1. The protection of ecosystems with high diversity, such as coral reefs, is not an approach that guarantees their conservation. Thus, maintaining connectivity among coral populations over the long term is a strategy that should be adopted in order to protect diversity and ecological processes. Although coral reefs in Colombia are highly diverse, the population genetics baseline data of keystone species such as Orbicella faveolata are limited.
2. To provide current information about the connectivity between populations of O. faveolata in the Colombian Caribbean, the genetic diversity and distribution of O. faveolata was evaluated with analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), principal components, and migration estimations using 113 genets distributed in six populations. Also, a genetic structure analysis that included the available data for the Caribbean population was conducted, seeking to understand how the Colombian populations relate to the broader region.
3. According to the global fixation index (F_ST) for the Colombian Caribbean, there was no genetic structure (F_ST = 0.002). Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) showed that Corales del Rosario Archipelago (CR), Este de Isla Fuerte (EIF), San Bernardo Archipelago (SB), and Varadero Reef (VR) were grouped with Oeste de Isla Fuerte (OIF), with Bushnell (BS) representing the most divergent cluster. Migration analysis showed relatively high migration from VR to CR and SB, highlighting the importance of VR as a genetic reservoir for the region. Structure analysis showed that the Colombian population presented a specific genetic identity (F_ST = 0.254), suggesting that the Colombian Caribbean population could be a peripheral population that contributes significantly to genetic variation and is connected through a complex connectivity process.
4. In conclusion, the estimated genetic connectivity reflects the influence of sea surface dynamics over the interpopulation exchange dynamics and the role of protected and nonprotected coral reef in the Colombian Caribbean. Thus, the Colombian Caribbean population of O. faveolata could be relevant to the conservation of genetic diversity on a larger scale.

中文翻译：

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Orbicella faveolata种群的遗传结构揭示了哥伦比亚加勒比海海洋保护区和巴拉德罗礁之间的高度连通性

1. 保护具有高度多样性的生态系统（例如珊瑚礁）并不是确保其得到保护的一种方法。因此，长期保持珊瑚种群之间的连通性是应采取的一项战略，以保护多样性和生态进程。尽管哥伦比亚的珊瑚礁种类繁多，但关键的物种（如Orbicella faveolata）的种群遗传基线数据有限。
2. 为了提供有关哥伦比亚加勒比海小叶稻（O. faveolata）种群之间连通性的最新信息，利用分子变异分析（AMOVA），主成分和迁移估计，使用分布在六个地方的113个种系，评估了小叶稻的遗传多样性和分布人口。此外，进行了遗传结构分析，其中包括加勒比人口的可用数据，以了解哥伦比亚人口与更广泛地区的关系。
3. 根据哥伦比亚加勒比海地区的全球固定指数（F _ST），没有遗传结构（F _ST = 0.002）。主成分（DAPC）的判别分析显示，Corales del Rosario群岛（CR），Este de Isla Fuerte（EIF），San Bernardo Archipelago（SB）和Varadero Reef（VR）与Oeste de Isla Fuerte（OIF）分组在一起，布什内尔（BS）代表了分歧最大的集群。迁移分析显示，从VR到CR和SB的迁移相对较高，凸显了VR作为该地区的遗传资源的重要性。结构分析表明，哥伦比亚人口具有特定的遗传身份（F _ST = 0.254），这表明哥伦比亚加勒比海人口可能是对遗传变异做出重大贡献并通过复杂的连通性过程相互联系的外围人口。
4. 总之，估计的遗传连通性反映了海面动力学对种群间交换动力学的影响以及哥伦比亚加勒比海受保护和未经保护的珊瑚礁的作用。因此，哥伦比亚加勒比海的墨西哥小叶稻（O. faveolata）种群可能与更大范围的遗传多样性保护有关。