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<p><i>Acropora</i> is the most diverse and widespread reef-building&#xa0;coral genus in the world. Although known for its critical ecological role in shallow water habitats, its abundance and diversity at upper mesophotic depths have only recently been uncovered. Consequently, little is known about the genetic structuring of mesophotic <i>Acropora</i> populations and their potential ecological and evolutionary relationships with shallow populations. Here, we present the first population genomic evaluation of the depth-generalist coral <i>Acropora aculeus</i> to assess genetic structuring across depths (10 and 40&#xa0;m) and regions (the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the Western Coral Sea (WCS)). We observed strong geographic differentiation between regions, indicating the relative isolation of WCS atolls, with some admixture from WCS into the GBR, but rarely in the opposite direction. Conversely, we observed no geographic or depth-related genetic structuring within regions, although the limited sample sizes prevented evaluation of local allelic patterns over depth. In other words, <i>A. aculeus</i> appears to maintain widespread connectivity within regions, consistent with its broadcast spawning reproductive mode. The lack of depth differentiation requires further assessment to evaluate the potential refuge role of mesophotic populations on isolated reefs, such as in the WCS.</p>

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Genetic structure of mesophotic and shallow Acropora aculeus populations of Eastern Australia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月11日

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  • A. Hernández-Agreda,
  • J. A. Hoey,
  • D. van Hulten,
  • P. Hernández,
  • L. Peplow,
  • P. Muir,
  • O. Hoegh-Guldberg,
  • M. J. H. van Oppen,
  • P. Bongaerts

摘要

Acropora is the most diverse and widespread reef-building coral genus in the world. Although known for its critical ecological role in shallow water habitats, its abundance and diversity at upper mesophotic depths have only recently been uncovered. Consequently, little is known about the genetic structuring of mesophotic Acropora populations and their potential ecological and evolutionary relationships with shallow populations. Here, we present the first population genomic evaluation of the depth-generalist coral Acropora aculeus to assess genetic structuring across depths (10 and 40 m) and regions (the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and the Western Coral Sea (WCS)). We observed strong geographic differentiation between regions, indicating the relative isolation of WCS atolls, with some admixture from WCS into the GBR, but rarely in the opposite direction. Conversely, we observed no geographic or depth-related genetic structuring within regions, although the limited sample sizes prevented evaluation of local allelic patterns over depth. In other words, A. aculeus appears to maintain widespread connectivity within regions, consistent with its broadcast spawning reproductive mode. The lack of depth differentiation requires further assessment to evaluate the potential refuge role of mesophotic populations on isolated reefs, such as in the WCS.