Genetic differentiation in the threatened soft coral Dendronephthya australis in temperate eastern Australia

Jane E. Williamson; Michael R. Gillings; Ryan J. Nevatte; David Harasti; Vincent Raoult; Timothy M. Ghaly; Adam J. Stow; Timothy M. Smith; Troy F. Gaston

doi:10.1111/aec.13160

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Genetic differentiation in the threatened soft coral Dendronephthya australis in temperate eastern Australia

Journal article

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Genetic differentiation in the threatened soft coral Dendronephthya australis in temperate eastern Australia

Jane E. Williamson, Michael R. Gillings, Ryan J. Nevatte, David Harasti, Vincent Raoult, Timothy M. Ghaly, Adam J. Stow, Timothy M. Smith and Troy F. Gaston

Austral ecology, Vol.47(4), pp.804-817

06/2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13160

Appears in Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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Abstract

cauliflower soft coral

endangered species

PCR sequencing

population genetics

SNP genotyping

The endangered soft coral Dendronephthya australis faces substantial population decreases in central eastern Australian waters. Despite uncertainty about the cause of these declines, the population genetics of the species has not been investigated. Genetic analysis suggests that D. australis is a single species within the family Nephtheidae, confirming identifications based on morphological characteristics only. Soft coral colonies were distributed from Seahorse Gardens in Port Stephens to Jervis Bay in temperate Australian waters, a distance of some 400 km. Genetic differentiation was observed along this distribution using SNP genotyping. Relatively high levels of genetic differentiation were observed between Jervis Bay and the other sites, indicating limited gene flow between this location and others. Moreover, the genetic distinctiveness, low diversity and heterozygote excess at this southern location suggested that it was subjected to a recent population decline and genetic bottleneck. Colonies at Seahorse Gardens and Ettalong, approximately 150 km south of Seahorse Gardens, displayed greater genetic diversity, making these sites more likely to host ancestral populations and to have acted as refugia. Recent substantial decreases in population sizes at these locations are particularly concerning, and these locations require immediate conservation attention.

Details

Title: Genetic differentiation in the threatened soft coral Dendronephthya australis in temperate eastern Australia
Creators: Jane E. Williamson - Macquarie University
Michael R. Gillings - Macquarie University
Ryan J. Nevatte - Macquarie University
David Harasti - NSW Department of Primary Industries
Vincent Raoult - University of Newcastle Australia
Timothy M. Ghaly - Macquarie University
Adam J. Stow - Macquarie University
Timothy M. Smith - University of Newcastle Australia
Troy F. Gaston - Hunter Water
Publication Details: Austral ecology, Vol.47(4), pp.804-817
Publisher: Wiley
Number of pages: 14
Grant note: 00006 / Protection of the Environment Trust from Central Coast Council Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle
Identifiers: 991013125988402368
Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Austral Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Ecological Society of Australia. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Genetic differentiation in the threatened soft coral Dendronephthya australis in temperate eastern Australia

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