Evidence for coral range expansion accompanied by reduced diversity of Symbiodinium genotypes

Zooxanthellate corals are threatened by climate change but may be able to escape increasing temperatures by colonizing higher latitudes. To determine the effect of host range expansion on symbiont genetic diversity, we examined genetic variation among populations of Symbiodinium psygmophilum associa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Coral reefs 2017-09, Vol.36 (3), p.981-985
Main Authors: Grupstra, Carsten G. B., Coma, Rafel, Ribes, Marta, Leydet, Karine Posbic, Parkinson, John Everett, McDonald, Kelly, Catllà, Marc, Voolstra, Christian R., Hellberg, Michael E., Coffroth, Mary Alice
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Climate
Climate change
Coral reefs
Corals
Dispersal
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Genetic diversity
Genetic variation
Genotype & phenotype
Genotypes
Host range
Life Sciences
Microsatellites
Oceanography
Population genetics
Populations
Range extension
Symbionts
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Summary:Zooxanthellate corals are threatened by climate change but may be able to escape increasing temperatures by colonizing higher latitudes. To determine the effect of host range expansion on symbiont genetic diversity, we examined genetic variation among populations of Symbiodinium psygmophilum associated with Oculina patagonica , a range-expanding coral that acquires its symbionts through horizontal transmission. We optimized five microsatellite primer pairs for S. psygmophilum and tested them on Oculina spp. samples from the western North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. We then used them to compare symbiont genotype diversity between an Iberian core and an expansion front population of O. patagonica . Only one multilocus S. psygmophilum genotype was identified at the expansion front, and it was shared with the core population, which harbored seven multilocus genotypes. This pattern suggests that O. patagonica range expansion is accompanied by reduced symbiont genetic diversity, possibly due to limited dispersal of symbionts or local selection.
ISSN:0722-4028
1432-0975
DOI:10.1007/s00338-017-1589-2