Asexual origin of brooding in the sea anemones Actinia equina and A. schmidti: Molecular evidence from the portuguese shore

• Published in: New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
• Main Authors: Pereira, Ana Martins, Cadeireiro, Emília Margarida, Robalo, Joana Isabel
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Royal Society of New Zealand 2016
• Subjects: 28S gene; Actinia; Asexual reproduction; Northeast atlantic; Sexual reproduction; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/5018; https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.2016.1236737

Reproduction by sexual or asexual viviparity is a common phenomenon in some anemone species. In this short communication, the origin of the brooded young of Actinia equina and A. schmidti from the Portuguese shore was investigated. DNA was extracted from 56 brooding adult Actinia sp. and the nuclear gene that codes for the 28S ribosomal subunit was sequenced. Species identity was then assessed using GenBank. In total, 50 individuals were A. schmidti, five were A. equina and one had a hybrid origin. Three adult anemones (the hybrid, one A. equina and one A. schmidti) possessed two different 28S sequences and so their offspring was selected for further analysis using the same molecular procedure. Each brooded polyp was found to possess the exact same sequence as its parent, strongly suggesting the asexual origin of broods in A. equina and A. schmidti. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)