Phylogeography of Stylophora pistillata

Pink, brownish or yellowish, this is Stylophora pistillata (Esper 1797), another coral species characterised by a “cauliflower-like” morphology, commonly used in ecological, physiological and evolutionary studies ranging from reading morphogenesis, exploring apoptosis, symbiosis and coral bleaching to understanding circadian rhythmicity, thermal stress and calcification.

Stylophora ecomorphs

Stefani and co-workers (2011) and Flot and co-authors (2011) have recently questioned the validity of ecomorphs and genetic lineages within Stylophora using morphology and molecules. The studies were independently performed on specimens collected globally (north-western Gulf of Aden and Taiwan, Madagascar, Okinawa, the Philippines and New Caledonia) and multiple cryptic species have been identified.

In this new paper with Anke Klueter (University at Buffalo) we provide global phylogeographic patterns of Stylophora and detailed information on the cryptic species identity and distribution in the Great Barrier Reef.

Abstract

The widely distributed brooding coral Stylophora pistillata (Esper 1797) occurs in the Red Sea over eastern Africa to Madagascar and the Indo-Pacific and represents a popular model system in investigating cnidarian–algal symbiosis. Recent morphological and genetic evidence suggested that Stylophora consists of multiple cryptic species discernible only by means of genetic techniques. We infer phylogenies from nuclear (Hsp70 gene) and mitochondrial (ORF, CR) DNA regions to explore genetic homogeneity in colonies collected as Stylophora pistillata along the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea from geographically disjointed populations. Lack of phylogenetic structure among sampling sites was recovered, corroborating one genetically homogeneous species and highly connected populations. Our results provide a preliminary assessment of intra-specific genetic variability, useful for delineating taxonomical units within Stylophora pistillata in the study area. This approach is becoming increasingly important when investigating transcriptomic responses of broader physiological processes at the species level, for example, a coral’s response to oxidative stress.

 

Relevant literature

·    Klueter A and N Andreakis. Assessing genetic diversity in the scleractinian coral Stylophora pistillata (Esper 1797) from the Central Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Systematics and Biodiversity. doi:10.1080/14772000.2013.770419.

·    Flot, J.-F., J. Blanchot, et al. (2011). Incongruence between morphotypes and genetically delimited species in the coral genus Stylophora: phenotypic plasticity, morphological convergence, morphological stasis or interspecific hybridization? BMC Ecology. 11: 22.

·    Stefani, F., F. Benzoni, et al. (2011). Comparison of morphological and genetic analyses reveals cryptic divergence and morphological plasticity in Stylophora (Cnidaria, Scleractinia). Coral Reefs. 30: 1033-1049.