scholarly journals Environmental specialization and cryptic genetic divergence in two massive coral species from the Florida Keys Reef Tract

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Rippe ◽  
Groves Dixon ◽  
Zachary L. Fuller ◽  
Yi Liao ◽  
Mikhail Matz
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Divergence ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Massive Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

scholarly journals Calcification rates of the massive coral Siderastrea siderea and crustose coralline algae along the Florida Keys (USA) outer-reef tract

Coral Reefs ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 987-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. B. Kuffner ◽  
T. D. Hickey ◽  
J. M. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
Outer Reef ◽  
Massive Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

scholarly journals Environmental specialization and cryptic genetic divergence in two massive coral species from the Florida Keys Reef Tract

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Rippe ◽  
Groves Dixon ◽  
Zachary L. Fuller ◽  
Yi Liao ◽  
Mikhail Matz
Keyword(s):  
Coral Species ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Divergent Selection ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Broadcast Spawning ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
Spatially Varying ◽  
Spatially Varying Selection

ABSTRACTBroadcast-spawning coral species have wide geographic ranges, spanning strong environmental gradients, but it is unclear how much spatially varying selection these gradients actually impose. Strong divergent selection might present a considerable barrier for demographic exchange between disparate reef habitats. We investigated whether the cross-shelf gradient (nearshore - offshore - deep) is associated with spatially varying selection in two common coral species, Montastraea cavernosa and Siderastrea siderea, in the Florida Keys. Toward this end, we generated a de novo genome assembly for M. cavernosa and used 2bRAD to genotype 20 juveniles and 20 adults of both species from each of the three reef zones to identify signatures of selection occurring within a single generation. Unexpectedly, each species was found to be composed of four genetically distinct lineages, with gene flow between them still ongoing but highly reduced in 13.0-54.7% of the genome. Each species includes two sympatric lineages that are only found in the deep (20 m) habitat, while the other lineages are found almost exclusively on the shallower reefs (3-10 m). The two “shallow” lineages of M. cavernosa are also specialized for either nearshore or offshore: comparison between adult and juvenile cohorts indicates that cross-shelf migrants are more than twice as likely to die before reaching adulthood than local recruits. Siderastrea siderea and M. cavernosa are among the most ecologically successful species on the degraded Florida Keys Reef Tract, and this work offers important insight on the genomic background of divergent selection and environmental specialization that may in part explain their resilience and broad environmental range.

scholarly journals Genetic structure and diversity of the mustard hill coral Porites astreoides along the Florida Keys reef tract

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique N. Gallery ◽  
Michelle L. Green ◽  
Ilsa B. Kuffner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Lenz ◽  
Lauren T. Toth
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Genetic Population ◽  
High Genetic Diversity ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Porites Astreoides ◽  
Single Well ◽  
Reef Tract

AbstractIncreases in local and global stressors have led to major declines in coral populations throughout the western Atlantic. While abundances of other species have declined, however, the relative abundance of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, has increased. Porites astreoides is relatively resilient to some stressors, and because of its mixed reproductive strategies, its populations often recover quickly following disturbances. The ability for P. astreoides to continue as a potential “winner” in western Atlantic reefs relies on maintaining sufficient genetic variation within populations to support acclimatization and adaptation to current and future environmental change. Without high genetic diversity and gene flow within the population, it would have limited capacity for adaptation and the species’ competitive advantages could be short-lived. In this study, we determined the genetic relatedness of 37 P. astreoides colonies at four shallow reefs along the offshore Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT), a region particularly hard-hit by recent disturbances. Using previously designed microsatellite markers, we determined the genetic diversity and connectivity of individuals among and between sites. Our results suggest that the FKRT likely contains a single, well-mixed genetic population of P. astreoides, with high levels of gene flow and evidence for larval migration throughout the region. This suggests that regional populations of P. astreoides likely have a higher chance of maintaining resilience than many other western Atlantic species as they face current and future disturbances.

scholarly journals Physiological Differences in Bleaching Response of the Coral Porites astreoides Along the Florida Keys Reef Tract During High-Temperature Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ann Lenz ◽  
Lucy A. Bartlett ◽  
Anastasios Stathakopoulos ◽  
Ilsa B. Kuffner
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
High Temperature Stress ◽  
Geologic History ◽  
Reef Management ◽  
Porites Astreoides ◽  
Dry Tortugas ◽  
Bleaching Response ◽  
Reef Tract

The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) has a unique geological history wherein Holocene sea-level rise and bathymetry interacted, resulting in a reef-building system with notable spatial differences in reef development. Overprinted on this geologic history, recent global and local stressors have led to degraded reefs dominated by fleshy algae, soft corals, and sponges. Here, we assessed how coral physiology (calcification rate, tissue thickness, reproduction, symbiosis, and bleaching) varies seasonally (winter vs. summer) and geographically using 40 colonies of the mustard hill coral Porites astreoides from four sites across 350 km along the FKRT from 2015 to 2017. The study coincided with a high-temperature event in late summer 2015 that caused heterogeneous levels of coral bleaching across sites. Bleaching severity differed by site, with bleaching response more aligned with heat stress retroactively calculated from local degree heating weeks than those predicted by satellites. Despite differences in temperature profiles and bleaching severity, all colonies hosted Symbiodiniaceae of the same genus (formerly Clade A and subtypes). Overall, P. astreoides at Dry Tortugas National Park, the consistently coolest site, had the highest calcification rates, symbiont cell densities, and reproductive potential (all colonies were reproductive, with most planula larvae per polyp). Corals at Dry Tortugas and Fowey Rocks Light demonstrated strong seasonality in net calcification (higher in summer) and did not express visual or partial-mortality responses from the bleaching event; in contrast, colonies in the middle and southern part of the upper keys, Sombrero Key and Crocker Reef, demonstrated similar reduced fitness from bleaching, but differential recovery trajectories following the heat stress. Identifying reefs, such as Dry Tortugas and possibly Fowey Rocks Light that may serve as heat-stress refugia, is important in selecting candidate sites for adaptive reef-management strategies, such as selective propagation and assisted gene flow, to increase coral-species adaptation to ocean warming.

