Global-scale genetic structure of a cosmopolitan cold-water coral species

• 1. When considering widely distributed marine organisms with low dispersal capabilities, there is often an implication that the distribution of cosmopolitan species is an artefact of taxonomy, constrained by the absence of characters for delimiting either sibling or cryptic species. Few studies have assessed the relationship among populations across the global range of the species' distribution, and the presence of oceanographic barriers that might influence gene flow among populations are underestimated.
• 2. In this study, evolutionary and ecological drivers of connectivity patterns have been inferred among populations of the cold-water coral Desmophyllum dianthus, a common and widespread solitary scleractinian species, whose reproduction strategy and larval dispersal are still poorly unknown.
• 3. The genetic structure of D. dianthus was explored using 30 microsatellites in 347 specimens from 13 localities distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• 4. Results clearly reveal genetically differentiated populations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (F_ST = 0.16, F_SC = 0.01, F_CT = 0.15, P-values highly significant), and Chilean and New Zealand populations with independent genetic profiles.
• 5. Marine connectivity patterns at different spatial scales are discussed to characterize larval dispersal and gene flow through the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

     

Meroterpenes from Marine Invertebrates: Structures,Occurrence, and Ecological Implications

Meroterpenes are widely distributed among marine organisms; they are particularly abundant within brown algae, but other important sources include microorganisms and invertebrates. In the present review the structures and bioactivities of meroterpenes from marine invertebrates, mainly sponges and tunicates, are summarized. More than 300 molecules, often complex and with unique skeletons originating from intra- and inter-molecular cyclizations, and/or rearrangements, are illustrated. The reported syntheses are mentioned. The issue of a potential microbial link to their biosynthesis is also shortly outlined.     

Microbial regulation in gorgonian corals

Gorgonian corals possess many novel natural products that could potentially mediate coral-bacterial interactions. Since many bacteria use quorum sensing (QS) signals to facilitate colonization of host organisms, regulation of prokaryotic cell-to-cell communication may represent an important bacterial control mechanism. In the present study, we examined extracts of twelve species of Caribbean gorgonian corals, for mechanisms that regulate microbial colonization, such as antibacterial activity and QS regulatory activity. Ethanol extracts of gorgonians collected from Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys showed a range of both antibacterial and QS activities using a specific Pseudomonas aeruginosa QS reporter, sensitive to long chain AHLs and a short chain N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHL) biosensor, Chromobacterium violaceium. Overall, the gorgonian corals had higher antimicrobial activity against non-marine strains when compared to marine strains. Pseudopterogorgia americana, Pseusopterogorgia acerosa, and Pseudoplexuara flexuosa had the highest QS inhibitory effect. Interestingly, Pseudoplexuara porosa extracts stimulated QS activity with a striking 17-fold increase in signal. The stimulation of QS by P. porosa or other elements of the holobiont may encourage colonization or recruitment of specific microbial species. Overall, these results suggest the presence of novel stimulatory QS, inhibitory QS and bactericidal compounds in gorgonian corals. A better understanding of these compounds may reveal insight into coral-microbial ecology and whether a therapeutic potential exists.     

珊瑚礁生态系统中造礁石珊瑚退化原因分析与维护技术进展

珊瑚对环境要求较高,温度、盐度、pH、重金属、悬浮泥沙、紫外线等因素都可能造成珊瑚的退化.又因为造礁石珊瑚是现代珊瑚礁的框架,本研究首先基于造礁石珊瑚的生存状况及其与珊瑚礁生态系统的密切关系,分析了其退化原因及可能产生的后果,进而从珊瑚礁生物增殖放流、人工养殖移植技术、相关功能基因研究、科学有效的监测管理等多个角度,综...     

