Dataset Information

Clonal structure through space and time: High stability in the holothurian Stichopus chloronotus (Echinodermata).

ABSTRACT: Sea cucumbers are increasingly exploited for human consumption and for their curative properties, and many wild populations are now depleted or in danger of extinction. While aquaculture is seen as an alternative to fisheries and as a mean to restore wild populations, more knowledge is needed on their reproductive strategies to render this practice efficient, notably for fissiparous holothurians, which are some of the mobile animals able of asexual reproduction by transverse fission. Little information is available on their population genetic diversity and structure. Here, the clonal structure of populations of the fissiparous sea cucumber Stichopus chloronotus has been investigated using nine microsatellite loci and a random sampling, at different spatial (intra-reef and inter-reef) and temporal (inter-season and inter-year) scales. Our findings highlight the importance of asexual reproduction in maintaining these populations, and the prevalence of the "initial seedling recruitment" strategy (ISR), leading to a high stability of clonal composition over seasons and years. It also seemed that clonal propagation was limited to the reef scale (<10 km) while reefs were connected by sexual dispersal. This is the first time that clonal structure in sea cucumbers has been studied at such a fine scale, with a specific sampling strategy. It provides key findings on the genetic diversity and structure of fissiparous sea cucumbers, which will be useful for the management of wild populations and aquaculture.

SUBMITTER: Pirog A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5606904 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Clonal structure through space and time: High stability in the holothurian <i>Stichopus chloronotus</i> (Echinodermata).

Pirog Agathe A Gélin Pauline P Bédier Alexandre A Bianchetti Grégoire G Georget Stéphane S Frouin Patrick P Magalon Hélène H

Ecology and evolution 20170814 18

Sea cucumbers are increasingly exploited for human consumption and for their curative properties, and many wild populations are now depleted or in danger of extinction. While aquaculture is seen as an alternative to fisheries and as a mean to restore wild populations, more knowledge is needed on their reproductive strategies to render this practice efficient, notably for fissiparous holothurians, which are some of the mobile animals able of asexual reproduction by transverse fission. Little info ...[more]

PMID: 28944037

Similar Datasets

Project description:Coastal ecosystems experience a wide range of stressors including wave forces, storm surge, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic modification and are thus vulnerable to erosion. Urban coastal ecosystems are especially important due to the large populations these limited ecosystems serve. However, few studies have addressed the issue of urban coastal vulnerability at the landscape scale with spatial data that are finely resolved. The purpose of this study was to model and map coastal vulnerability and the role of natural habitats in reducing vulnerability in Jamaica Bay, New York, in terms of nine coastal vulnerability metrics (relief, wave exposure, geomorphology, natural habitats, exposure, exposure with no habitat, habitat role, erodible shoreline, and surge) under past (1609), current (2015), and future (2080) scenarios using InVEST 3.2.0. We analyzed vulnerability results both spatially and across all time periods, by stakeholder (ownership) and by distance to damage from Hurricane Sandy. We found significant differences in vulnerability metrics between past, current and future scenarios for all nine metrics except relief and wave exposure. The marsh islands in the center of the bay are currently vulnerable. In the future, these islands will likely be inundated, placing additional areas of the shoreline increasingly at risk. Significant differences in vulnerability exist between stakeholders; the Breezy Point Cooperative and Gateway National Recreation Area had the largest erodible shoreline segments. Significant correlations exist for all vulnerability (exposure/surge) and storm damage combinations except for exposure and distance to artificial debris. Coastal protective features, ranging from storm surge barriers and levees to natural features (e.g. wetlands), have been promoted to decrease future flood risk to communities in coastal areas around the world. Our methods of combining coastal vulnerability results with additional data and across multiple time periods have considerable potential to provide valuable predictions that resource managers can effectively use to identify areas for restoration and protection.

Dataset Information

Clonal structure through space and time: High stability in the holothurian Stichopus chloronotus (Echinodermata).

Publications

Clonal structure through space and time: High stability in the holothurian <i>Stichopus chloronotus</i> (Echinodermata).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets