[Coral-List] Proliferation of Acropora prolifera

Fri Sep 6 06:58:20 EDT 2013

You are most welcome, Ulf, your remarks are stimulative for thinking and verbalization.  In a practical manner, hybridization is recognizable after it occurs so frequently, that it could be noted by us.  Please note that here start of hybridization was used to point to the moment it would be detected  for the first time.  For the geological past this is possible using the fossil record, and in extant conditions by our observations on living organisms.  Not all lateral gene transfer or leaks are and could be detected. 

With regard to your prognosis, yes, you are right, we have various cases, still waiting attention, of incomplete species-forming in Caribbean corals.  

Corals are not fanatics of strong and strict taxonomic borders.  It is good that we are 
continuing to learn more about them, but it is difficult to predict how much we 
will be able to reveal of their nature and evolutionary tricks. 

Cheers,

Vassil

131 Fales Rd., Bristol, RI 02809, USA;  tel.: +1-401-254-5121

________________________________
 From: Ulf Erlingsson <ceo at lindorm.com>
To: vassil zlatarski <vzlatarski at yahoo.com>; Coral -List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> 
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2013 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Proliferation of Acropora prolifera

Most interesting!

I'm coastal geomorphologist and not biologist nor coral expert, but one comment: Why assume that hybridization "started" at some time? Could it not be a matter of incomplete species-forming instead? And that this "incompleteness" serves an evolutionary role still?

In a geological time perspective this provides for a new modality: Not constant species, but variable species through hybridization, so as to better be able to adapt. The "parent species" would then be the optimized fine-tuned but highly sensitive modality, and the hybrid a less specialized but more resistant species mode. 

Ulf Erlingsson, Ph.D.

On 2013-09-05, at 07:02, vassil zlatarski wrote:

Dear Coral-List Fellows,
>
>Thanks for the vivid collegial interest in the issues of the Caribbean hybrid Acropora prolifera.
>
>Long-term observations on A. prolifera distribution since 1970 revealed intriguing changes.  First, from 1970 to 1973 A. prolifera was rare in Cuba, only appearing as single colonies in clear water (Zlatarski & Martinez Estalella, 1982*).  During 1983-84 investigation in Yucatan Peninsula, SE Mexico colonies appeared to be single and in clusters at the margin of densely populated zones of the parent species (Zlatarski, 2008**).  Back in SE Cuba in 2001, A. prolifera was more frequently encountered, even in murky shallow water, sometimes far from the devastated A. palmata and A. cervicornis zones.  In the protected laguna, behind Archipielago Jardines
 de la
>Reina,
>branches
>of A. prolifera were accumulated in a way that provided with other benthonic organisms a base of peculiar build-ups on sandy bottom (Zlatarski, 2010***).  In SW Cuba in 2001 large colonies of the hybrid covered considerable areas before populated by the parents species.  In one case the sea-scape was so impressive that the AGRRA team named it "Shangri-La" (photo Ken Marks).  In Guacanayabo Bay the hybrid was and is frequenting only with one of the parent species, A cervicornis.  The otherparent species, A. palmata was never found since the first investigation there in 1971..  Interestingly, back-crossing occurs only with A. cervicornis.  With passing time, lately the hybrid was found in more places, in larger quantity of colonies, but also in various growth forms.  These long-termobservations coincide with recent joint conclusions of five leaders in the area of coral genetics and
 reproduction (Willis et al., 2006****) on the opportunistic
>character of hybridization in Caribbean Acropora.  What can be said about the scale and impact of this hybridization?  It is defined, first, by the occurrence of prolifera throughout the Caribbean range of its parent species, and, second, by the capacity to colonize marginal habitats and adapt to environmental changes, as well as provide substratum on sandy bottom.  It is still open the question about the duration of this hybridization.  It started in some unknown temporal point, which determination will reveal the paleobiological role of the hybridization process.  There is only one communication for fossil A. prolifera, before the Pleistocene (Frost, 1977*****).  The material was not revised and new paleontological studies are necessary. 
>
>On some problems of A. prolifera is working only one person, Dr. Nicole Fogarty, and her
>research is
>really
 excellent.  Naturally, I sent my posting to Coral-List with copy to Nikki.  She immediately responded from Belize, informing that is working on the acroporid hybridization project.  What a chance for our forum I realized, and asked Nikki to share her news with Coral-List.   The contact was interrupted, but I expect that returning today she will offer something exiting.  In meantime, the interested colleagues could google for her publications by going to NOVA Southeastern University.
>
>*        Zlatarski, V..N., Martinez Estalella, N., 1982. Les Scléractiniaires de 
>Cuba avec des données sur les organismes associés. Editions de 
>l’Académie bulgare des Sciences, annexe I, Sofia, 472 pp. 
>**      Zlatarski, V.N., 2008. Scleractinians of Yucatán Peninsula, México: results of 1983–1984 investigation. CICIMAR Oceánides 22 (1–2),
 45–116.
>***    Zlatarski, V.N., 2010. Palaeobiological perspectives on variability and taxonomy of scleractinian corals. Palaeoworld, 19/3-4, 333-339.
>****  Willis, B.L., van Oppen, M..J.H., Miller, D.J., Vollmer, S.V., Ayre, D.J., 2006.  The role of hybridization in the evolution of reef corals. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 37, 489-517.          
>*****Frost, S.H., 1977. Miocene to Holocene evolution of Caribbean Province reef building corals. Proceedings Third International Coral Reef Symposium, Miami, Florida, 2. Geology, pp. 354–359.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Vassil
>
>Vassil Zlatarski
>D.Sc. (Biology), Ph.D.
>(Geology)
> 
>
>131 Fales Rd., Bristol, RI 02809, USA;  tel.: +1-401-254-5121
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