Aquarium Maintenance of Reef Octocorals Raised from Field Collected Larvae

The development of standardized and sustainable aquaculture techniques for the cultivation of marine organisms offers many advantages: it would help reduce the quantity of living material harvested from coral reefs; it could be used as an efficient means of rehabilitating impoverished reef ecosystems (e.g. by reseeding depleted natural stocks of corals); it would provide an educational and research tool for the intensive study of marine animal biology under controlled laboratory conditions.Here, we present the results of aquarium maintenance of 3 Red Sea soft coral species (Clavularia hamra, Nephthea sp., Litophyton arboreum) raised from field collected larvae. Planulae settlement was enhanced when dead coral fragments and stones freshly collected from the sea were added to the settlement dishes. Young colonies (n=106, 258, 60; respectively) were monitored for 307, 475 and 207 days, respectively. The survival rate at the end of the observations ranged between 17% and 30%. Growth rates of colonies differed and showed species-specific variations. The most successful growth was recorded in Nephthea where the average colony size reached 324.5 polyps. Current aquaculture techniques for alcyonarian corals not only reveal that these organisms can thrive in aquaria but also provide significantly improved yields of colonies, as compared with yields under field conditions. Our studies have shown that various steps involved in the cultivation of young corals in captivity may need to be specifically tailored to suit the coral species in question.     

Genome-wide SNP genotyping reveals hidden population structure of an acroporid species at a subtropical coral island: Implications for coral restoration

1. It is essential to consider genetic composition for both conventional coral restoration management and for initiating new interventions to counter the significant global decline in living corals. Population genetic structure at a fine spatial scale should be carefully evaluated before implementing strategies to achieve self-sustaining ecosystems via coral restoration.
2. This study investigated the population genetic structure of two acroporid species at Kume Island, Okinawa, Japan. There were 140 colonies of Acropora digitifera collected from seven study sites, and 81 colonies of Acropora tenuis from six sites. In total, 384 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for A. digitifera and 470 SNPs for A. tenuis were obtained using a comparatively economical technique, Multiplexed ISSR Genotyping by sequencing.
3. Observed heterozygosity was significantly lower than expected heterozygosity at all SNP sites in both acroporid species, suggesting deficient genetic diversity possibly caused by past massive coral bleaching. Even though both species are broadcast spawners, the population structure was different in the two species. No detectable structure was evident in A. digitifera, but two distinct clades were found in A. tenuis. The genetic homogeneity of A. digitifera at Kume Island suggests that this species could be used as a focal species for active restoration in terms of genetic differentiation at this island. By contrast, A. tenuis unexpectedly included two distinct clades with little or no admixture within a small study area, possibly representing two reproductively isolated cryptic species. Thus, when using A. tenuis, it would be prudent to avoid disturbing the genetic composition of wild populations until this question is answered.

     

Defensive Metabolites from Antarctic Invertebrates: Does Energetic Content Interfere with Feeding Repellence?

Many bioactive products from benthic invertebrates mediating ecological interactions have proved to reduce predation, but their mechanisms of action, and their molecular identities, are usually unknown. It was suggested, yet scarcely investigated, that nutritional quality interferes with defensive metabolites. This means that antifeedants would be less effective when combined with energetically rich prey, and that higher amounts of defensive compounds would be needed for predator avoidance. We evaluated the effects of five types of repellents obtained from Antarctic invertebrates, in combination with diets of different energetic values. The compounds came from soft corals, ascidians and hexactinellid sponges; they included wax esters, alkaloids, a meroterpenoid, a steroid, and the recently described organic acid, glassponsine. Feeding repellency was tested through preference assays by preparing diets (alginate pearls) combining different energetic content and inorganic material. Experimental diets contained various concentrations of each repellent product, and were offered along with control compound-free pearls, to the Antarctic omnivore amphipod Cheirimedon femoratus. Meridianin alkaloids were the most active repellents, and wax esters were the least active when combined with foods of distinct energetic content. Our data show that levels of repellency vary for each compound, and that they perform differently when mixed with distinct assay foods. The natural products that interacted the most with energetic content were those occurring in nature at higher concentrations. The bioactivity of the remaining metabolites tested was found to depend on a threshold concentration, enough to elicit feeding repellence, independently from nutritional quality.     

