Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

DNA fingerprints of a gorgonian coral: a method for detecting clonal structure in a vegetative species

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Clonal reproduction, a common life history strategy among sessile marine invertebrates, can lead to high local abundances of one to a few genotypes in a population. Analysis of the clonal structure of such populations can provide insight into the ecological and evolutionary history of the population, but requires markers that can identify individual genets. Forensic and demographic studies have demonstrated that DNA fingerprinting can provide markers that are unique for an individual genotype. We have generated DNA fingerprints for over 70 colonies of the clonal gorgonian, Plexaura A (Plexaura sp. A) collected from June 1990 through July 1991 in the San Blas Islands, Panama. DNA fingerprints within a singic individual were identical and fingerprinting resolved multiple genotypes within and among reefs. On one reef in the San Blas Islands, Panama, 59% of the colonies sampled were of one genotype and this genotype was not found on any other sampled reefs. A previous study using tissue grafts identified 13 putative clones on these reefs, while DNA fingerprints of the same colonies differentiated 17 genotypes. The present study demonstrates the utility of DNA fingerprinting for distinguishing clones and for identifying clonal structure of marine invertebrate populations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Ayre, D. J. (1983). The effects of asexual reproduction and intergenotypic aggression on the genotypic structure of populations of the sea anempone Actinia tenebrosa. Oecologia 57: 158–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayre, D. J. (1984). The effect of sexual and asexual reproduction on geographic variation in the sea anemone Actinia tenebrosa. Oecologia 62: 222–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayre, D. J., Willis, B. L. (1988). Population structure in the coral Pavona cactus: clonal genotypes show little phenotypic plasticity. Mar. Biol. 99: 494–505

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellamy, R. J., Inglehearn, C. F., Jalili, I. K., Jeffreys, A. J., Bhattacharya, S. S. (1991). Increased band sharing in DNA fingerprints in an inbred human population. Hum. Genet. 87: 341–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Birkhead, T. R., Burke, T., Zann, R., Hunter, F. M., Krupa, A. P. (1990). Extra-pair paternity and intraspecific brood parasitism in wild zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, revealed by DNA fingerprinting. Behavl Ecol. Sociobiol. 27: 315–324

    Google Scholar 

  • Brazeau, D. A., Lasker, H. R. (1989). The reproductive cycle and spawning in a Caribbean gorgonian. Biol. Bull. mar. Biol. Lab., Woods Hole 176: 1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, J., Bruford, M. W. (1987). DNA fingerprinting in birds. Nature. Lond. 327: 149–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke, T., Davies, N. B., Bruford, M. W., Hatchwell, B. J. (1989). Parental care and mating behavior of polyandrous dunnocks Prunella modularis related to paternity by DNA fingerprinting. Nature, Lond. 338: 249–251

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho, G. R., Maclean, N., Wratten, S. D., Carter, R. E., Thurston, J. P. (1991). Differentiation of aphid clones using DNA fingerprints from individual aphids. Proc. R. Soc. (Ser. B) 243: 109–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, A. S. G., Kerr, J., Knowlton, N. (1982). Graft rejection in sponges. Transplantation 33: 127–133

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulkes, C. G., Abbott, D. H., Mellor, A. L. (1990). Investigation of genetic diversity in wild colonies of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) by DNA fingerprinting. J. Zool., Lond. 221: 87–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, A. P., Vogelstein, B. (1983). A technique for radiolabeling DNA restriction endonuclease fragments to high specific activity. Analyt. Biochem. 132: 6–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D. A., Lehman, N., O'Brien, S. J., Wayne, R. K. (1990) Genetic fingerprinting reflects population differentiation in the California Channel Island fox. Nature, Lond. 344: 764–767

    Google Scholar 

  • Hebert, P. D. N., Beaton, M. J., Schwartz, S. S., Stanton, D. J. (1989). Polyphyletic origins of asexuality in Daphnia pulex. I. Breeding-system variation and levels of clonal diversity. Evolution, Lawrence Kansas 43: 1004–1015

