Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mode of reproduction, recruitment, and genetic subdivision in the brooding sponge Haliclona sp.

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sponges display a variety of reproductive strategies that have the potential to influence population genetic structure. Histological examination of ten reproductive individuals of the Western Australian sponge Haliclona sp. showed that this species broods embryonic larvae that are potentially limited in dispersal capabilities. Because sponges have the potential to propagate in a number of modes, allozyme electrophoresis was used to assess the relative importance of asexual and sexual reproduction to recruitment, and to quantify genetic subdivision over different spatial scales. Tissue samples from 227 sponges were collected from reefs within two areas 400 km apart: Hamelin Bay and Rottnest Island. Contrary to expectations for highly clonal populations, genotypic diversity within sites was high, no linkage disequilibrium was found, and there was no evidence of genotypic clustering within reefs. There was no genetic evidence that asexual reproduction is important for the maintenance of populations. Genetic comparisons were consistent with mixing of sexually produced recruits within reefs, on a scale up to a few hundred metres, but significant genetic subdivision between reefs (FST=0.069 at Hamelin Bay, 0.130 at Rottnest Island) indicated that water gaps of several hundred metres are effective at preventing dispersal. Subdivision between the two areas, separated by 400 km, was moderately greater (FST=0.142) than within, but the same alleles were predominant in the two areas. These genetic patterns are consistent with limited dispersal capabilities of brooded larvae.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ayling AL (1980) Patterns of sexuality, asexual reproduction and recruitment in some subtidal marine Demospongiae. Biol Bull 158:271–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayre DJ (1984) The effects of sexual and asexual reproduction on geographic variation in the sea anemone Actinia tenebrosa. Oecologia 62:222–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayre DJ, Hughes TP (2000) Genotypic diversity and gene flow in brooding and spawning corals along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Evolution 54:1590–1605

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ayre DJ, Davis AR, Billingham M, Llorens T, Styan C (1997a) Genetic evidence for contrasting patterns of dispersal in solitary and colonial ascidians. Mar Biol 130:51–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ayre DJ, Hughes TP, Standish RJ (1997b) Genetic differentiation, reproductive mode, and gene flow in the brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis along the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 159:175–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Bastidas C, Benzie JAH, Fabricuis KE (2002) Genetic differentiation among populations of the brooding soft coral Clavularia koellikeri on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 21:233–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Battershill CN, Bergquist PR (1990) The influence of storms on asexual reproduction, recruitment and survivorship of sponges. In: Rutzler K (ed) New perspectives in sponge biology. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., pp 397–404

  • Benzie JAH, Sandusky C, Wilkinson CR (1994) Genetic structure of dictyoceratid sponge populations on the western Coral Sea reefs. Mar Biol 119: 335–345

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergquist PR (1978) Sponges. Hutchinson, London

  • Bergquist PR, Sinclair ME (1968) The morphology and behaviour of larvae of some intertidal sponges. N Z J Mar Freshwat Res 2:426–437

    Google Scholar 

  • Black R, Johnson MS (1979) Asexual viviparity and population genetics of Actinia tenebrosa. Mar Biol 53:27–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Corriero G, Scalera Liaci L, Nonnis Marzano C, Gaino E (1998) Reproductive strategies of Mycale contarenii (Porifera: Demospongiae). Mar Biol 131:319–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis AR, Ayre DJ, Billingham MR, Styan CA, White GA (1996) The encrusting sponge Halisarca laxus: population genetics and association with the ascidian Pyrua spinifera. Mar Biol 126:27–33

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Denny M, Dairiki J, Distefano S (1992) Biological consequences of topography on wave swept rocky shores I. Enhancement of external fertilisation. Biol Bull 183:220–232

    Google Scholar 

  • Duran S, Pascual M, Estoup A, Turon X (2002) Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the sponge Crambe crambe (Porifera: Poesilosclerida) and their variation in two distant populations. Mol Ecol Notes 2:478–480

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duran S, Pascual M, Turon X (2004) Low levels of genetic variation in mt DNA sequences over the western Mediterranean and Atlantic range of the sponge Crambe crambe (Poecilosclerida). Mar Biol 144:31–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erickson KL, Beytal JA, Cardellina II, Boyd MR (1997) Salicylihamides A and B, novel cytotoxic macrolides from the marine sponge Haliclona sp. J Org Chem 62:8188–8192

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fromont J (1994) Reproductive development and timing of tropical sponges (Order Haplosclerida) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 13:127–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Fromont J (1999) Reproduction of some demosponges in a temperate Australian shallow water habitat. Mem Qld Mus 44:185–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Garson MJ, Thompson JE, Larsen RM, Battershill CN, Murphy PT, Bergquist PR (1992) Terpenes in sponge cell membranes: cell separation and membrane fractionation studies with the tropical marine sponge Amphimedon sp. Lipids 27:378–388

