Coral Sampling
In November 2015, adult and juvenile Acropora hyacinthus colonies
were sampled from four separate sites on Yap Island (South Tip (9° 26′
3.1992′′ N, 138° 2′ 13.9488′′ E) (n=48 juveniles, n=38 adults), West
Outer Reef (9° 33′ 33.9336′′ N, 138° 5′ 22.1496′′ E) (n=38 juveniles,
n=34 adults), Nimpal (9° 34′ 0.2496′′ N, 138° 5′ 50.1324′′ E) (n=35
juveniles, n=31 adults), Goofnuw Channel (9° 34′ 16.41′′ N, 138° 12′
10.3284′′ E), (n=24 juveniles, n=33 adults) (Fig. 1A-C). At each reef
site, all corals were collected within close proximity such that the
collection area did not extend beyond an approximately 100 m radius.
Only juveniles were collected from South Tip during November 2015 as no
adults were present on the reef following the crown-of-thorns starfish
outbreak in 2010. Adult A. hyacinthus samples from the South Tip
site (2009) were collected by Davies et al. a year prior to the outbreak
(Davies, Treml, Kenkel, & Matz, 2015). The number of samples per age
cohort and location are listed in the x-axis labels on Fig. 1 F.
Small branches 1-2 cm in length were removed from A. hyacinthus colonies
using pliers and stored in 100% ethanol at -20° C until they could be
processed to extract DNA. Juveniles were classified as individuals less
than 20 cm in diameter and adults as individuals greater than 30 cm in
diameter. The median diameter was 8.9 cm for juveniles and 60.2 cm for
adults (Fig. 1 B, C).