Herman H. Wirshing

National Museum of Natural History

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Jeffrey A. Hall

Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital

Joseph L. Sevigny

University of New Hampshire

Jon L. Norenburg

National Museum of Natural History

Francesca Leasi

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Ulf Jondelius

Swedish Museum of Natural History

Eric M. Laflamme

Plymouth State University

Gaël Lecellier

Ifremer

R. Carlton

Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation

Isabela G. L. Seiblitz

Universidade de São Paulo

W. Kelley Thomas

University of New Hampshire

Cooperative Institutions

University of New Hampshire

Harvey Mudd College

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Labex Corail

University of Miami

Ifremer

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement

University of French Polynesia

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Rapid Assessment of Octocoral Diversity and Habitat on Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles

PLoS ONE (2010)

Peter J. Etnoyer Herman H. Wirshing Juan A. Sánchez

Saba Bank is a large submerged platform (approximately 2200 km(2)), average depth 30 m, located 4 km southwest of Saba Island in Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea. Ships traveling to and from oil terminals on nearby St. Eustatius routinely anchor on the Bank, damaging benthic megafauna. Gorgonian octocorals are vulnerable to anchor damage, and they are common and conspicuous in shallow water (15-50 m) around the banks. This prompted a rapid assessment of octocoral habitat and diversity. The primary objectives were to estimate total species richness and to characterize habitats vis a vis gorgonians. Landsat imagery and multibeam bathymetry were employed to identify random sites for quantitative transects. A Seabotix LBV200L remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and SCUBA were used to collect and survey to 130 m. A total of 14 scuba dives and 3 ROV dives were completed in 10 days. During that time, 48 octocoral species were collected, including two likely undescribed species in the genera Pterogorgia and Lytreia. Gorgonian richness was exceptional, but not all species were collected, because the species accumulation curve remained steeply inclined after all surveys. Two shallow-water gorgonian habitat types were identified using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses: 1) a high diversity, high density fore-reef environment characterized by Eunicea spp., Gorgonia spp., and Pseudopterogorgia spp. and 2) a low diversity, low density plateau environment characterized by Pseudopterogorgia acerosa, Pterogorgia guadalupensis, and Gorgonia mariae. The analyses support hypotheses of broad (approximately 15 km) habitat homogeneity (ANOSIM, P>0.05), but a significant difference between fore-reef and plateau environments (ANOSIM, P<0.05). However, there was some indication of habitat heterogeneity along the 15 km study section of the 50 km platform edge along the southeast rim. Our results highlight the complexity and biodiversity of the Saba Bank, and emphasize the need for more scientific exploration.

Gorgonian

Scuba diving

Belt transect

Megafauna

Remotely operated vehicle

10.1371/journal.pone.0010668

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Citations (31)

The Genus Cerion (Gastropoda: Cerionidae) in the Florida Keys

PLoS ONE (2015)

Yesha Shrestha Herman H. Wirshing M. G. Harasewych

The systematic relationships and phylogeography of Cerion incanum, the only species of Cerion native to the Florida Keys, are reviewed based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI and 16S genes derived from 18 populations spanning the range of this species and including the type localities of all four described subspecies. Our samples included specimens of Cerion casablancae, a species introduced to Indian Key in 1912, and a population of C. incanum x C. casablancae hybrids descended from a population of C. casablancae introduced onto Bahia Honda Key in the same year. Molecular data did not support the partition of C. incanum into subspecies, nor could populations be apportioned reliably into subspecies based on morphological features used to define the subspecies. Phylogenetic analyses affirmed the derived relationship of C. incanum relative to other cerionids, and indicated a Bahamian origin for the Cerion fauna of southern Florida. Relationships among the populations throughout the Keys indicate that the northernmost populations, closest to the Tomeu paleoislands that had been inhabited by Cerion petuchi during the Calabrian Pleistocene, are the oldest. The range of Cerion incanum expanded as the archipelago that is the Florida Keys was formed since the lower Tarantian Pleistocene by extension from the northeast to the southwest, with new islands populated as they were formed. The faunas of the High Coral Keys in the northeast and the Oölite Keys in the southwest, both with large islands that host multiple discontinuous populations of Cerion, are each composed of well supported clades that are characterized by distinctive haplotypes. In contrast, the fauna of the intervening Low Coral Keys consist of a heterogeneous series of populations, some with haplotypes derived from the High Coral Keys, others from the Oölite Keys. Individuals from the C. incanum x C. casablancae hybrid population inhabiting the southeastern coast of Bahia Honda Key were readily segregated based on their mitogenome lineage, grouping either with C. incanum or with C. casablancae from Indian Key. Hybrids with C. casablancae mitogenomes had haplotypes that were more divergent from their parent mitogenome than were hybrids with C. incanum mitogenomes.

