Stock selection for coral restoration on the Great Barrier Reef: Does phenotypic diversity align to population genetic structure?

Selection of corals with beneficial phenotypes is a potential strategy to increase reef resilience via active restoration. However, this approach carries the risk of reducing genetic diversity by focusing on a subset of the population. Thus, understanding the genetic consequences of selecting colonies based solely on phenotypes is crucial. Here, we applied a novel, high-throughput phenotyping device to examine differences in photophysiological performance of 174 Acropora millepora colonies from three reefs across the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef. Through a rapid assay, we assessed photophysiological parameters of colonies exposed to a thermal gradient, and further examined how emergent phenotypes related to the genetic structure of those corals. We show that photophysiological responses of dose-response curves varied both across and within sites (maximum range of 2.16 ºC in Fq’/Fm’ ED50), but did not align with genetic structure, as all colonies belonged to a single, highly connected population. Our findings indicate that selection of A. millepora colonies based on photophysiological phenotypic performance is unlikely to impact genetic diversity in this region, demonstrating the value of considering both phenotypic traits and genetic structure for reef management.

The data file included here ("Report_DAc23-8280_SNP_2") contains the raw SNP data from sampled A. millepora colonies used to assess genetic structure and diversity of the population. SNP data were generated via genome comlexity reduction-based sequencing by Diversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd.