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Genetic assessment of connectivity in the common reef sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) reveals high population structure along the Florida reef tract

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Abstract

The genetic population structure of the common branching vase sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis, was determined along the entire length (465 km) of the Florida reef system from Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene. Populations of C. vaginalis were highly structured (overall ΦST = 0.33), in some cases over distances as small as tens of kilometers. However, nonsignificant pairwise ΦST values were also found between a few relatively distant sampling sites suggesting that some long distance larval dispersal may occur via ocean currents or transport in sponge fragments along continuous, shallow coastlines. Indeed, sufficient gene flow appears to occur along the Florida reef tract to obscure a signal of isolation by distance, but not to homogenize COI haplotype frequencies. The strong genetic differentiation among most of the sampling locations suggests that recruitment in this species is largely local source-driven, pointing to the importance of further elucidating general connectivity patterns along the Florida reef tract to guide the spatial scale of management efforts.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Science award #NA04NOS4260065 to the National Coral Reef Institute. We thank E. Bartels, D. Gilliam, C. Testerman, and T. Testerman for assistance with sample collection, and J. Delaney for assistance with obtaining sampling permits.

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  1. M. B. DeBiasse

    Present address: 107 Life Sciences Building, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Coral Reef Institute, Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA

    M. B. DeBiasse, V. P. Richards & M. S. Shivji

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  1. M. B. DeBiasse
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Correspondence to M. S. Shivji.

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DeBiasse, M.B., Richards, V.P. & Shivji, M.S. Genetic assessment of connectivity in the common reef sponge, Callyspongia vaginalis (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida) reveals high population structure along the Florida reef tract. Coral Reefs 29, 47–55 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-009-0554-0

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