scholarly journals Composition of Microbial Communities in Waters Around the Florida Reef Tract and Their Potential Significance for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peeter Laas ◽  
Kelly Ugarelli ◽  
Breege Boyer ◽  
Michael J. Absten ◽  
Henry O. Briceño ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Fish Parasites ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Shellfish Poisoning ◽  
Florida Reef Tract ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

The Florida Keys, a delicate archipelago of sub-tropical islands extending from the south-eastern tip of Florida, host the vast majority of the only coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which was first detected near Virginia Key in 2014, has spread throughout the Florida Reef Tract and to reefs throughout the Caribbean, af-fecting nearly all reef-building corals. Molecular studies of SCTLD have identified opportunistic pathogens associated with the disease, but so far no single pathogen can be clearly pinpointed as its cause. One focus of recent research has been the surrounding environment of the corals, coined the 'coral ecosphere'. Abiotic and microbial components of the coral ecosphere are pivot-al for understanding the health of a reef, and could play an important role in SCTLD in Florida. In this study, we analyzed microbial community structure and abiotic factors that can impact coral (and human) health. Both, bacterial and eukaryotic community structure were significantly linked with variations in temperature, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon values. High abundances of copiotrophic bacteria as well as several potentially harmful microbes, including coral pathogens, fish parasites, and taxa that have been previously associated with Red Tide and shellfish poisoning, were present in our datasets and can have a pivotal impact on coral health in this ecosystem.

THE FLORIDA KEYS PALEO-REEF TRACT: CONSTRAINING REEF EVOLUTION AND THE RELATIVE SEA-LEVEL HISTORY DURING THE LAST INTERGLACIAL

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lainey N. O'Neill ◽  
◽  
Karen L. Vyverberg ◽  
Andrea Dutton ◽  
Gregor P. Eberli
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
Reef Evolution

EAARL Submarine Topography - Northern Florida Keys Reef Tract

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Brock ◽  
C. Wayne Wright ◽  
Amar Nayegandhi ◽  
Matt Patterson ◽  
Laurinda J. Travers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Florida Keys ◽  
Reef Tract

scholarly journals Regional synchrony of temperature variation and internal wave forcing along the Florida Keys reef tract

2014 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 548-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Leichter ◽  
M. Dale Stokes ◽  
L. Ignacio Vilchis ◽  
Jerome Fiechter
Keyword(s):  
Internal Wave ◽  
Temperature Variation ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Wave Forcing ◽  
Reef Tract ◽  
Regional Synchrony

scholarly journals Impacts of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) on Coral Community Structure at an Inshore Patch Reef of the Upper Florida Keys Using Photomosaics

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Kolodziej ◽  
Michael S. Studivan ◽  
Arthur C. R. Gleason ◽  
Chris Langdon ◽  
Ian C. Enochs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Coral Community ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Stony Coral ◽  
Reef Tract

Since the appearance of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) on reefs off Miami in 2014, this unprecedented outbreak has spread across the entirety of Florida’s coral reef tract, as well as to many territories throughout the Caribbean. The endemic zone reached the upper Florida Keys by 2016, resulting in partial or complete mortality of coral colonies across numerous species. Disease was first observed at Cheeca Rocks (Islamorada, Florida) in the beginning of 2018, with reports of coral mortality peaking mid-year. The disease was still present at Cheeca Rocks as of March 2020, however, to a lesser degree compared to the initial outbreak. Annual monitoring efforts have been ongoing at Cheeca Rocks since 2012, including repeated benthic photomosaics of a 330 m2 survey zone, spanning six replicate sites. As such, a repository of coral community composition data exists for before and after the disease outbreak that was analyzed to assess the impacts of SCTLD on reef communities at an upper Florida Keys inshore reef. Cheeca Rocks is hypothesized to be a resilient reef due to its persistent high coral cover despite its inshore location, which subjects corals to fluctuating water quality and marginal environmental conditions. Coral populations here have been shown to recover from bleaching events and heat stress with minimal coral mortality. Though colonies of coral species characterized as highly and moderately susceptible to SCTLD (e.g., Colpophyllia natans, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Pseudodiploria strigosa, Orbicella annularis, and O. faveolata) suffered mortality as a result of the outbreak with an average loss of 16.42% relative cover by species, the overall impacts on coral cover and community structure were relatively low, contributing to a loss of total coral cover of only 1.65%. Comparison of photomosaic data to other studies indicate Cheeca Rocks may not have been affected as severely as other sites on Florida’s coral reef tract, underlying this site’s potential role in coral resilience to stressors including bleaching events, land-based pollution, and disease epizootics.

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