Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean

In a world of rapidly changing environmental conditions, species must effectively respond to their changing habitat or risk extinction. The goal of my dissertation is to elucidate the origins and mechanisms underlying the recent successful population expansion of the invasive coral Oculina patagonic...

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Main Author: Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: LSU Digital Commons 2016
Subjects:
DNA
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/537
https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/context/gradschool_dissertations/article/1536/viewcontent/uc.pdf
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spelling ftlouisianastuir:oai:digitalcommons.lsu.edu:gradschool_dissertations-1536 2023-06-11T04:14:58+02:00 Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic 2016-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/537 https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537 https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/context/gradschool_dissertations/article/1536/viewcontent/uc.pdf unknown LSU Digital Commons https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/537 doi:10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537 https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/context/gradschool_dissertations/article/1536/viewcontent/uc.pdf LSU Doctoral Dissertations symbionts Mediterranean Symbiodinium DNA phylogeography molecular ecology evolution invasion zooxanthellae Oculina coral text 2016 ftlouisianastuir https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537 2023-05-28T19:07:29Z In a world of rapidly changing environmental conditions, species must effectively respond to their changing habitat or risk extinction. The goal of my dissertation is to elucidate the origins and mechanisms underlying the recent successful population expansion of the invasive coral Oculina patagonica in the Mediterranean Sea. To do this, I have utilized nuclear markers and next-generation sequencing data for the coral host and its algal symbiont as well as environmental data. Although only recently first described from the waters of the Mediterranean, genetic, historical demographic, and fossil evidence suggests that O. patagonica has not been anthropogenically introduced from the western North Atlantic. Instead, my results support the hypothesis that Oculina spp. has had a long history in the eastern Atlantic but remained undetected until it recently began expanding in the Mediterranean to invasive numbers, likely in response to environmental changes. Next, I found that the symbiotic algal communities harbored by Oculina corals vary geographically, and that this variation does not match the geographical variation of the host’s genetics. Instead, sea surface temperature is better correlated to symbiotic community, particularly in the Mediterranean, which may reflect acclimatization to local thermal conditions. Finally, in a closer inspection of a rapid poleward range expansion of O. patagonica along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, I found increased genetic diversity and adaptation to temperature that may have promoted its success. Together, my dissertation chapters shed light on the mechanisms that have allowed a coral to be successful despite stressful and changing environmental conditions. Unlike many previous studies aimed at assessing the adaptive capabilities and long-term success of tropical corals, my dissertation focusses on the success and adaptive potential of an understudied temperate coral. The findings presented here support the knowledge that O. patagonica is able to successfully respond to ... Text North Atlantic LSU Digital Commons (Louisiana State University)
institution Open Polar
collection LSU Digital Commons (Louisiana State University)
op_collection_id ftlouisianastuir
language unknown
topic symbionts
Mediterranean
Symbiodinium
DNA
phylogeography
molecular ecology
evolution
invasion
zooxanthellae
Oculina
coral
spellingShingle symbionts
Mediterranean
Symbiodinium
DNA
phylogeography
molecular ecology
evolution
invasion
zooxanthellae
Oculina
coral
Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic
Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
topic_facet symbionts
Mediterranean
Symbiodinium
DNA
phylogeography
molecular ecology
evolution
invasion
zooxanthellae
Oculina
coral
description In a world of rapidly changing environmental conditions, species must effectively respond to their changing habitat or risk extinction. The goal of my dissertation is to elucidate the origins and mechanisms underlying the recent successful population expansion of the invasive coral Oculina patagonica in the Mediterranean Sea. To do this, I have utilized nuclear markers and next-generation sequencing data for the coral host and its algal symbiont as well as environmental data. Although only recently first described from the waters of the Mediterranean, genetic, historical demographic, and fossil evidence suggests that O. patagonica has not been anthropogenically introduced from the western North Atlantic. Instead, my results support the hypothesis that Oculina spp. has had a long history in the eastern Atlantic but remained undetected until it recently began expanding in the Mediterranean to invasive numbers, likely in response to environmental changes. Next, I found that the symbiotic algal communities harbored by Oculina corals vary geographically, and that this variation does not match the geographical variation of the host’s genetics. Instead, sea surface temperature is better correlated to symbiotic community, particularly in the Mediterranean, which may reflect acclimatization to local thermal conditions. Finally, in a closer inspection of a rapid poleward range expansion of O. patagonica along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, I found increased genetic diversity and adaptation to temperature that may have promoted its success. Together, my dissertation chapters shed light on the mechanisms that have allowed a coral to be successful despite stressful and changing environmental conditions. Unlike many previous studies aimed at assessing the adaptive capabilities and long-term success of tropical corals, my dissertation focusses on the success and adaptive potential of an understudied temperate coral. The findings presented here support the knowledge that O. patagonica is able to successfully respond to ...
format Text
author Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic
author_facet Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic
author_sort Leydet, Karine Eliane Posbic
title Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
title_short Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
title_full Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
title_fullStr Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
title_full_unstemmed Phylogeography of Oculina Corals and their Algal Symbionts: Insights into the Origin and Expansion of Oculina Patagonica in the Mediterranean
title_sort phylogeography of oculina corals and their algal symbionts: insights into the origin and expansion of oculina patagonica in the mediterranean
publisher LSU Digital Commons
publishDate 2016
url https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/537
https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/context/gradschool_dissertations/article/1536/viewcontent/uc.pdf
genre North Atlantic
genre_facet North Atlantic
op_source LSU Doctoral Dissertations
op_relation https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/537
doi:10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/context/gradschool_dissertations/article/1536/viewcontent/uc.pdf
op_doi https://doi.org/10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.537
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