Abstract. Acropora prolifera is an ecologically distinctive western Atlantic reef-building coral that originates from hybridization and back-crossing between A. palmata and A. cervicornis. It has been suggested that A. prolifera might be a recent product of precipitous decline in the abundance of the two parent species, forcing hybridization where both it and its product might not otherwise be prevalent phenomena. We present evidence that A. prolifera has a fossil record dating back to at least the late Pleistocene, and that it was ecologically significant prior to the region-wide die-back of acroporid corals. These data, when taken collectively, reveal that hybridization in the Caribbean acroporids is historically rooted and not a recent artifact of changes in Caribbean reef ecology. It is becoming apparent that hybrid taxa likely play an important but underappreciated role in coral reef ecology and reef-building more generally. This is consistent with recent recognition that interspecific hybridization can drive evolutionary innovation and cladogenesis in animals as well as plants.

中文翻译：

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化石Acropora prolifera (Lamarck, 1816) 揭示珊瑚杂交不仅是最近的现象

摘要。Acropora prolifera 是一种生态独特的西大西洋造礁珊瑚，起源于 A. palmata 和 A. cervicornis 之间的杂交和回交。有人认为 A. prolifera 可能是两个亲本物种丰度急剧下降的最新产物，迫使杂交，否则它及其产物可能不会成为普遍现象。我们提供的证据表明 A. prolifera 的化石记录至少可以追溯到更新世晚期，并且在整个区域的顶峰珊瑚枯死之前具有生态意义。这些数据综合起来表明，加勒比海角珊瑚的杂交在历史上是根深蒂固的，而不是最近加勒比珊瑚礁生态变化的产物。很明显，混合分类群可能在珊瑚礁生态和珊瑚礁建设中发挥重要但未被充分认识的作用。这与最近的认识一致，即种间杂交可以推动动物和植物的进化创新和分支发生。