Management strategies designed to conserve coral reefs threatened by climate change need to incorporate knowledge of the spatial distribution of inter‐ and intra‐specific genetic diversity. We characterized patterns of genetic diversity and connectivity using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two reef‐building corals to explore the eco‐evolutionary processes that sustain populations in north‐west Australia. Our sampling focused on the unique reefs of the Kimberley; we collected the broadcast spawning coral Acropora aspera (n = 534) and the brooding coral Isopora brueggemanni (n = 612) across inter‐archipelago (tens to hundreds of kilometres), inter‐reef (kilometres to tens of kilometres) and within‐reef (tens of metres to a few kilometres) scales. Initial analysis of A. aspera identified four highly divergent lineages that were co‐occurring but morphologically similar. Subsequent population analyses focused on the most abundant and widespread lineage, Acropora asp‐c. Although the overall level of geographic subdivision was greater in the brooder than in the spawner, fundamental similarities in patterns of genetic structure were evident. Most notably, limits to gene flow were observed at scales <35 kilometres. Further, we observed four discrete clusters and a semi‐permeable barrier to dispersal that were geographically consistent between species. Finally, sites experiencing bigger tides were more connected to the metapopulation and had greater gene diversity than those experiencing smaller tides. Our data indicate that the inshore reefs of the Kimberley are genetically isolated from neighbouring oceanic bioregions, but occasional dispersal between inshore archipelagos is important for the redistribution of evolutionarily important genetic diversity. Additionally, these results suggest that networks of marine reserves that effectively protect reefs from local pressures should be spaced within a few tens of kilometres to conserve the existing patterns of demographic and genetic connectivity.

中文翻译：

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极端的海景驱动着偏远的澳大利亚西北部地区的珊瑚和产卵珊瑚的局部募集和遗传多样性

旨在保护受气候变化威胁的珊瑚礁的管理策略需要纳入种间和种内遗传多样性空间分布的知识。我们利用单核苷酸多态性（SNP）在两个造礁珊瑚中表征了遗传多样性和连通性的模式，以探索维持澳大利亚西北部种群的生态进化过程。我们的采样集中在金伯利的独特珊瑚礁上；我们收集了广播产卵珊瑚Acropora aspera（n  = 534）和育卵珊瑚Isopora brueggemanni（n = 612）跨越礁间（数十到数百公里），礁间（公里到几十公里）和礁内（几十米到几公里）。对曲霉的初步分析确定了四个高度不同的谱系，它们同时出现但在形态上相似。随后的人口分析侧重于最丰富和最广泛的世系Acroporaasp-c。虽然育雏箱的总体地理划分水平高于产卵箱，但遗传结构模式的基本相似性显而易见。最值得注意的是，在小于35公里的范围内观察到了基因流动的限制。此外，我们观察到四个离散的簇和一个半渗透性的传播障碍，在物种之间在地理上是一致的。最后，与那些潮汐较小的地点相比，潮汐较大的地点与该种群更相关，并且具有更大的基因多样性。我们的数据表明，金伯利的近海珊瑚礁是与邻近的海洋生物区遗传隔离的，但是近岸群岛之间的偶然散布对于重要的遗传多样性的重新分布很重要。另外，