Origin and impacts of ploidy variation in the coral Pocillopora acuta in Hawai‘i

Clicks: 36
ID: 324157
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #65 of 280 articles by views in molecular biology and evolution

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 280 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Differences in ploidy impact fitness, shaping adaptation and evolutionary trajectories. Although polyploidy has been documented in corals, the mechanisms that give rise to polyploidy and the phenotypic consequences of this variation are unknown. We established a model population of 326 Pocillopora acuta colonies in Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i, and used RAD sequencing of these samples and historical collections to define clonal lineages, ploidy state, and mechanistic origin of polyploidy in each colony. We also measured growth, morphometrics, thermal tolerance, and fecundity in common-gardened corals. Here we show that triploidy in P. acuta likely originated via allopolyploidy via hybridization between P. acuta and its sister species, P. damicornis. Triploids were present in this population before and after the 2014/2015 bleaching events, becoming the dominant ploidy on contemporary reefs (>60% of genotypes). These bleaching events did not select for triploid genotypes; however, relative triploid abundance may have increased in part due to higher growth rates compared to diploids. Both ploidies released larvae on the same lunar cycle and there was no difference in photosynthetic efficiency during heat stress, but triploid colonies experienced greater mortality at lower levels of stress, suggesting a host-derived fitness consequence influenced by ploidy state. This work highlights a cryptic source of variance in coral fitness, with important implications for understanding their ecology and evolution.
Reference Key
openalex_W7201833179 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Erika C. Johnston, Carlo Caruso, Tahirih Perez, Spencer Miller, Cameron Lau, Crawford Drury
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal molecular biology and evolution
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/molbev/msag198
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag198
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.