ArticleScientific reports2019
Populations of the coral species Montastraea cavernosa on the Belize Barrier Reef lack vertical connectivity.
Article in Scientific reports, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- First reference genomes for two mesophotic, reef-building coral species: Leptoseris cf. scabra and Montipora cf. grisea.The Journal of heredity · 2025Article
- Depth-structured lineages in the coral Stylophora pistillata of the Northern Red Sea.npj biodiversity · 2025Article
- Cryptic coral diversity is associated with symbioses, physiology, and response to thermal challenge.Science advances · 2025Article
- Marked spatial heterogeneity of macro-benthic communities along a shallow-mesophotic depth gradient in Reunion Island.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Cryptic diversity of shallow and mesophotic Stephanocoenia intersepta corals across Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.Heredity · 2024Article
- Does depth divide? Variable genetic connectivity patterns among shallow and mesophoticEcology and evolution · 2023Article
- Physiological and morphological plasticity iniScience · 2023Article
- Small-scale genetic structure of coral populations in Palau based on whole mitochondrial genomes: Implications for future coral resilience.Evolutionary applications · 2023Article
- Deep connections: Divergence histories with gene flow in mesophotic Agaricia corals.Molecular ecology · 2022Article
- A molecular census of early-life stage scleractinian corals in shallow and mesophotic zones.Ecology and evolution · 2021Article
- Barriers and corridors of gene flow in an urbanized tropical reef system.Evolutionary applications · 2021Article
- Coral distribution and bleaching vulnerability areas in Southwestern Atlantic under ocean warming.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Depth-dependent parental effects create invisible barriers to coral dispersal.Communications biology · 2021Article
- Strong horizontal and vertical connectivity in the coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Ludao, Taiwan, a small oceanic island.PloS one · 2021Article
- Population genetic structure of the great star coral, Montastraea cavernosa, across the Cuban archipelago with comparisons between microsatellite and SNP markers.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Fine-scale structure among mesophotic populations of the great star coralEcology and evolution · 2020Article
- Depth Influences Symbiodiniaceae Associations AmongFrontiers in microbiology · 2020Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
Larval connectivity among and within coral reefs is important for sustaining coral metapopulations, enhancing ecosystem resilience through species and genetic diversity, and maintaining reef ecosystems' structure and functions. This study characterized genetic structure and assessed horizontal and vertical connectivity among populations of the ubiquitous gonochoric broadcast spawning coral Montastraea cavernosa in Belize. Using nine polymorphic microsatellite loci, we genotyped M. cavernosa colonies from four depth zones at four study sites within Belizean marine management zones. Study sites were selected within South Water Caye Marine Reserve (3 sites) and Glover's Reef Marine Reserve (1 site). Strong contemporary genetic differentiation was observed between relatively shallow M. cavernosa populations (10 m, 16 m) and relatively deep (25 m, 35 m) populations, coinciding with a transition from reef crest to reef slope. These results were consistent across both marine reserves. Vertical and horizontal migration models suggest that all populations were historically panmictic, with little unidirectional migration. The relative local isolation of shallow and mesophotic M. cavernosa populations in Belize, coupled with the importance of Belize's upper mesophotic populations as potential larval sources for other areas in the Tropical Western Atlantic, reinforces the need for management strategies that conserve coral populations across all depth zones.
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