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hellberg ME (1996) Dependence of gene flow on geographic distance in two solitary corals with different larval dispersal capabilities. Evolution 50:1167–1175

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson JBC (1986) Modes of dispersal of clonal benthic invertebrates: consequences for species distributions and genetic structure of local populations. Bull Mar Sci 39:588–606

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MS, Black R (1984) The Wahlund effect and the geographical scale of variation in the intertidal limpet Siphonaria sp. Mar Biol 79:295–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson MS, Bentley SL, Ford SS, Ladyman MT, Lambert GJ (2001) Effects of a complex archipelago on genetic subdivision of the intertidal limpet Siphonaria kurracheensis. Mar Biol 139:1087–1094

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klautau M, Russo CAM, Lazoski C, Boury-Esnault N, Thorpe JP, Sole-Cava AM (1999) Does cosmopolitanism result from overconservative systematics? A case study using the marine sponge Chondrilla nucula. Evolution 53:1414–1422

    Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado M Young CM (1996) Effects of physical factors on larval behaviour, settlement and recruitment of four tropical demosponges. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 138:169–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Mariani S, Uriz MJ, Turon X (2000) Larval bloom of the oviparous sponge Cliona viridis: coupling of larval abundance and adult distribution. Mar Biol 137:783–790

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFadden CS (1997) Contributions of sexual and asexual reproduction to population structure in the clonal soft coral, Alcyonium rudyi. Evolution 51:112–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Meroz K, Ilan M (1995) Life history characteristics of a coral reef sponge. Mar Biol 124:443–451

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller KJ (1997) Genetic structure of black coral populations in New Zealand’s fiords. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 161:123–132

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller K, Alverez B, Battershill C, Nortcote P, Parthasarathy H (2001) Genetic, morphological, and chemical divergence in the sponge genus Latrunculia (Porifera: Demospongiae) from New Zealand. Mar Biol 139:235–250

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR (1994) Genetic divergence, reproductive isolation, and marine speciation. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 25:547–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raymond M, Rousset F (1995) GENEPOP (version 1.2): population genetics software for exact tests and ecumenicism. J Hered 86:248–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Selander RK, Smith MH, Yang SH, Johnson WE, Gentry JB (1971) Biochemical polymorphism and systematics in the genus Peromyscus I. Variation in the old-field mouse (Peromyscus polionotus). Studies in genetics 6. (University of Texas publication 7103) University of Texas, Austin, pp 49–90

  • Stoddart JA (1983) Asexual production of planulae in the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 76:279–284

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart JA (1984) Genetical structure within populations of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar Biol 81:19–30

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson AP, Hanley JR, Johnson MS (1996) Genetic structure of the western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus, with the benefit of hindsight. Mar Freshw Res 47:889–896

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Threlfall TJ, Johnson MS (1987) Fissiparity and population genetics of Coscinasterias calamaria. Mar Biol 93:517–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Weir BS, Cockerham CC (1984) Estimating F-statistics for the analysis of population structure. Evolution 34:1358–1370

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams ST, Benzie JAH (1993) Genetic consequences of long larval life in the starfish Linckia laevigita (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) on the Great Barrier Reef. Mar Biol 117:71–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Woollacott RM (1993) Structure and swimming behaviour of the larva of Haliclona tubifera (Porifera: Demospongiae). J Morphol 218:301–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Wulff JL (1986) Variation in clone structure of fragmenting coral reef sponges. Biol J Linn Soc 27:311–330

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

D. Abdo, D. Gull, N. Harman, B. Toohey, M. Kleczkowski, C. McDonald, and J. Henda assisted in collecting samples. We thank R. de Nys, D. Jerry, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. We acknowledge the histology work done by T. Stewart. This work was allied to an aquaculture study of the sponge funded by a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (Australia) grant to CB and EH. Additional financial support was provided by the Departments of Botany and Zoology, University of Western Australia.

Author information

Author notes

  1. S. Whalan

    Present address: School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, 4801, Townsville, QLD, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, 6009, Crawley, WA, Australia

    S. Whalan, M. S. Johnson & E. Harvey

  2. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, 4801, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    C. Battershill

Authors
  1. S. Whalan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. S. Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Harvey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C. Battershill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Whalan.

Additional information

Communicated by G.F. Humphrey, Sydney

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Whalan, S., Johnson, M.S., Harvey, E. et al. Mode of reproduction, recruitment, and genetic subdivision in the brooding sponge Haliclona sp.. Marine Biology 146, 425–433 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1466-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-004-1466-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation