Reproductive strategies and genotypic diversity for island populations
of the large-sized seagrass species Enhalus acoroides: evidence
of extreme clonality at the range edge
Abstract
Seagrasses are globally declining due to direct human impacts and
climate change. Effective measures of seagrass conservation, management,
and restoration require an understanding of the variation in
reproductive strategies. Here, we examine how reproductive strategies
differ between core and range-edge populations for the widely
distributed but regionally threatened seagrass species Enhalus
acoroides, spanning more than 5000 km. We fill an important gap in
geographic coverage by including western Pacific islands, a region often
overlooked in Indo-Pacific seagrass genetic studies. Specifically, we
assess genotypic diversity, clonal structure, and genetic connectivity
for thirty-six populations across islands or small island groups
throughout Southeast Asia and Micronesia. Near the range edge,
exceptionally low genotypic richness was found for geographically
isolated islands in Micronesia (Guam and Saipan), with a millennia-old
clone being prevalent across all meadows and shared between islands at
more than 200 km distance, a phenomenon not previously documented for
Indo-Pacific seagrass species. In contrast, core populations around
small islands in Southeast Asia, that are in close vicinity to the
mainland or large islands, exhibited high genotypic diversity and small
clonal sizes. We propose that limited long-distance dispersal of
propagules to isolated islands near the species’ range edge drives
reduced levels of sexual reproduction and facilitates extreme clonality
in E. acoroides. The strong variation in genotypic diversity and
clonal structure between core and range-edge populations suggest
regional differences in the resilience of E. acoroides meadows,
highlighting the need for targeted conservation measures and restoration
efforts.