Dongsha Atoll is an important stepping-stone that promotes regional genetic connectivity in the South China Sea

PeerJ

article

Shang Yin Vanson Liu¹  Jacob Green³  Dana Briggs³  Ruth Hastings³  Ylva Jondelius³  Skylar Kensinger³  Hannah Leever³  Sophia Santos³  Trevor Throne³  Chi Cheng²  Hawis Madduppa⁶  Robert J. Toonen⁷  Michelle R. Gaither⁸  Eric D. Crandall³ 

[1] Dongsha Atoll Research Station, College of Marine Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University;Department of Marine Biotechnology and Resources, National Sun Yat-Sen University;School of Natural Sciences, California State University;Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island;Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California;Department of Marine Science and Technology, Institut Pertanian Bogor;Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa;Department of Biology, University of Central Florida;Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

关键词: Indo-Pacific;    Migration models;    Larval dispersal;    Marine connectivity;    Phylogeography;    Marine metapopulations;    Stepping-stones;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.12063

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Background Understanding region-wide patterns of larval connectivity and gene flow is crucial for managing and conserving marine biodiversity. Dongsha Atoll National Park (DANP), located in the northern South China Sea (SCS), was established in 2007 to study and conserve this diverse and remote coral atoll. However, the role of Dongsha Atoll in connectivity throughout the SCS is seldom studied. In this study, we aim to evaluate the role of DANP in conserving regional marine biodiversity. Methods In total, 206 samples across nine marine species were collected and sequenced from Dongsha Atoll, and these data were combined with available sequence data from each of these nine species archived in the Genomic Observatories Metadatabase (GEOME). Together, these data provide the most extensive population genetic analysis of a single marine protected area. We evaluate metapopulation structure for each species by using a coalescent sampler, selecting among panmixia, stepping-stone, and island models of connectivity in a likelihood-based framework. We then completed a heuristic graph theoretical analysis based on maximum dispersal distance to get a sense of Dongsha’s centrality within the SCS. Results Our dataset yielded 111 unique haplotypes across all taxa at DANP, 58% of which were not sampled elsewhere. Analysis of metapopulation structure showed that five out of nine species have strong regional connectivity across the SCS such that their gene pools are effectively panmictic (mean pelagic larval duration (PLD) = 78 days, sd = 60 days); while four species have stepping-stone metapopulation structure, indicating that larvae are exchanged primarily between nearby populations (mean PLD = 37 days, sd = 15 days). For all but one species, Dongsha was ranked within the top 15 out of 115 large reefs in the South China Sea for betweenness centrality. Thus, for most species, Dongsha Atoll provides an essential link for maintaining stepping-stone gene flow across the SCS. Conclusions This multispecies study provides the most comprehensive examination of the role of Dongsha Atoll in marine connectivity in the South China Sea to date. Combining new and existing population genetic data for nine coral reef species in the region with a graph theoretical analysis, this study provides evidence that Dongsha Atoll is an important hub for sustaining connectivity for the majority of coral-reef species in the region.

【 授权许可】

CC BY