    Google Scholar 

  • Hebert, P. D. N., Ward, R. D., Weider, L. J. (1988). Clonal-diversity patterns and breeding-system variation in Daphnia pulex, an asexual-sexual complex. Evolution, Lawrence, Kansas, 42(1): 147–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Highsmith, R. C. (1982). Reproduction by fragmentation in corals. Mar. Biol. Prog. Ser. 7: 207–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, R. J. (1976). Genetics and asexual reproduction of the sea anemone Metridium senile. Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole 151: 478–488

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, R. J. (1986). Variation in contributions of asexual reproduction to the genetic structure of populations of the sea anemone Metridium senile. Evolution, Lawrence, Kansas, 40(2): 357–365

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, R. J. (1987). Short-term stability of genetic structure in populations of the sea anemone Metridium senile. Mar. Biol 93: 499–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, C. L. (1985). Assessment of clonal diversity and population structure of Porites compressa (Cnidaria, Scleractinia). Proc. 5th int. coral Reef Congr. 6: 69–74 [Gabrié, C. et al. (eds.) Antenne Museum — EPHE, Moorea, French Polynesia]

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. B. C. (1985). Distribution and ecology of clonal and aclonal benthic invertebrates. In: Jackson, J. B. C., Buss, L. W., Cook, R. F. (eds.) Population biology and evolution of clonal organisms. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, p. 297–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffreys, A. J., Morton, D. B. (1987). DNA fingerprinting of dogs and cats. Anim. Genet. 18: 1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffreys, A. J., Royle, N. J., Wilson, V., Wong, Z. (1988). Spontaneous mutation rates to new length alleles at tandem-repetitive hypervariable loci in human DNA. Nature, Lond. 322: 278–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V., Kelly, R., Taylor, B. A., Bulfield, G. (1987). Mouse DNA ‘fingerprints’: analysis of chromosome localisation and germ-line stability of hypervariable loci in recombinant inbred strains. Nucleic Acids Res. 15: 2823–2836

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V., Thein, S. L. (1985a). Hypervariable ‘minisatellite’ regions in human DNA. Nature Lond. 314: 67–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffreys, A. J., Wilson, V., Thein, S. L. (1985b). Individual-specific ‘fingerprints’ of human DNA. Nature, Lond. 316: 76–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. S., Threlfall, T. J. (1987). Fissiparity and population genetics of Coscinasterias calamaria. Mar. Biol. 93: 517–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhnlein, U., Zadworny, D., Dawe, Y., Fairfull, R. W., Gavora, J. S. (1990). Assessment of inbreeding by DNA fingerprinting: development of a calibration curve using defined strains of chicken. Genetics, Baltimore, Md 125: 161–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, H. R. (1984). Asexual reproduction, fragmentation, and skeletal morphology of a plexaurid gorgonian. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 19: 261–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, H. R. (1990). Clonal propagation and population dynamics of a gorgonian coral. Ecology 71: 1578–1589

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, H. R., Coffroth, M. A. (1985). Vegetative reproduction, clonal spread, and histocompatibility in a Caribbean gorgonian. Proc. 5th intl. coral Reef Congr. 4: 331–336. [Gabrié, C. et al. (eds.) Antenne Museum — EPHE, Moorea, French Polynesia]

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, M. (1988). Estimation of relatedness by DNA fingerprinting. Molec. Biol. Evolut. 5(5): 584–599

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, M. (1990). The similarity index and DNA fingerprinting. Molec. Biol. Evolut. 7: 478–484

    Google Scholar 

  • Neigel, J. E., Avise, J. C. (1983a) Clonal diversity and population structure in a reef-building coral, Acropora cervicornis: self-recognition analysis and demographic interpretation. Evolution, Lawrence, Kansas 37: 437–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Neigel, J. E., Avise, J. C. (1983b). Histocompatibility bioassays of population structure in marine sponges. J. Hered. 74: 134–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Nybom, H., Rogstad, S. H. (1990) DNA “fingerprints” detect genetic variation in Acer negundo (Aceraceae). Pl. Syst. Evol. 1734: 49–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Nybom, H., Schaal, B. A. (1990). DNA “fingerprints” reveal genotypic distributions in natural populations of blackberries and raspberries (Rubus, Rosaceae). Am. J. Bot. 77: 883–888

