Dataset Information

Descriptions of two azooxanthellate Palythoa species (Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Zoantharia) from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan.

ABSTRACT: Two new species of zoantharians (Hexacorallia, Zoantharia, Sphenopidae), Palythoamizigama sp. n. and Palythoaumbrosa sp. n., are described from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Unlike almost all other known Palythoa spp., both species are azooxanthellate and inhabit low-light environments such as floors or sides of caves, crevasses, or hollows of shallow coral reefs. The two species were initially considered to be the same species from their similar habitat environments and highly similar morphological features. However, phylogenetic analyses of nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences revealed that these two species have a genetically distant relationship within the genus Palythoa. Morphological characteristics, including polyp size, tentacle number, external/internal coloration, and types and sizes of cnidae were examined in this study. As a result, only tentacle coloration was found to be useful for the morphological distinction between the two species. Palythoamizigama possesses white tentacles with black horizontal stripes while Palythoaumbrosa possesses white tentacles without any stripe patterns. Considering their distant phylogenetic relationship, it can be assumed that their unique yet similar morphological and ecological characteristics developed independently in each species as an example of parallel evolution.

SUBMITTER: Irei Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4319050 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Descriptions of two azooxanthellate Palythoa species (Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Zoantharia) from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan.

Irei Yuka Y Sinniger Frederic F Reimer James Davis JD

ZooKeys 20150128 478

Two new species of zoantharians (Hexacorallia, Zoantharia, Sphenopidae), Palythoamizigama sp. n. and Palythoaumbrosa sp. n., are described from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan. Unlike almost all other known Palythoa spp., both species are azooxanthellate and inhabit low-light environments such as floors or sides of caves, crevasses, or hollows of shallow coral reefs. The two species were initially considered to be the same species from their similar habitat environments and highly similar ...[more]

PMID: 25685008

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Project description:Across eukaryotes, large variations of genome sizes have been observed even between closely related species. Transposable elements as part of the repeated DNA have been proposed and confirmed as one of the most important contributors to genome size variation. However, the evolutionary implications of genome size variation and transposable element dynamics are not well understood. Together with phenotypic traits, they are commonly referred to as the "C-value enigma". The order Zoantharia are benthic cnidarians found from intertidal zones to the deep sea, and some species are particularly abundant in coral reefs. Despite their high ecological relevance, zoantharians have yet to be largely studied from the genomic point of view. This study aims at investigating the role of the repeatome (total content of repeated elements) in genome size variations across the order Zoantharia. To this end, whole-genomes of 32 zoantharian species representing five families were sequenced. Genome sizes were estimated and the abundances of different repeat classes were assessed. In addition, the repeat overlap between species was assessed by a sequence clustering method. The genome sizes in the dataset varied up to 2.4 fold magnitude. Significant correlations between genome size, repeated DNA content and transposable elements, respectively (Pearson's correlation test R2 = 0.47, p = 0.0016; R2 = 0.22, p = 0.05) were found, suggesting their involvement in the dynamics of genome expansion and reduction. In all species, long interspersed nuclear elements and DNA transposons were the most abundant identified elements. These transposable elements also appeared to have had a recent expansion event. This was in contrast to the comparative clustering analysis which revealed species-specific patterns of satellite elements' amplification. In summary, the genome sizes of zoantharians likely result from the complex dynamics of repeated elements. Finally, the majority of repeated elements (up to 70%) could not be annotated to a known repeat class, highlighting the need to further investigate non-model cnidarian genomes. More research is needed to understand how repeated DNA dynamics relate to zoantharian evolution and their biology.

Dataset Information

Descriptions of two azooxanthellate Palythoa species (Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Zoantharia) from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan.

Publications

Descriptions of two azooxanthellate Palythoa species (Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Zoantharia) from the Ryukyu Archipelago, southern Japan.

Similar Datasets

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