Lack of host specificity of copepod crustaceans associated with mushroom corals in the Red Sea

Publication date: Available online 15 June 2018Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and EvolutionAuthor(s): Viatcheslav N. Ivanenko, Bert W. Hoeksema, Sofya V. Mudrova, Mikhail A. Nikitin, Alejandro Martínez, Nadezda N. Rimskaya-Korsakova, Michael L. Berumen, Diego FontanetoAbstractThe radiation of symbiotic copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) living in association with stony corals (Cnidaria: Scleractinia) is considered host-specific and linked to the phylogenetic diversification of their hosts. However, symbiotic copepods are poorly investigated, occurrence records are mostly anecdotal, and no explicit analysis exists regarding their relationship with the hosts. Here, we analysed the occurrence of symbiotic copepods on different co-occurring and phylogenetically closely related scleractinian corals. We used an innovative approach of DNA extraction from single microscopic specimens that preserves the shape of the organisms for integrative morphological studies. The rationale of the study involved: (i) sampling of mushroom corals (Fungiidae) belonging to 13 species and eight genera on different reefs along the Saudi coastline in the Red Sea, (ii) extraction of all the associated copepods, (iii) morphological screening and identification of copepod species, (iv) use of DNA taxonomy on mitochondrial and nuclear markers to determine species boundaries for morphologically unknown copepod species, (v) reconstruction of phylogenies to understand their evolutionary relationships, and (vi) an...
Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research