三亚鹿回头礁区造礁石珊瑚的摄食特征

能量与营养物质的正常获取是维系造礁石珊瑚生命活动的基础,这主要与其两种营养方式—光合自养和异养营养有关。当前,国内外学者对造礁石珊瑚的研究以光合自养为主,而对其异养营养的认识则相对不足。基于此,本研究以鹿回头礁区(海南三亚)的3种代表性造礁石珊瑚—丛生盔形珊瑚、鹿角杯形珊瑚和美丽鹿角珊瑚为对象,通过投喂丰年虫无节幼体、水族用桡足类、酵母浸出粉溶液及水族珊瑚粮这4种食物,探讨了3种造礁石珊瑚的食性、摄食方式。结果显示,丛生盔形珊瑚对上述4种食物均表现出明显的摄食行为;相反,美丽鹿角珊瑚对4种食物均不表现摄食行为;鹿角杯形珊瑚只摄食尺寸较小的丰年虫无节幼体和水族珊瑚粮,并首次发现其在摄食丰年虫无节幼体时水螅体间相互协作以及通过释放肠系膜摄食水族珊瑚粮的现象。进一步研究丛生盔形珊瑚对丰年虫无节幼体的摄食速率和消化情况,发现其摄食速率与丰年虫无节幼体密度符合米氏方程,且其消化周期约为3 h。研究结果有助于更加深入地认识造礁石珊瑚摄食取向及其摄食过程,可为造礁石珊瑚人工养殖过程中的饵料选择提供借鉴。     

Polychaete (Spirobranchus giganteus) loading on South African corals

• 1. Spirobranchus giganteus is a ubiquitous serpulid polychaete that is an obligate associate of living coral. At Sodwana Bay, South Africa, it is a conspicuous associate of Acropora clathrata plates.
• 2. This study explores the relationship between S. giganteus abundance and factors hypothesized to represent stress to the corals, in particular coral bleaching, diving intensity and exposure to destructive wave action as a function of depth. In addition, plate size was investigated to increase understanding of habitat selection by S. giganteus.
• 3. There was no significant correlation between diving intensity and S. giganteus abundance on the three reefs studied, suggesting either that the current level of diving intensity causes no stress or that S. giganteus does not indicate stress.
• 4. Depth influenced the size distribution of A. clathrata plates, with the larger plates being at greatest depths (>0.4 m² at depths >14 m).
• 5. Extremely high S. giganteus densities (most plates with number of individuals >50 m^?2; maximum number of individuals 413.63 m^?2 at 9 m depth on one reef) were recorded at depths >14 m, with density increasing overall with depth.
• 6. The high densities of S. giganteus on A. clathrata plates are possibly because the plates are a physically elevated platform above the reef, where factors such as predation, competition and smothering by sand are far less important than on the reef surface. In turn, upwelling of nutrients and dependent plankton may encourage S. giganteus to maintain high population levels.
• 7. Climatic or other stresses are not considered currently to be responsible for these high S. giganteus densities. Rather, the worm data reflect a healthy upwelling, which may change as the coral reef becomes stressed with global climate change.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Selecting focal species for marine protected area network planning in the Scotia–Fundy region of Atlantic Canada

• 1. Focal species warrant conservation attention because they serve keystone, umbrella, indicator or flagship functions, and/or are sensitive or vulnerable to threats.
• 2. Defining critical habitat requirements for viable populations of focal species could provide important information for marine protected area (MPA) network design, as a complement to other considerations such as habitat representation.
• 3. A generally applicable approach for selecting focal species based on 20 characteristics that identify species as important in the community and/or susceptible to threats is presented with reference to the Scotia–Fundy region of Atlantic Canada.
• 4. Although a rigorous quantitative assessment of all local species against these characteristics is not included, several potential focal species are shown to possess many of the characteristics.
• 5. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) demonstrates flagship, umbrella and indicator characteristics, and is locally vulnerable to threats. Seasonally important feeding, nursery and socializing areas could be protected within a network of MPAs in the Scotia–Fundy region, which would concurrently protect sympatric species with smaller area requirements.
• 6. Cold‐water corals (i.e. Primnoa resedaeformis, Paragorgia arborea, Lophelia pertusa) possess keystone, indicator and flagship characteristics and are sensitive and vulnerable to local threats; thus, areas of high coral density and/or diversity could be protected within an MPA network, which would also help protect associated species.
• 7. These examples illustrate how consideration of the characteristics can help identify focal species and how their life requisites may be applied to MPA network design.
• 8. Rigorous quantitative assessment of all local species is required to select a comprehensive suite of focal species, and further research is needed to fill data gaps and confirm underlying hypotheses.
• 9. Nonetheless, focal species considerations show promise as a complement to other approaches to MPA network design and thus warrant further exploration in the Scotia–Fundy region and elsewhere.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.