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Hybridization and the Evolution of Reef Coral Diversity
Steven V. Vollmer,*Stephen R. Palumbi
Hundreds of coral species coexist sympatrically on reefs,
reproducing in mass-spawning events where hybridization appearscommon.
In the Caribbean, DNA sequence data from all three sympatricAcropora corals show that mass spawning does not erode
speciesbarriers. Species A. cervicornis and A. palmata are distinct attwo nuclear loci or share ancestral
alleles. Morphotypes historicallygiven the name Acropora
prolifera are entirely F1 hybrids of thesetwo
species, showing morphologies that depend on which speciesprovides the
egg for hybridization. Although selection limitsthe evolutionary
potential of hybrids, F1 individuals can reproduceasexually and form long-lived, potentially immortal hybrids withunique
morphologies.
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard
University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
svollmer{at}oeb.harvard.edu
The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:
In Science Magazine
LETTERS
Charles J. Cole;, Steven V. Vollmer, and Stephen R. Palumbi (13 December 2002) Science298 (5601), 2130.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.298.5601.2130] |Full Text »|PDF »
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Elizabeth Pennisi (14 June 2002) Science296 (5575), 1949a.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.296.5575.1949a] |Summary »|Full Text »|PDF »
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