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First-generation fitness consequences of interpopulational hybridisation in a Great Barrier Reef coral and its implications for assisted migration management

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Abstract

The translocation of populations within their natural distribution ranges to instigate crossings between genetic stocks may enhance adaptive potential and resilience. Colonies of the reef-building coral, Acropora millepora, collected in the warmer central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) were experimentally crossed with conspecific colonies from the cooler southern GBR. Fertilisation success was high in all purebred and regional hybrid crosses (>83 %). After 4 months in the field at the southern location, survival rates differed as follows: native purebreds > regional hybrids > central GBR purebreds. The southern GBR purebreds were smaller at settlement compared with the other groups, but this difference disappeared towards the end of the grow-out period. While no benefit of genetic mixing in the F1 generation of this species was evident from our work, it is possible that hybrid vigour exists for other traits, such as thermal tolerance, and over different spatial scales, for different species, or in later generations.

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Acknowledgments

This research was jointly funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. We would like to acknowledge statistical advice by M. Logan (AIMS).

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Correspondence to M. J. H. van Oppen.

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Communicated by Biology Editor Dr. Mark Vermeij

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

338_2014_1145_MOESM1_ESM.docx

Supplementary material 1: Methods for fertilisation trials, rearing and settling of coral larvae, deployment of recruits into the field and photography of juveniles. (DOCX 1136 kb)

Supplementary material 2: Survival of corals recruits: statistical analysis and results. (DOCX 1185 kb)

Supplementary material 3: Growth of corals recruits: statistical analysis and results. (DOCX 16 kb)

Supplementary material 4: Results of fertilisation trials. (DOCX 20 kb)

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van Oppen, M.J.H., Puill-Stephan, E., Lundgren, P. et al. First-generation fitness consequences of interpopulational hybridisation in a Great Barrier Reef coral and its implications for assisted migration management. Coral Reefs 33, 607–611 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-014-1145-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-014-1145-2

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