A molecularly based phylogeny reconstruction of mushroom corals (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) with taxonomic consequences and evolutionary implications for life history traits

By A. Gittenberger, B. Reijnen, B. Hoeksema. 2011

151 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The phylogenetic relationships of the Fungiidae, a family of predominantly free-living, zooxanthellate, reef corals, were studied by sequencing a part of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) and the complete ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) I & II of specimens from various locations in the IndoWest Pacific. Some sequences were retrieved by using fungiidspecific primers on DNA-extracts from parasitic gastropods liv ing with these corals. The analyses were performed both including and excluding intraspecific variation to investigate the poten tial effect of saturation. Even though the present molecular phylogeny reconstructions largely reflect those based on morpho logical characters, there are some distinct differences. Three major clades are distinguished, one of which consists of species with relatively long tentacles. The two other major clades cannot yet be clearly separated from each other morphologically. Several polyphyletic taxa were detected and some genera and species that previously were considered closely related to each other, appear not to be so. Proposed nomenclatorial changes include amongst others the upgrading of subgenera in Fungia to genus level. A few species moved from one genus to another. Among all Fungiidae, the loss of the ability to become free-living appears to have evolved independently as reversals in four separate clades, including two that were previously assumed to be sister groups. The evolution of corals with additional (secondary) mouths leading to polystomatous growth forms from corals with only a single primary mouth (monostomatous growth form) appears to have occurred independently ten times: seven times by extrastomatal budding and three times by intrastomatal budding. In two clades, Herpolitha and Polyphyllia, both mechanisms co-evolved. In general there is no clear relationship between the loss of a freeliving phase and the evolution of multiple mouths.

Subfields: Ecology, Oceanography

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/75a17d8be6975373db976790f92f7fbf811ca6c3

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In Ecology

1. Francesca Benzoni
2. H. Fukami
3. Danwei Huang
4. M. Kitahara
5. C. Fransen
6. J. Stolarski
7. B. Hoeksema
8. F. Stefani

In Oceanography

1. Francesca Benzoni
2. H. Fukami
3. B. Hoeksema
4. F. Stefani
5. C. Fransen

Citations in the corpus

• The mushroom coral as a habitat (2011, background): “Eventually, the numbers of the largest and most commonly represented associated taxa are plotted on a cladogram of the Fungiidae (Gittenberger et al., 2011) in order to analyse the evolutionary and ecomorphological traits of coral hosts and their associated fauna.”
• Phylogenetic position and taxonomy of Cycloseris explanulata and C. wellsi (Scleractinia: Fungiidae): lost mushroom corals find their way home (2012, background): “wellsi in the Fungiidae, the number of ten attached species among 50 mushroom coral species (Gittenberger et al., 2011) has increased to 12 among 52.”
• Environmental impacts of dredging and other sediment disturbances on corals: a review. (2012, unknown): “…evolutionary development of additional mouths over the upper surface in mushroom corals has resulted in the growth of larger coralla but also in a greater chance of survival during sedimentation—if one mouth is blocked by sediments, others remain intact (Hoeksema, 1991a; Gittenberger et al., 2011).”
• A phylogeny reconstruction of the Dendrophylliidae (Cnidaria, Scleractinia) based on molecular and micromorphological criteria, and its ecological implications (2014, background): “…macromorphology, provided support to molecular evidence (Cuif et al. 2003; Benzoni et al. 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012a,b; Budd & Stolarski 2009, 2011; Gittenberger et al. 2011; Janiszewska et al. 2011; Stefani et al. 2011; Stolarski et al. 2011; Budd et al. 2012; Kitahara et al. 2012a,b;…”
• The new systematics of scleractinia: Integrating molecular and morphological evidence (2016, background): “Transformations of life history traits onto the molecular phylogeny further showed that the ability to be free living was lost four times and the evolution of multiple mouths occurred ten times, all independently throughout the evolutionary history of Fungiidae (Gittenberger et al. 2011).”