Reproductive isolation between two cryptic sponge species in New Zealand: high levels of connectivity and clonality shape Tethya species boundaries

Although commonly reported among widespread marine taxa, hybridization has only been recorded for one species of marine sponge to date. Sponges have evolved an array of sexual and asexual reproductive strategies, but it remains unclear if the lack of reported hybrids in this phylum is due to their r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2021-05, Vol.168 (5), Article 77
Main Authors: Shaffer, Megan R., Davy, Simon K., Bell, James J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asexual reproduction
Asexuality
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cryptic species
Diseases and pests
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Gametes
Gene flow
Genetic diversity
Genetic markers
Genetic variation
Geographical distribution
Hybridization
Hybrids
Life Sciences
Locations (working)
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Marine invertebrates
Microbiology
Microsatellites
Oceanography
Original Paper
Population structure
Reproduction
Reproductive behaviour
Reproductive isolation
Species
Sponges
Sympatric populations
Zoology
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Summary:Although commonly reported among widespread marine taxa, hybridization has only been recorded for one species of marine sponge to date. Sponges have evolved an array of sexual and asexual reproductive strategies, but it remains unclear if the lack of reported hybrids in this phylum is due to their reproductive diversity (which promotes reproductive isolation) or instead due to a lack of data. In this study, we aimed to determine whether hybridization occurs between two cryptic species of Tethya burtoni ( T. burtoni sp. A and T. burtoni sp. B) that live sympatrically in central New Zealand. We also examined how both small-scale population structure (for five locations) and asexual reproduction contributed to instances (or lack thereof) of hybridization for these sponges. Using 11 microsatellite markers, we found no evidence of hybridization between species. Both species exhibited differences in distribution, where one species was present at all five locations, but the other was only detected at three locations. For these three locations (all within 20 km of each other), both species exhibited high levels of gene flow. Asexual buds did not appear to disperse far, and groups of clonal individuals were found within areas of
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-021-03880-5