Long Distance Dispersal and Connectivity in Amphi-Atlantic Corals at Regional and Basin Scales

Article Article scientifique Article Long Distance Dispersal and Connectivity in Amphi-Atlantic Corals at Regional and Basin Scales eng 2011 author Nunes Flavia 742897 author Norris Richard D. author Knowlton Nancy e22298 10.1371/journal.pone.0022298 1932-6203 http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022298 Among Atlantic scleractinian corals, species diversity is highest in the Caribbean, but low diversity and high endemism are observed in various peripheral populations in central and eastern Atlantic islands and along the coasts of Brazil and West Africa. The degree of connectivity between these distantly separated populations is of interest because it provides insight into processes at both evolutionary and ecological time scales, such as speciation, recruitment dynamics and the persistence of coral populations. To assess connectivity in broadly distributed coral species of the Atlantic, DNA sequence data from two nuclear markers were obtained for six coral species spanning their distributional ranges. At basin-wide scales, significant differentiation was generally observed among populations in the Caribbean, Brazil and West Africa. Concordance of patterns in connectivity among co-distributed taxa indicates that extrinsic barriers, such as the Amazon freshwater plume or long stretches of open ocean, restrict dispersal of coral larvae from region to region. Within regions, dispersal ability appears to be influenced by aspects of reproduction and life history. Two broadcasting species, Siderastrea siderea and Montastraea cavernosa, were able to maintain gene flow among populations separated by as much as 1,200 km along the coast of Brazil. In contrast, brooding species, such as Favia gravida and Siderastrea radians, had more restricted gene flow along the Brazilian coast. Dewey 590 44 Département de génétique et évolution 162 false PloS one 6 7 0919b3c8-43eb-4714-a83b-10c4bfa4b31e Article (Published version) Public journal.pone.0022298.pdf 784513 application/pdf CC BY openAccess Faculté des sciences / Section de biologie / Département de génétique et évolution

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Long Distance Dispersal and Connectivity in Amphi-Atlantic Corals at Regional and Basin Scales	PloS one			2011	504	246

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