SEMINAR: MBF 602 seminar- Xaymara Serrano Friday, April 2nd, 2010 4:00pm S/A seminar room

[Cary Rios <crios@rsmas.miami.edu>]

Population genetic connectivity of two broadcast spawning scleractinian coral species among deep and shallow sites in Bermuda and Upper Florida Keys

 

The extent to which reefs are effectively connected to one another, and their potential to serve as sources of replenishment following disturbance, are topics of considerable interest in contemporary reef science. However, most assessments of reef connectivity to date have emphasized long-distance horizontal dispersal from one shallow reef to another. An intriguing, but as yet, untested possibility is that relatively short-distance vertical dispersal from deep reefs may represent a significant source of propagules for shallow reefs. To begin testing this hypothesis, a subset of genetic markers (DNA microsatellites) was used to assess population structure and the degree of gene flow for two broadcast spawning species (Montastrea cavernosa and M.  faveolata) between 3 depth zones (<10m, 15-20m and >25m) in Bermuda and the Upper Florida Keys. In addition, algal symbiont (Symbiodinium spp.) diversity was assessed to determine patterns of depth zonation, if present. Preliminary analyses revealed that most microsatellite loci exhibit significant heterozygote deficiencies, probably as a result of high inbreeding within reefs (M. cavernosa mean F_IS=0.32; M. faveolata mean F_IS=0.31). Moderate genetic differentiation was detected among populations of M. cavernosa at different depths in Florida (mean F_ST=0.17), compared to Bermuda, which showed lower differentiation (mean F_ST=0.09). M. faveolata, only sampled in Florida, showed low differentiation among depths (mean F_ST=0.02). Finally, shallow colonies of both species were found to be dominated by members of Symbiodinium in clade B, with deeper colonies dominated by clade C. Future work will focus on increasing sample size, elucidating which markers will be useful for proposed analyses, and developing new markers using 454 sequencing.

 

Xaymara M. Serrano

B.S. in Biology (2004), University of Puerto Rico

M.S. in Marine Biology and Fisheries (2008), RSMAS

Continued to PhD program in fall 2008

 

Advisor: Dr. Andrew Baker

Cary Rios 
Graduate Studies Office
University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science

4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
S/A 132
P. 305.421.4920
F. 305.421.4771
http://www.rsmas.miami.edu
crios@rsmas.miami.edu 

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