We are happy to share our most recent article published in the journal Coral Reefs entitled “Population genetic structure of the broadcast spawning coral, Montastraea cavernosa, demonstrates refugia potential of upper mesophotic populations in the Florida Keys.” The paper is part of the journal’s upcoming special issue on Coral reef biodiversity and history: Insights from molecular phylogenetics, biogeography and population genetics. This publication is the second led by Voss Lab graduate student Lexie Sturm and is a critical component of her Ph.D. dissertation research at FAU Harbor Branch.
The full article can be downloaded here.
The study stemmed from a collaborative effort among Harbor Branch researchers to investigate the connectivity and health of shallow and mesophotic coral reefs across the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. On a 2019 joint ROV and technical diving mission based off of the RV FG Walton Smith, the Voss lab led ROV, shallow, and technical diving teams collecting samples of multiple benthic invertebrate species. Species targets included the scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa from paired shallow (0-30 m) and upper mesophotic (30-150 m) depth zones in the Northern and Southern Dry Tortugas, Lower Keys, and Upper Keys. These samples were then genotyped using a 2bRAD SNP library preparation approach that generated over 9,000 SNP loci.
The full article can be downloaded here.
The study stemmed from a collaborative effort among Harbor Branch researchers to investigate the connectivity and health of shallow and mesophotic coral reefs across the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. On a 2019 joint ROV and technical diving mission based off of the RV FG Walton Smith, the Voss lab led ROV, shallow, and technical diving teams collecting samples of multiple benthic invertebrate species. Species targets included the scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa from paired shallow (0-30 m) and upper mesophotic (30-150 m) depth zones in the Northern and Southern Dry Tortugas, Lower Keys, and Upper Keys. These samples were then genotyped using a 2bRAD SNP library preparation approach that generated over 9,000 SNP loci.
From this genetic dataset we found that the level of vertical genetic connectivity between paired shallow and upper mesophotic populations varied significantly based on location. Shallow and upper mesophotic M. cavernosa populations in the Northern Dry Tortugas and the Upper Keys were genetically similar to one another. In contrast, populations were significantly differentiated across depth in the Lower Keys and Southern Dry Tortugas. While upper mesophotic populations in the Lower Keys and Southern Dry Tortugas were distinct from their shallow counterparts, there was evidence of relatively high levels of genetic connectivity to both the shallow and upper mesophotic populations downstream in the Upper Keys.
These results suggest that while vertical connectivity between paired shallow and mesophotic populations can vary, certain upper mesophotic populations may fill an important role in maintaining coral metapopulations throughout the Florida Keys. As threats to coral populations including SCTLD continue to disproportionately impact shallow reefs in the Florida Keys, an understanding of coral population dynamics of mesophotic reefs, and their connectivity to shallow reefs, becomes more and more critical to the development of future management strategies. We are continuing to generate SNP-based genetic datasets for other shallow and mesophotic M. cavernosa populations in the region to evaluate regional metapopulation dynamics and to assess genetic connectivity among the Florida Keys and other populations in the NW Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Mexico, and Belize.
This work was funded by awards from NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) at FAU Harbor Branch and student funding from the NSF GRFP, Women Divers Hall of Fame, and Florida Sea Grant Scholars program. We are grateful to all of our Harbor Branch colleagues, Jake Emmert (Moody Gardens), the Undersea Vehicle Program at University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the crew of the RV FG Walton Smith, and the University of Texas at Austin’s Genome Sequencing and Analysis Facility who participated or facilitated this collaborative research expedition and follow-up molecular analyses. Special thanks go to the co-authors of the study including fellow Voss Lab Members: PhD student, Ryan Eckert and MS student, Ashley Carreiro.
This work was funded by awards from NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to the Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research and Technology (CIOERT) at FAU Harbor Branch and student funding from the NSF GRFP, Women Divers Hall of Fame, and Florida Sea Grant Scholars program. We are grateful to all of our Harbor Branch colleagues, Jake Emmert (Moody Gardens), the Undersea Vehicle Program at University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the crew of the RV FG Walton Smith, and the University of Texas at Austin’s Genome Sequencing and Analysis Facility who participated or facilitated this collaborative research expedition and follow-up molecular analyses. Special thanks go to the co-authors of the study including fellow Voss Lab Members: PhD student, Ryan Eckert and MS student, Ashley Carreiro.
