Geographic distance, sedimentation, and substrate shape cryptic crustose coralline algal assemblages in the world's largest subtropical intertidal algal reef. Issue 11 (15th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhan, Shing Hei; Chen, Ling; Liao, Chen‐Pan; Chang, Wun‐Ruei; Li, Cheng‐Chin; Tang, Guang‐You; Liou, Ching‐Yu; Wang, Wei‐Lung; Wang, Shih‐Wei; Liu, Shao‐Lun
• Is Part Of: Molecular ecology. Volume 31:Issue 11(2022)
• Page Start: 3056
• Page End: 3071
• Publication Date: 2022-04-15
• Subjects: algal reef -- biodiversity -- crustose coralline algae -- cryptic species -- distance decay -- DNA barcoding -- industrialization -- intertidal zone -- subtropics; Molecular ecology -- Periodicals; Molecular population biology -- Periodicals; 576
• DOI: 10.1111/mec.16455
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0962-1083

Abstract

Abstract: Algal reefs, concreted by crustose coralline algae (CCA), are the main biotic reefs in temperate waters but rare in the subtropics and tropics. The world's largest known intertidal algal reef in the subtropics is the Taoyuan Algal Reef (TAR) located in the northwestern coast of Taiwan. The biodiversity and ecology of the TAR are scarcely explored, and now the reef is imperiled by industrialization. Here, we document cryptic species of CCA in Taiwan, particularly the TAR, by sequencing the psb A genes of over 1800 specimens collected across Taiwan. We also examine the ecological background of the TAR by surveying its benthic composition and measuring its environmental parameters. Our data reveal that the TAR harbours a high diversity of cryptic CCA species (27 molecular operational taxonomic units, or mOTUs), many of which are potentially new to science (18 mOTUs) and/or endemic to the TAR (9 mOTUs). Comparing the CCA species inventory of the TAR with the rest of Taiwan shows that the TAR represents a unique hotspot of CCA taxa in the waters of Taiwan. Our analyses show that variation in the CCA assemblages in the TAR is associated with geographic distance, sedimentation, and substrate type (for example, reef vs. hermit crab shell), suggesting that dispersal limitation and contemporary environmental selection shape the CCA assemblages in the TAR. The data from this study can inform the monitoring of human impacts on the health of the TAR and contribute to our understanding of the ecological processes underlying algal reef development.