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Genetic variation and population structuring in two brooding coral species (Siderastrea stellata and Siderastrea radians) from Brazil

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Abstract

Siderastrea stellata and S. radians are scleractinian coral species that present a remarkable overlap of diagnostic characteristics and sympatric distribution. Moreover, both are viviparous with similar reproductive strategies and with a gregarious larval behavior. Samples of both species from the Brazilian coast were analyzed using 18 isozymic loci to quantify their genetic variability and populational structure. Results confirmed species identity, high intrapopulational variability and revealed moderate genetic structuring among all samples (S. stellata: F ST = 0.070; S. radians: F ST = 0.092). Based on genotypic diversity analysis, there was evidence that local recruitment may have a minor role in the populations (mean, G o :G e = 1.00 ± 0.0003 SD for S. stellata and 0.99 ± 0.0023 SD for S. radians). Deviations towards heterozygote deficiencies found in both Siderastrea species could be explained by the Wahlund effect, since there was evidence that populations might be composed of colonies of different ages. In S. radians it is also likely that there is some inbreeding occurring in the studied populations. Despite the brooding pattern and the gregarious larval behavior, our data suggest the occurrence of gene flow along the Brazilian coast. This is the first study on population genetics of Brazilian reef corals.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Sérgio Mattioli (USP) and Marta Lima (USP) for encouragement in the early assays. We sincerely thank the colleagues of the ‘Laboratório de Diversidade Genética’ (UNICAMP) for the immensurable assistance during gel preparations. We are also grateful to Dr. Rodrigo Johnsson (UFBA) for sustained support throughout the course of this study, and Leila Longo (USP) for her help in field. The authors are also in debt with D. Hewitt, F. F. Jesus and H. Blackhill for English revision. This study was funded by CNPq (no. 140170/2000-6) with scholarship by ‘Pós-Graduação, Área Zoologia, IB-USP’ and the ‘CAPES/PROAP/Instituto de Biociências (USP)/2001–2003’. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for the suggestions for improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Campus Ondina, Salvador, BA, Brazil

    Elizabeth Gerardo Neves

  2. Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Elizabeth Gerardo Neves & Fábio Lang da Silveira

  3. Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Sónia Cristina S. Andrade & Vera Nisaka Solferini

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  1. Elizabeth Gerardo Neves
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  2. Sónia Cristina S. Andrade
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  3. Fábio Lang da Silveira
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  4. Vera Nisaka Solferini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sónia Cristina S. Andrade.

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Elizabeth Gerardo Neves and Sónia Cristina S. Andrade contributed equally to this manuscript.

Appendix

Appendix

  Allelic frequencies from loci of Siderastrea stellata and S. radians (N = total collection size)
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Neves, E.G., Andrade, S.C.S., da Silveira, F.L. et al. Genetic variation and population structuring in two brooding coral species (Siderastrea stellata and Siderastrea radians) from Brazil. Genetica 132, 243–254 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-007-9168-z

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