Geography and spawning season drive genetic divergence among populations of the hard coral Acropora tenuis from Indonesia and Western Australia

Population connectivity and genetic offset in the spawning coral Acropora digitifera in Western Australia

“…Within WA, distinct genetic differences were identified between populations from the offshore reef systems, the inshore macrotidal Kimberley region and Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area reefs. The spatial patterns of restricted exchange of genetic material between reef systems are similar to that observed in other brooding and spawning coral species in northwest Australia (Rosser et al, 2020;Underwood, 2009;Underwood et al, 2018). Our data, and other studies, indicate that contemporary larval exchange between offshore reefs (Rowley Shoals and Ashmore Reef) and the inshore Kimberley reefs (Adele Island and Beagle Reef) is restricted.…”

Diminishing potential for tropical reefs to function as coral diversity strongholds under climate change conditions

“…Noticeable reductions in suitable habitat were predicted for competitive and competitive/generalist life history genera such as Acropora and Montipora at low latitude tropical reefs, with Astrea and Bernardpora predicted to be locally extinct in the inshore Kimberley. Our results also indicate that broadcast coral species such as Acropora digitifera and Acropora tenuis with distinct population structure at the offshore reefs on the NW shelf (Rosser et al, 2020;Thomas et al, 2020;Underwood, 2009) will almost disappear in the inshore Kimberley and offshore reefs under RCP 2100 8.5 conditions (98-100% decrease in predicted suitable habitat; see Table S5). Lower predicted regional species richness combined with highly fragmented available suitable habitat under future climate conditions could affect the resilience of coral communities and increase the likelihood of local extinction events.…”

Extreme seascape drives local recruitment and genetic divergence in brooding and spawning corals in remote north‐west Australia

“…It is often difficult to resolve species boundaries in corals due to their morphological plasticity and propensity for hybridization (Ladner & Palumbi, 2012; Richards & Hobbs, 2015; Schmidt‐Roach, Miller, Lundgren, & Andreakis, 2014; Willis, 1990). A growing body of evidence suggests that cryptic diversity exists within previously well‐known species of corals, and cryptic lineages in north‐west Australia have been shown to be associated with habitat (Thomas et al., 2020; Underwood, Richards, Miller, Puotinen, & Gilmour, 2018), timing of reproduction (Gilmour, Underwood, Howells, Gates, & Heyward, 2016; Rosser, 2015,2016; Rosser, Edyvane, Malina, Underwood, & Johnson, 2020; Rosser et al., 2017) or unknown mechanisms (Richards, Berry, & Oppen, 2016; Thomas et al., 2014). These studies highlight that a rigorous assessment of cryptic diversity needs to become the critical first step in population genetic analyses of corals (Sheets, Warner, & Palumbi, 2018).…”