Barcoding corals in the genus Pocillopora: geographically restricted cryptic diversity
Poster Number:
45
Presenter/Primary Author:
Zac Forsman BACKGROUND:
Identifying coral species boundaries is challenging particularly in Pocillopora, a coral genus known to be highly phenotypically plastic.
METHODS:
In this study we barcode 98 samples from Moorea with the mitochondrial ORF marker, and construct a haplotpye network of all available ORF sequences.
RESULTS:
Species names based on colony morphology vary wildly within and among mitochondrial haplotypes, while SEM images of skeletal microstructure agree more with genetic data. Several unique haplotypes are geographically restricted.
CONCLUSIONS:
Phenotypic polymorphism and plasticity are likely to be underestimated in this genus. Locally restricted haplotypes may represent cryptic endemic species. Range-wide surveys and quantitative morphological work is needed to determine species boundaries in this important group of organisms.
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