Cloning and Selfing Affect Population Genetic Variation in Simulations of Outcrossing, Sexual Sea Stars

Hart, Michael W.; Guerra, Vanessa; Allen, Jonathan D.; Byrne, Maria

doi:10.1086/717293

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…As for many echinoderms [ 76 , 77 ], COTS are able to reproduce asexually by larval cloning [ 78 ]. Cloning, along with the possibility for self-fertilization, has been detected in genetic analyses of COTS populations in Japan and the GBR and in models of these data [ 79–81 ]. The bipinnaria larval stage of COTS ( Figure 1E ) clone through bisection of the body into anterior and posterior portions which then regenerate to make a complete, fully functional larva within days of separation ( Figure 2 ).…”

Section: Why Are Cots So Successful?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown of thorns starfish life-history traits contribute to outbreaks, a continuing concern for coral reefs

Deaker

Byrne

2022

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

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Crown of thorns starfish (COTS, Acanthaster sp.) are notorious for their destructive consumption of coral that decimates tropical reefs, an attribute unique among tropical marine invertebrates. Their populations can rapidly increase from 0–1 COTS ha−1 to more than 10–1000 COTS ha−1 in short order causing a drastic change to benthic communities and reducing the functional and species diversity of coral reef ecosystems. Population outbreaks were first identified to be a significant threat to coral reefs in the 1960s. Since then, they have become one of the leading causes of coral loss along with coral bleaching. Decades of research and significant investment in Australia and elsewhere, particularly Japan, have been directed towards identifying, understanding, and managing the potential causes of outbreaks and designing population control methods. Despite this, the drivers of outbreaks remain elusive. What is becoming increasingly clear is that the success of COTS is tied to their inherent biological traits, especially in early life. Survival of larval and juvenile COTS is likely to be enhanced by their dietary flexibility and resilience to variable food conditions as well as their phenotypically plastic growth dynamics, all magnified by the extreme reproductive potential of COTS. These traits enable COTS to capitalise on anthropogenic disturbances to reef systems as well as endure less favourable conditions.

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Section: Why Are Cots So Successful?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crown of thorns starfish life-history traits contribute to outbreaks, a continuing concern for coral reefs

Deaker

Byrne

2022

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

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“…solaris under some circumstances in the laboratory [ 91 ], may, even if occasionally, contribute to patterns of genetic diversity observed in natural CoTS populations (reviewed in [ 92 ]). Although there is limited support for this hypothesis from genetic simulations [ 93 ], an analysis of microsatellites from > 3700 individuals showed no effect of potential clonality on population genetic structure [ 94 ]. However, testing these hypotheses, and whether reaching known Allee effect thresholds may amplify reproductive variance [ 95 ] or define lower genetic diversity limits required to escape extinction [ 4 ] is challenging to evaluate in marine populations [ 80 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High germline mutation rates, but not extreme population outbreaks, influence genetic diversity in a keystone coral predator

Popovic,

Bergeron,

Bozec

et al. 2024

PLoS Genet

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Lewontin’s paradox, the observation that levels of genetic diversity (π) do not scale linearly with census population size (Nc) variation, is an evolutionary conundrum. The most extreme mismatches between π and Nc are found for highly abundant marine invertebrates. Yet, the influences of new mutations on π relative to extrinsic processes such as Nc fluctuations are unknown. Here, we provide the first germline mutation rate (μ) estimate for a marine invertebrate in corallivorous crown-of-thorns sea stars (Acanthaster cf. solaris). We use high-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 14 parent-offspring trios alongside empirical estimates of Nc in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to jointly examine the determinants of π in populations undergoing extreme Nc fluctuations. The A. cf. solaris mean μ was 9.13 x 10−09 mutations per-site per-generation (95% CI: 6.51 x 10−09 to 1.18 x 10−08), exceeding estimates for other invertebrates and showing greater concordance with vertebrate mutation rates. Lower-than-expected Ne (~70,000–180,000) and low Ne/Nc values (0.0047–0.048) indicated weak influences of population outbreaks on long-term π. Our findings are consistent with elevated μ evolving in response to reduced Ne and generation time length, with important implications for explaining high mutational loads and the determinants of genetic diversity in marine invertebrate taxa.

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Knowledge Gaps in the Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Sea StarAcanthastersp. on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Pratchett

Caballes

Cvitanovic

et al. 2021

The Biological Bulletin

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Cloning and Selfing Affect Population Genetic Variation in Simulations of Outcrossing, Sexual Sea Stars

Cited by 5 publications

References 92 publications

Crown of thorns starfish life-history traits contribute to outbreaks, a continuing concern for coral reefs

Crown of thorns starfish life-history traits contribute to outbreaks, a continuing concern for coral reefs

High germline mutation rates, but not extreme population outbreaks, influence genetic diversity in a keystone coral predator

Knowledge Gaps in the Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Sea StarAcanthastersp. on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

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