Via Flickr : Algaedoc For the stony coral keeper, properly identifying corals is always a bit of a guessing game. A new study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology highlights this fact using molecular techniques to identify various Porites species. Fellow aquarist Rob Toonen and his colleagues used molecular techniques and once again have proven that looks can be deceiving. [...]
Via Flickr : Algaedoc
For the stony coral keeper, properly identifying corals is always a bit of a guessing game. A new study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology highlights this fact using molecular techniques to identify various Porites species. Fellow aquarist Rob Toonen and his colleagues used molecular techniques and once again have proven that looks can be deceiving. When comparing the genetic to morphological identification, three species that morphologically appeared to be Porites lutea belonged to three genetically different groups. 2 of the 91 corals analyzed had identical genetic information, but one took on a branching growth while the other a mound pattern. The conclusion they give:
This study demonstrates that the coral skeleton can be remarkably evolutionarily plastic, which may explain some taxonomic difficulties, and obscure underlying patterns of endemism and diversity.
The name game is a fun and integral part of the hobby, but if in the future you’re unsure about a specific species ID–don’t fret. Nothing is wrong with “Purple Acropora”.
The full research article can be found here: Shape-shifting corals: Molecular markers show morphology is evolutionarily plastic in Porites.
[PFK]
