Assisted gene flow using cryopreserved sperm in critically endangered coral
| Autor: | Tali Vardi, Keri L. O’Neil, Trinity L. Conn, Kristen L. Marhaver, Iliana B. Baums, Jennifer Moore, H. D. Blackburn, Valérie F. Chamberland, Christopher A. Page, Lucas Tichy, Claire Lager, Kathryn E. Lohr, Mark J. A. Vermeij, Mary Hagedorn, Thomas J. Moore, Daisy M. Flores, Nikolas Zuchowicz |
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| Přispěvatelé: | IBED Other Research (FNWI), IBED (FNWI), Freshwater and Marine Ecology (IBED, FNWI) |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Gene Flow
Male Conservation of Natural Resources assisted gene flow Coral Population Endangered species Zoology Gene flow Critically endangered Animals Acropora education Cryopreservation Genetic diversity education.field_of_study Multidisciplinary biology Coral Reefs Reproduction fungi Endangered Species Puerto Rico technology industry and agriculture biochemical phenomena metabolism and nutrition Biological Sciences Anthozoa biology.organism_classification coral reproduction Spermatozoa Acropora palmata Genetics Population Germ Cells Fertilization Threatened species Florida Applied Biological Sciences geographic locations |
| Zdroj: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(38):e2110559118. National Academy of Sciences Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| ISSN: | 1091-6490 0027-8424 |
| Popis: | Significance Global change threatens the genetic diversity of economically important and foundational ecosystem-building species such as corals. We tested whether cryopreserved coral sperm could be used to transfer genetic diversity among genetically isolated populations of the critically endangered Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata. Here we report successful assisted gene flow (AGF) in corals using cryopreserved sperm, yielding the largest living wildlife population ever created from cryopreserved cells. Furthermore, we produced direct evidence that genetically distinct populations of Caribbean coral can interbreed. Thus, we demonstrated that sperm cryopreservation can enable efficient, large-scale AGF in corals. This form of assisted genetic migration can enhance genetic diversity and help critically endangered species adapt to local environments in the face of rapid global change. Assisted gene flow (AGF) is a conservation intervention to accelerate species adaptation to climate change by importing genetic diversity into at-risk populations. Corals exemplify both the need for AGF and its technical challenges; corals have declined in abundance, suffered pervasive reproductive failures, and struggled to adapt to climate change, yet mature corals cannot be easily moved for breeding, and coral gametes lose viability within hours. Here, we report the successful demonstration of AGF in corals using cryopreserved sperm that was frozen for 2 to 10 y. We fertilized Acropora palmata eggs from the western Caribbean (Curaçao) with cryopreserved sperm from genetically distinct populations in the eastern and central Caribbean (Florida and Puerto Rico, respectively). We then confirmed interpopulation parentage in the Curaçao–Florida offspring using 19,696 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Thus, we provide evidence of reproductive compatibility of a Caribbean coral across a recognized barrier to gene flow. The 6-mo survival of AGF offspring was 42%, the highest ever achieved in this species, yielding the largest wildlife population ever raised from cryopreserved material. By breeding a critically endangered coral across its range without moving adults, we show that AGF using cryopreservation is a viable conservation tool to increase genetic diversity in threatened marine populations. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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