Substantial asexual recruitment of mushroom corals contributes little to population genetics of adults in conditions of chronic sedimentation.

Updated: 2015-05-06

The contribution of asexual versus sexual recruitment to populations of the mushroom coral Fungia fungites was investigated at 2 sites with contrasting sediment regimes, located 5 km apart in the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. One site was exposed to high levels of chronic sedimentation, and the second site received less than half the sediment load. A total of 120 specimens (buds) were collected from each of the 2 study sites for DNA analysis and sediment deposition was also measured.