Data from: Population structure and connectivity of the mountainous star coral, Orbicella faveolata, throughout the wider Caribbean region

As coral reefs continue to decline worldwide, it becomes ever more necessary to understand the connectivity between coral populations to develop efficient management strategies facilitating survival and adaptation of coral reefs in the future. Orbicella faveolata is one of the most important reef-building corals in the Caribbean and has recently experienced severe population reductions. Here, we utilize a panel of nine microsatellite loci to evaluate the genetic structure of O. faveolata and to infer connectivity across ten sites spanning the wider Caribbean region. Populations are generally well-mixed throughout the basin (FST = 0.038), although notable patterns of substructure arise at local and regional scales. Eastern and western populations appear segregated with a genetic break around the Mona Passage in the north, as has been shown previously in other species; however, we find evidence for significant connectivity between Curaçao and Mexico, suggesting that the southern margin of this barrier is permeable to dispersal. Our results also identify a strong genetic break within the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System associated with complex oceanographic patterns that promote larval retention in southern Belize. Additionally, the diverse genetic signature at Flower Garden Banks suggests its possible function as a downstream genetic sink. The findings reported here are relevant to the ongoing conservation efforts for this important and threatened species, and contribute to the growing understanding of large-scale coral reef connectivity throughout the wider Caribbean.随着全球珊瑚礁持续衰退，深入理解珊瑚种群间的连通性以制定高效管理策略、保障未来珊瑚礁的存续与适应能力，变得愈发紧迫。合叶珊瑚（Orbicella faveolata）是加勒比海地区最重要的造礁珊瑚之一，近年来种群规模遭遇严重缩减。本研究利用一套包含9个微卫星位点（microsatellite loci）的检测面板，评估该物种的遗传结构，并推断覆盖整个加勒比海区域10个采样点的种群连通性模式。整体而言，该海域种群在盆地范围内混合度较高（FST = 0.038），但在局地和区域尺度上存在显著的亚结构特征。正如此前其他物种研究中所揭示的，加勒比海东西部种群呈现分化，北部的莫纳通道（Mona Passage）附近存在遗传断裂带；然而本研究发现库拉索岛与墨西哥海域间存在显著的种群连通性证据，表明该屏障的南部边缘对幼虫扩散具有通透性。本研究结果同时在中美洲堡礁系统（Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System）内检测到强烈的遗传断裂，该现象与复杂的海洋环流模式相关，这类环流会促进伯利兹南部海域的幼虫滞留。此外，花花园银行（Flower Garden Banks）区域呈现出多样的遗传特征，提示其可能作为下游遗传汇（genetic sink）发挥功能。本研究的发现对这一受威胁的重要物种的持续保护工作具有参考价值，同时也为深化对整个加勒比海区域大规模珊瑚礁种群连通性的认知提供了新的科学依据。