Subspecies

Archipelago

10.1371/journal.pone.0137325

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Mito-nuclear discordance within Anthozoa, with notes on unique properties of their mitochondrial genomes

Scientific Reports (2023)

Andrea M. Quattrini Karen E. Snyder Risa Purow-Ruderman Isabela G. L. Seiblitz Johnson Hoang

Whole mitochondrial genomes are often used in phylogenetic reconstruction. However, discordant patterns in species relationships between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies are commonly observed. Within Anthozoa (Phylum Cnidaria), mitochondrial (mt)-nuclear discordance has not yet been examined using a large and comparable dataset. Here, we used data obtained from target-capture enrichment sequencing to assemble and annotate mt genomes and reconstruct phylogenies for comparisons to phylogenies inferred from hundreds of nuclear loci obtained from the same samples. The datasets comprised 108 hexacorals and 94 octocorals representing all orders and > 50% of extant families. Results indicated rampant discordance between datasets at every taxonomic level. This discordance is not attributable to substitution saturation, but rather likely caused by introgressive hybridization and unique properties of mt genomes, including slow rates of evolution driven by strong purifying selection and substitution rate variation. Strong purifying selection across the mt genomes caution their use in analyses that rely on assumptions of neutrality. Furthermore, unique properties of the mt genomes were noted, including genome rearrangements and the presence of nad5 introns. Specifically, we note the presence of the homing endonuclease in ceriantharians. This large dataset of mitochondrial genomes further demonstrates the utility of off-target reads generated from target-capture data for mt genome assembly and adds to the growing knowledge of anthozoan evolution.

Phylogenomics

Negative selection

Nuclear gene

Anthozoa

10.1038/s41598-023-34059-1

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Citations (28)

Molecular and Morphological Species Boundaries in the Gorgonian Octocoral Genus Pterogorgia (Octocorallia: Gorgoniidae)

PLoS ONE (2015)

Herman H. Wirshing Andrew C. Baker

Most gorgonian octocoral species are described using diagnostic characteristics of their sclerites (microscopic skeletal components). Species in the genus Pterogorgia, however, are separated primarily by differences in their calyx and branch morphology. Specimens of a morphologically unusual Pterogorgia collected from Saba Bank in the NE Caribbean Sea were found with calyx morphology similar to P. citrina and branch morphology similar to P. guadalupensis. In order to test morphological species boundaries, and the validity of calyx and branch morphology as systematic characters, a phylogenetic analysis was undertaken utilizing partial gene fragments of three mitochondrial (mtMutS, cytochrome b, and igr4; 726bp total) and two nuclear (ITS2, 166bp; and SRP54 intron, 143bp) loci. The datasets for nuclear and mitochondrial loci contained few phylogenetically informative sites, and tree topologies did not resolve any of the morphological species as monophyletic groups. Instead, the mitochondrial loci and SRP54 each recovered two clades but were slightly incongruent, with a few individuals of P. guadalupensis represented in both clades with SRP54. A concatenated dataset of these loci grouped all P. anceps and P. guadalupensis in a clade, and P. citrina and the Pterogorgia sp. from Saba Bank in a sister clade, but with minimal variation/resolution within each clade. However, in common with other octocoral taxa, the limited genetic variation may not have been able to resolve whether branch variation represents intraspecific variation or separate species. Therefore, these results suggest that there are at least two phylogenetic lineages of Pterogorgia at the species level, and the atypical Pterogorgia sp. may represent an unusual morphotype of P. citrina, possibly endemic to Saba Bank. Branch morphology does not appear to be a reliable morphological character to differentiate Pterogorgia species (e.g., branches "flat" or "3–4 edges" in P. guadalupensis and P. anceps, respectively), and a re-evaluation of species-level characters (e.g., sclerites) is needed.

Monophyly

Calyx

Gorgonian

Sister group

Octocorallia

10.1371/journal.pone.0133517

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Citations (15)

Author Correction: Biodiversity estimates and ecological interpretations of meiofaunal communities are biased by the taxonomic approach

Communications Biology (2018)

Francesca Leasi Joseph L. Sevigny Eric M. Laflamme Tom Artois Marco Curini‐Galletti

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0119-2.].

