Spatial genetic patterns in lagoonal, reef-slope and island populations of the coral Platygyra daedalea in Kenya and Tanzania

Considering the rapid degradation of coral reefs, it is becoming increasingly important to assess factors such as levels of intraspecific genetic diversity and degree of connectivity between populations and reefs. In this study, five DNA microsatellite markers were used to infer migration patterns and levels of genetic diversity in ten populations of the faviid coral Platygyra daedalea along the coast of East Africa. Populations from reef-slopes and offshore islands had significantly greater genetic diversity, measured as expected heterozygosity and allelic richness than those of inshore lagoonal reefs. A combination of F-statistics and individual assignment tests indicated moderate to high levels of gene flow among lagoonal populations, and less migration between lagoonal sites and the reef-slope and island sites. These results suggest that reef-slope and island reefs could be important reservoirs of genetic diversity for this coral species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.