations using 113 genets distributed in six populations. Also, a genetic structure analysis that included the available data for the Caribbean population was conducted, seeking to understand how the Colombian populations relate to the broader region. According to the global fixation index (FST) for the Colombian Caribbean, there was no genetic structure (FST = 0.002). Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) showed that Corales del Rosario Archipelago (CR), Este de Isla Fuerte (EIF), San Bernardo Archipelago (SB), and Varadero Reef (VR) were grouped with Oeste de Isla Fuerte (OIF), with Bushnell (BS) representing the most divergent cluster. Migration analysis showed relatively high migration from VR to CR and SB, highlighting the importance of VR as a genetic reservoir for the region. Structure analysis showed that the Colombian population presented a specific genetic identity (FST = 0.254), suggesting that the Colombian Caribbean population could be a peripheral population that contributes significantly to genetic variation and is connected through a complex connectivity process. In conclusion, the estimated genetic connectivity reflects the influence of sea surface dynamics over the interpopulation exchange dynamics and the role of protected and nonprotected coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean. Thus, the Colombian Caribbean population of O. faveolata could be relevant to the conservation of genetic diversity on a larger scale.
AB - The protection of ecosystems with high diversity, such as coral reefs, is not an approach that guarantees their conservation. Thus, maintaining connectivity among coral populations over the long term is a strategy that should be adopted in order to protect diversity and ecological processes. Although coral reefs in Colombia are highly diverse, the population genetics baseline data of keystone species such as Orbicella faveolata are limited. To provide current information about the connectivity between populations of O. faveolata in the Colombian Caribbean, the genetic diversity and distribution of O. faveolata was evaluated with analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal components, and migration estimations using 113 genets distributed in six populations. Also, a genetic structure analysis that included the available data for the Caribbean population was conducted, seeking to understand how the Colombian populations relate to the broader region. According to the global fixation index (FST) for the Colombian Caribbean, there was no genetic structure (FST = 0.002). Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) showed that Corales del Rosario Archipelago (CR), Este de Isla Fuerte (EIF), San Bernardo Archipelago (SB), and Varadero Reef (VR) were grouped with Oeste de Isla Fuerte (OIF), with Bushnell (BS) representing the most divergent cluster. Migration analysis showed relatively high migration from VR to CR and SB, highlighting the importance of VR as a genetic reservoir for the region. Structure analysis showed that the Colombian population presented a specific genetic identity (FST = 0.254), suggesting that the Colombian Caribbean population could be a peripheral population that contributes significantly to genetic variation and is connected through a complex connectivity process. In conclusion, the estimated genetic connectivity reflects the influence of sea surface dynamics over the interpopulation exchange dynamics and the role of protected and nonprotected coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean. Thus, the Colombian Caribbean population of O. faveolata could be relevant to the conservation of genetic diversity on a larger scale.
KW - National Natural Park
KW - Scleractinia
KW - conservation
KW - coral reefs
KW - genetic diversity
KW - marine
KW - protected area
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100041320&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85100041320&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/aqc.3489
DO - 10.1002/aqc.3489
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85100041320
SN - 1052-7613
VL - 31
SP - 764
EP - 776
JO - Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
JF - Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
IS - 4
ER -