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeve, H. K., Westneat, D. F., Noon, W. A., Sherman, P. W., Aquadro, C. F. (1990). DNA “fingerprinting” reveals high levels of inbreeding in colonies of the eusocial naked mole-rat. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87: 2496–2500

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogstad, S. H., Nybom, H., Schaal, B. A. (1991). The tetrapod DNA fingerprinting M13 repeat probe reveals genetic diversity and clonal growth in quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Salicacceae). Pl. Syst. Evol. 175: 115–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogstad, S. H., Patton, J. C., Schaal, B. A. (1988). M13 repeat probe detects DNA minisatellite-like sequences in gymnosperms and angiosperms. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85: 9176–9178

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowan, R., Powers, D. A. (1991). Molecular genetic identification of symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae). Mar. Biol. 71: 65–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryskov, A. P., Jincharadze, A. G., Prosnyak, M. I., Ivanov, P. L., Limborska, S. A. (1988). M13 phage DNA as a universal marker for DNA fingerprinting of animals, plants and microorganisms. Fedn. eur. biochem. Soc. (FEBS) Lett. 233(2): 388–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Saghai-Maroof, M. A., Sollman, K. M., Jorgensen, R. A., Allard, R. W. (1984). Ribosomal DNA spacer-length polymorphisms in barley. Mendelian inheritance, chromosomal location and population dynamics. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81: 8014–8018

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, J. A. (1984). Genetical structure within populations of the coral Pocillopora damicornis. Mar. Biol. 81: 19–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart, J. A., Ayre, D. J., Willis, B., Heyward, A. J. (1985). Selfrecognition in sponges and corals? Evolution, Lawrence, Kansas 39: 461–463

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, B. J., Elder, J. F., Laughlin, T. F., Davis, W. P. (1990). Genetic variation in clonal vertebrates detected by simple-sequence DNA fingerprinting. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87: 5653–5657

    Google Scholar 

  • Uitterlinden, A. G., Slagboom, P. E., Johnson, T. E., Vijg, V. (1989). The Caenorhabditis elegans genome contains monomorphic minisatellites and simple sequences. Nucleic Acids Res. 17: 9527

    Google Scholar 

  • Vassart, G., Georges, M., Monsieur, R., Brocas, H., Lequarre, A. S., Christophe, D. (1987). A sequence in the M13 phage detects hypervariable minisatellite in human and animal DNA. Science, N.Y. 235: 683–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Westneat, D. F. (1990). Genetic parentage in the indigo bunting: a study using DNA fingerprinting. Behavl Ecol. Sociobiol. 27: 67–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Westneat, D. F., Noon, W. A., Reeve, H. K., Aquadro, C. F. (1988). Improved hybridization conditions for DNA “fingerprinting” probed with M13. Nucleic Acids Res. 16: 4161

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetton, J. H., Carter, R. E., Parkin, D. T., Walters, D. (1987). Demographic study of a wild house sparrow population by DNA fingerprinting. Nature, Lond. 327: 147–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G. C. (1975). Sex and evolution. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • Willis, B. L., Ayre, D. J. (1985). Asexual reproduction and genetic determination of growth form in the coral Pavona cactus: biochemical, genetic and immunogenic evidence. Oecologia 65: 516–525

    Google Scholar 

  • Wulff, J. L. (1986). Variation in clone structure of fragmenting coral reef sponges. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 27: 311–330

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Science, State University of New York at Buffalo, 14260, Buffalo, New York, USA

    Mary Alice Coffroth, Howard R. Lasker, Margaret E. Diamond & Jeremy A. Bruenn

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apdo 2072, Balboa, Republic of Panama

    Eldredge Bermingham

Authors
  1. Mary Alice Coffroth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Howard R. Lasker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Margaret E. Diamond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jeremy A. Bruenn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Eldredge Bermingham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by J. Grassle, New Brunswick

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coffroth, M.A., Lasker, H.R., Diamond, M.E. et al. DNA fingerprints of a gorgonian coral: a method for detecting clonal structure in a vegetative species. Marine Biology 114, 317–325 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349534

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349534

Keywords

Search

Navigation