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A multi-locus genetic assignment technique to assess sources of Agaricia agaricites larvae on coral reefs

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Abstract

Assignment of individuals to populations based upon genetic data is an important ecological problem that requires many polymorphic markers, often more than are available using single locus techniques. To demonstrate the utility of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) in studying larval dispersal and recruitment in coral populations, two sets of AFLP primers were used to genotype colonies of the coral Agaricia agaricites Linnaeus from three widely separated geographic locations: the Bahamas (23°28′N, 75°42′W) and Key Largo, Florida (24°55′N, 80°31′W—two sites separated by 12 km) in 1995, and the Flower Garden Banks (FGB) in the Gulf of Mexico (27°55′N,93°36′W) in 1997. In addition to adult samples from each site, recruits were collected from settling plates placed on the East FGB for 1 year (1997–1998). The AFLP technique yielded 45 polymorphic markers. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant genetic differences among the four adult populations, even between the two Key Largo sites. The recruits were significantly different from all adult populations except those from the FGB. Discriminant function analysis and the program AFLPOP were used to assign individuals to populations. Using the adult AFLP-banding patterns to build the statistical models, both procedures correctly assigned the majority of adults to their respective populations in simulations and assigned all but one of the recruits to the Flower Garden population from where they were collected . The AFLP technique provides a simple and adaptable population assignment method for studying recruitment processes in A. agaricites and other coral species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Kakuk, S. Gittings, T.H. Gustaffson, E. Hickerson, T.L. Snell, and K. Deslarzes who provided assistance in collecting coral samples and deploying and retrieving settlement racks. A. Atchison provided invaluable assistance in laboratory preparation of the samples. NOAA-NURP (Key Largo operations) assisted in the collection of samples in the Florida Keys. The Caribbean Marine Research Center (CMRC) at Lee Stocking Island provided support for the Bahamas work. The NOAA Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary and the crew of the NOAA R/V Ferrel provided ship and diving support for the FGB work. M.A. Coffroth kindly provided the zooxanthella DNA. The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) also provided support for the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260-1200, USA

    Daniel A. Brazeau

  2. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), 8124 Hwy. 56, Chauvin, LA, 70344, USA

    Paul W. Sammarco

  3. Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, 30460-8042, USA

    Daniel F. Gleason

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  1. Daniel A. Brazeau
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  2. Paul W. Sammarco
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  3. Daniel F. Gleason
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Correspondence to Daniel A. Brazeau.

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Communicated by J.P.Grassle, New Brunswick

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Brazeau, D.A., Sammarco, P.W. & Gleason, D.F. A multi-locus genetic assignment technique to assess sources of Agaricia agaricites larvae on coral reefs. Marine Biology 147, 1141–1148 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0022-5

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