Field identification of ‘types’ A and B of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis in a region of sympatry (original) (raw)
Abstract
The ascidian species Ciona intestinalis is a major model chordate in developmental and evolutionary biology, and an important fouling organism and invasive species. However, genomic investigation has recently revealed the existence of two cryptic species, genetically distinct yet without obvious morphological differences, currently referred to as types A and B. Here, we show that they are externally distinctive in a zone of sympatry in the western English Channel. Examining genotyped specimens, we found that types A and B of C. intestinalis can generally be distinguished by body colour, pigmentation at the distal end of the siphons and the presence or absence of tubercles on the sides of the siphons. Detecting specimens of hybrid descent still requires detailed molecular analysis, but these visual characters in combination will identify living specimens of types A and B with high probability. These differences are shown to be inherited.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Get 10 units per month
- Download Article/Chapter or eBook
- 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
- Cancel anytime Subscribe now
Buy Now
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Fig. 1
Similar content being viewed by others
References
- Ärnbäck-Christie-Linde A (1923) A list of ascidians collected off Gothenburg. Meddn Göteborgs Mus Zool Ardeln 28:1–19
Google Scholar - Auger H, Sasakura Y, Joly J-S, Jeffery WR (2010) Regeneration of oral siphon pigment organs in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Dev Biol 339:374–389
Article CAS Google Scholar - Berrill NJ (1950) The Tunicata with an account of the British species. Ray Society, London
Google Scholar - Bickford D, Lohman DJ, Sodhi NS, Ng PK, Meier R, Winker K, Ingram KK, Das I (2006) Cryptic species as a window on diversity and conservation. Trend Ecol Evol 22:148–155
Article Google Scholar - Boffelli D, Weer CV, Weng L, Lewis KD, Shoukry MI, Pachter L, Keys DN, Rubin EM (2004) Intraspecies sequence comparisons for annotating genomes. Genome Res 14:2406–2411
Article CAS Google Scholar - Caputi L, Andreakis N, Mastrototaro F, Cirino P, Vassillo M, Sordino P (2007) Cryptic speciation in a model invertebrate chordate. PNAS 104:9364–9369
Article Google Scholar - Caputi L, Borra M, Andreakis N, Biffali E, Sordino P (2008) SNPs and Hox gene mapping in Ciona intestinalis. BMC Genomics 9:39
Article Google Scholar - Daigle R, Herbinger C (2009) Ecological interactions between the vase tunicate (Ciona intestinalis) and the farmed blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Aquat Invasions 4:177–187
Article Google Scholar - Dehal P, Satou Y, Campbell RK et al (2002) The draft genome of Ciona intestinalis: insights into chordate and vertebrate origins. Science 298:2157–2166
Article CAS Google Scholar - Dybern BI (1965) The life cycle of Ciona intestinalis (L.) f. typica in relation to the environmental temperature. Oikos 16:109–131
Article Google Scholar - Hoshino ZI, Nishikawa T (1985) Taxonomic studies of Ciona intestinalis (L.) and its allies. Publ Seto Mar Biol Lab 30:61–79
Google Scholar - Iannelli F, Pesole G, Sordino P, Gissi C (2007) Mitogenomics reveals two cryptic species in Ciona intestinalis. Trends Genet 23:419–421
Article CAS Google Scholar - Jeffery WR, Chiba T, Krajka FR, Deyts D, Satoh N, Joly JS (2008) Trunk lateral cells are neural crest-like cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis: insights into the ancestry and evolution of the neural crest. Dev Biol 324:152–160
Article CAS Google Scholar - Kano S (2007) Initial stage of genetic mapping in Ciona intestinalis. Dev Dyn 236:1768–1781
Article CAS Google Scholar - Kano S, Chiba S, Satoh N (2001) Genetic relatedness and variability in inbred and wild populations of the solitary ascidian Ciona intestinalis revealed by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction. Mar Biotechnol (NY) 3:58–67
Article CAS Google Scholar - Millar RH (1953) Ciona. L.M.B.C. Memoirs on typical British marine plants and animals, 35, i-iv and 1-123. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool
- Nydam ML, Harrison RG (2007) Genealogical relationships within and among shallow-water Ciona species (Ascidiacea). Mar Biol 151:1839–1847
Article Google Scholar - Nydam ML, Harrison RG (2010) Polymorphism and divergence within the ascidian genus _Cion_a. Mol Phyl Evol 56:718–726
Article Google Scholar - Nydam ML, Harrison RG (2011a) Introgression despite substantial divergence in a broadcast spawning marine invertebrate. Evolution 65:429–442
Article Google Scholar - Nydam ML, Harrison RG (2011b) Reproductive protein evolution in two cryptic species of marine chordate. BMC Evol Biol 11:18
Article CAS Google Scholar - Putnam NH, Butts T, Ferrier DE, Furlong RF, Fellsten U et al (2008) The amphioxus genome and the evolution of the chordate karyotype. Nature 453:1064–1071
Article CAS Google Scholar - Ramsay A, Davidson J, Bourque D, Stryhn H (2009) Recruitment patterns and population development of the invasive ascidian Ciona intestinalis in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Aquat Invasions 4:169–176
Article Google Scholar - Satoh N (1994) Developmental biology of ascidians. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Google Scholar - Satoh N (2003) The ascidian tadpole larva: comparative molecular development and genomics. Nat Rev Genet 4:285–295
Article CAS Google Scholar - Shenkar N, Swalla BJ (2011) Global diversity of Ascidiacea. PLoS One 6:e20657
Article CAS Google Scholar - Suzuki MM, Nishikawa T, Bird A (2005) Genomic approaches reveal unexpected genetic divergence within Ciona intestinalis. J Mol Evol 61:627–635
Article CAS Google Scholar - Van Name WG (1945) The North and South American ascidians. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 84:1–476 (pp 162–163 about longissima)
- Zeller RW (2010) Int Comp Biol 50:cover page
- Zhan A, Macisaac HJ, Cristescu ME (2010) Invasion genetics of the Ciona intestinalis species complex: from regional endemism to global homogeneity. Mol Ecol 19:4678–4694
Article CAS Google Scholar
Acknowledgments
We thank Chris Wood, Linda Noble, Colin Brownlee and other staff of the Marine Biological Association of the UK for generous hospitality during work on C. intestinalis. We also thank Seb Shimeld for valuable comments and laboratory space and resources for genotyping, Marie Nydam for advice on genotyping, Andy Griffiths for advice in genome extraction, and Takeshi Kawashima, Takeshi Nakashima and Mayuko Hamada for helpful discussion. This research was funded by a Ray Lankester Investigatorship from the Marine Biological Association of the UK, the AXA Research Fund, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and a JSPS Fellowship for Study Abroad to A.S.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
Atsuko Sato - Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1, Tancha, Onna-Son, Kunigami, Okinawa, 904-0412, Japan
Atsuko Sato & Nori Satoh - The Laboratory, Marine Biological Association of the UK, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK
Atsuko Sato & John D. D. Bishop
Authors
- Atsuko Sato
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - Nori Satoh
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar - John D. D. Bishop
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
Corresponding author
Correspondence toAtsuko Sato.
Additional information
Communicated by C. Riginos.
Electronic supplementary material
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sato, A., Satoh, N. & Bishop, J.D.D. Field identification of ‘types’ A and B of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis in a region of sympatry.Mar Biol 159, 1611–1619 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1898-5
- Received: 22 September 2011
- Accepted: 02 February 2012
- Published: 17 March 2012
- Issue Date: July 2012
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1898-5