A decade of population genetics studies of scleractinian corals: A systematic review

Coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystems. However, coral cover has decreased worldwide due to natural disturbances, climate change, and local anthropogenic drivers. In recent decades, various genetic methods and molecular markers have been developed to assess genetic diversity, structure, and connectivity in different coral species to determine the vulnerability of their populations. This review aims to identify population genetic studies of scleractinian corals in the last decade (2010-2020), and the techniques and molecular markers used. Bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify journals and authors working in this field. We then calculated the number of genetic studies by species and ecoregion based on data obtained from 178 studies found in Scopus and Web of Science. Coral Reefs and Molecular Ecology were the main journals published population genetics studies, and microsatellites are the most widely used molecular markers. The Caribbean, Australian Barrier Reef, and South Kuroshio in Japan are among the ecoregions with the most population genetics data. In contrast, we found limited information about the Coral Triangle, a region with the highest biodiversity and key to coral reef conservation. Notably, only 117 (out of 1500 described) scleractinian coral species have genetic studies. This review emphasizes which coral species have been studied and highlights remaining gaps and lo-cations where such data is critical for coral conservation.

Automated summary

This review examines population genetic studies of scleractinian corals in the past decade, analyzing the techniques and molecular markers used. The study found that population genetics studies on coral reefs were mainly published in journals such as Coral Reefs and Molecular Ecology, with microsatellites being the most commonly used molecular markers. The Caribbean, Australian Barrier Reef, and South Kuroshio in Japan had the most population genetic data available, while information on the Coral Triangle was limited. The review highlights the need for more genetic data in key locations for coral conservation.