MSGID: 1:317/3 6274a4be   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    'Lost' coral species resurrected    
      
     Date:   
         May 5, 2022   
     Source:   
         Curtin University   
     Summary:   
         With about one-third of the world's corals currently under threat   
         of extinction due to climate change, researchers have made the   
         encouraging discovery of a 'lost' species of coral that had been   
         hidden for more than 50 years.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   With about one-third of the world's corals currently under threat of   
   extinction due to climate change, Curtin researchers have made the   
   encouraging discovery of a 'lost' species of coral that had been hidden   
   for more than 50 years.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Lead author PhD student David Juszkiewicz, from the Coral Conservation and   
   Research Group within the Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory   
   in Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said researchers found   
   the coral Plesiastrea versipora, which is widespread in the Indo-Pacific   
   Ocean, was actually hiding a second, cryptic species.   
      
   "The speciesPlesiastrea peroni was described some 200 years ago however   
   as time went on taxonomists clumped it with Plesiastrea versipora but   
   we have now resurrected the former species, which had been hidden for   
   more half a century," Juszkiewicz said.   
      
   "We trawled through 200 years of historical and modern-day literature to   
   firstly understand the larger morphological characteristics of Plesiastrea   
   versipora, which was first described as a single species in 1816.   
      
   "By diving on various sites around Australia and the Indo-Pacific,   
   we collected samples, which we used to study the micromorphology and   
   microstructure of the coral skeleton to further identify its unique   
   intricate features.   
      
   "After carrying out genetic sequencing, we found this species of coral   
   actually contained a second, cryptic species, which we named Plesiastrea   
   peroni -- and this is found north of the Tropic of Capricorn in Australia   
   and across the Indo-Pacific.   
      
   "Being able to accurately identify species is paramount to quality   
   ecological research and conservation decision-making, so this study   
   will allow coral ecologists and biologists to know which species of   
   Plesiastrea they are working on."  Juszkiewicz said the discovery of a   
   new species assisted in biodiversity conservation and helped to prevent   
   the loss of species diversity.   
      
   "With the ever-worsening impact of climate change on the marine   
   environment, it has never been more important to understand coral species   
   and where they occur," Juszkiewicz said.   
      
   "We cannot protect species if we do not know about their existence   
   or their present-day geographic range so this study is a step towards   
   achieving this.   
      
   "With many species of both marine and terrestrial life under threat from   
   human- driven climate change, this study bolsters our understanding of   
   the tree of life and highlights the importance of taxonomy projects that   
   help us understand the organisms that exist on our planet, how they are   
   all related and how to better protect them."   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Curtin_University. Original written   
   by Lucien Wilkinson.   
      
   Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. David J. Juszkiewicz, Nicole E. White, Jarosław Stolarski,   
      Francesca   
         Benzoni, Roberto Arrigoni, Bert W. Hoeksema, Nerida G. Wilson,   
         Michael Bunce, Zoe T. Richards. Phylogeography of recent Plesiastrea   
         (Scleractinia: Plesiastreidae) based on an integrated taxonomic   
         approach.   
      
         Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2022; 172: 107469 DOI:   
         10.1016/ j.ympev.2022.107469   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220505085624.htm   
      
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