Mémoire
| Résumé : | Genome size is the DNA content of the haploid chromosome set of an organism, which is highlyvariable among eukaryotes. Only a few data are available on the genome size of scleractiniancorals; in particular, intraspecific diversity has scarcely been studied until now. Our studyinvestigated intra- and interspecific variation in genome size of different scleractinian coralgroups collected from the Philippines (Taklong Marine Reserve). The nuclear marker ITS2 wasused for species delimitation, notably for the first time in the genus Acropora. Genome sizes weremeasured using a refined Feulgen Image Analysis Densitometry (FIAD) method, ranging from0.193 pg (Pocillopora) to 0.719 pg (Montipora) across the scleractinian genera studied. In thisstudy, we observed a common trend of intraspecific genome size variation among scleractiniancorals, even though all samples were from shallow-water environments. Due to insufficientsample sizes and limited species diversity, correlation tests on mean genome size, intraspecificgenome size variation, and genetic polymorphism assessment were conducted solely for the genusAcropora. No significant correlation was found between mean genome size and intraspecificgenomic variance with genetic polymorphism (π) in Acropora. Also, there were no significantdifferences found between the genome size of different genera including Agaricia (extracted dataof Agaricia from another study) and r vs. K reproductive strategies. Our findings indicate theneed for further investigation using more extensive groups of scleractinian corals. |
