Unrecognized coral species diversity masks differences in functional ecology
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| المؤلفون: | , , , |
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| التنسيق: | artículo original |
| تاريخ النشر: | 2014 |
| الوصف: | Porites corals are foundation species on Pacific reefs but a confused taxonomy hinders understanding of their ecosystem function and responses to climate change. Here, we show that what has been considered a single species in the eastern tropical Pacific, Porites lobata, includes a morphologically similar yet ecologically distinct species, Porites evermanni. While P. lobata reproduces mainly sexually, P. evermanni dominates in areas where triggerfish prey on bioeroding mussels living within the coral skeleton, thereby generating asexual coral fragments. These fragments proliferate in marginal habitat not colonized by P. lobata. The two Porites species also show a differential bleaching response despite hosting the same dominant symbiont subclade. Thus, hidden diversity within these reef-builders has until now obscured differences in trophic interactions, reproductive dynamics and bleaching susceptibility, indicative of differential responses when confronted with future climate change. |
| البلد: | Kérwá |
| المؤسسة: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Kérwá |
| اللغة: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:kerwa.ucr.ac.cr:10669/104035 |
| الوصول للمادة أونلاين: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article-abstract/281/1776/20131580/76970/Unrecognized-coral-species-diversity-masks?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://hdl.handle.net/10669/104035 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1580 |
| كلمة مفتاحية: | cryptic species zooxanthellae coral-bleaching susceptibility asexual coral propagation trophic interactions microsatellites |