10.1038/s42003-018-0249-6

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Citations (2)

Microbiota Associated With Ototyphlonemertes Species (Nemertea, Hoplonemertea, Monostilifera, Ototyphlonemertidae) Reveal Evidence of Phylosymbiosis

Ecology and Evolution (2024)

Francesca Leasi Ester M. Eckert Jon L. Norenburg W. Kelley Thomas Joseph L. Sevigny

ABSTRACT Phylosymbiosis, the association between the phylogenetic relatedness of hosts and the composition of their microbial communities, is a widespread phenomenon in diverse animal taxa. However, the generality of the existence of such a pattern has been questioned in many animals across the tree of life, including small‐sized aquatic invertebrates. This study aims to investigate the microbial communities associated with poorly known marine interstitial nemerteans to uncover their microbiota diversity and assess the occurrence of phylosymbiosis. Specimens from various Central American sites were analyzed using morphology‐based taxonomy and molecular techniques targeting the host 18S rRNA gene whereas their microbial association was analyzed by targeting the prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses were conducted to examine the potential effects of host nemertean taxa and sampling locations on the host‐associated microbial communities. The results provide compelling evidence of phylosymbiosis in meiofaunal nemertean species, highlighting the significant impact of host genetic relatedness on microbiome diversity in small‐sized animals. This finding supports previous studies that demonstrate how certain nemertean species harbor distinct microbial communities with functional and ecological implications. Given the remarkable diversity of meiofaunal animals—spanning numerous phyla with varying lifestyles and co‐existing in the same habitat—combined with advancements in multi‐omics approaches, there is a promising opportunity to deepen our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological interactions between hosts and their microbiota throughout the animal tree of life.

Phylogenetic diversity

10.1002/ece3.70471

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An updated assessment ofSymbiodiniumspp. that associate with common scleractinian corals from Moorea (French Polynesia) reveals high diversity among background symbionts and a novel finding of clade B

PeerJ (2017)

Héloïse Rouzé Gaël Lecellier Denis Saulnier Serge Planes Yannick Gueguen

The adaptative bleaching hypothesis (ABH) states that, depending on the symbiotic flexibility of coral hosts (i.e., the ability of corals to "switch" or "shuffle" their algal symbionts), coral bleaching can lead to a change in the composition of their associated Symbiodinium community and, thus, contribute to the coral's overall survival. In order to determine the flexibility of corals, molecular tools are required to provide accurate species delineations and to detect low levels of coral-associated Symbiodinium. Here, we used highly sensitive quantitative (real-time) PCR (qPCR) technology to analyse five common coral species from Moorea (French Polynesia), previously screened using only traditional molecular methods, to assess the presence of low-abundance (background) Symbiodinium spp. Similar to other studies, each coral species exhibited a strong specificity to a particular clade, irrespective of the environment. In addition, however, each of the five species harboured at least one additional Symbiodinium clade, among clades A-D, at background levels. Unexpectedly, and for the first time in French Polynesia, clade B was detected as a coral symbiont. These results increase the number of known coral-Symbiodinium associations from corals found in French Polynesia, and likely indicate an underestimation of the ability of the corals in this region to associate with and/or "shuffle" different Symbiodinium clades. Altogether our data suggest that corals from French Polynesia may favor a trade-off between optimizing symbioses with a specific Symbiodinium clade(s), maintaining associations with particular background clades that may play a role in the ability of corals to respond to environmental change.

Symbiodinium

Anthozoa

Zooxanthellae

10.7717/peerj.2856

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Citations (32)

Micro-CT analysis of the Caribbean octocoral Eunicea flexuosa subjected to elevated pCO2

ICES Journal of Marine Science (2015)

Ian C. Enochs Derek P. Manzello Herman H. Wirshing R. Carlton JE Serafy

Abstract Rising anthropogenic carbon dioxide has resulted in a drop in ocean pH, a phenomenon known as ocean acidification (OA). These acidified waters have many ramifications for diverse marine biota, especially those species which precipitate calcium carbonate skeletons. The permanence of coral reef ecosystems is therefore closely related to OA stress as habitat-forming corals will exhibit reduced calcification and growth. Relatively little is known concerning the fate of other constituent taxa which may either suffer concomitant declines or be competitively favoured in acidified waters. Here, we experimentally (49 d) test the effects of next century predictions for OA (pH = 7.75, pCO2 = 1081 µatm) vs. near-present-day conditions (pH = 8.01, pCO2 = 498 µatm) on the common Caribbean octocoral Eunicea flexuosa. We measure linear extension of this octocoral and use a novel technique, high-resolution micro-computed tomography, to measure potential differences in the morphology of calcified internal skeletal structures (sclerites) in a 2 mm apical section of each branch. Despite the use of highly accurate procedures, we found no significant differences between treatments in either the growth of E. flexuosa branches or the structure of their sclerites. Our results suggest a degree of resilience to OA stress and provide evidence that this octocoral species may persist on Caribbean coral reefs, despite global change.

Ocean Acidification

Biota

10.1093/icesjms/fsv159

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Citations (19)