The DNA of coral reef biodiversity: predicting and protecting genetic diversity of reef assemblages.
Conservation of ecological communities requires deepening our understanding of genetic diversity patterns and drivers at community-wide scales. Here, we use seascape genetic analysis of a diversity metric, allelic richness (AR), for 47 reef species sampled across 13 Hawaiian Islands to empirically demonstrate that large reefs high in coral cover harbour the greatest genetic diversity on average. We found that a species's life history (e.g. depth range and herbivory) mediates response of genetic diversity to seascape drivers in logical ways. Furthermore, a metric of combined multi-species AR showed strong coupling to species richness and habitat area, quality and stability that few species showed individually. We hypothesize that macro-ecological forces and species interactions, by mediating species turnover and occupancy (and thus a site's mean effective population size), influence the aggregate genetic diversity of a site, potentially allowing it to behave as an apparent emergent trait that is shaped by the dominant seascape drivers. The results highlight inherent feedbacks between ecology and genetics, raise concern that genetic resilience of entire reef communities is compromised by factors that reduce coral cover or available habitat, including thermal stress, and provide a foundation for new strategies for monitoring and preserving biodiversity of entire reef ecosystems.
Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI 97644, USA National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA selkoe@nceas.ucsb.edu.
Kimberly A
0000-0003-1790-5431
KA
Selkoe
School of Biology, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK.
Oscar E
OE
Gaggiotti
School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Eric A
EA
Treml
Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
Johanna L K
JL
Wren
Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
Mary K
MK
Donovan
Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i, Kāne'ohe, HI 97644, USA.
Robert J
RJ
Toonen
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000235:genetics*; D044822:Biodiversity; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005399:Fishes; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006254:Hawaii; D008957:Models, Genetic
D004247:DNA
coral reefs; ecosystem-based management; landscape genetics; population genetics; resilience; seascape genetics