# Adaptive Potential of Intracolonial Genetic Variability in Coral Populations

## TL;DR

This paper argues that intracolonial genetic variability in corals is crucial for reef resilience but is overlooked in research.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a framework for estimating adaptive genotypes in corals and advocates for incorporating clonal concepts in coral genetics.

## Key findings

- Intracolonial genetic variability is underexplored in coral research compared to systems like seagrass meadows.
- A framework is proposed to estimate adaptive genotypes based on growth rates and polyp density.
- Incorporating clonal dynamics can improve understanding of coral reef adaptive potential.

## Abstract

Coral reef recovery and growth largely depend on clonal propagation, yet the critical role of intracolonial genetic variability (IGV) is often underestimated in current research. This review highlights the gap between coral research and studies on ecosystems like seagrass meadows, where clonal dynamics and IGV are more thoroughly examined. We found that only a small fraction of coral studies address this essential aspect, leading to an underestimation of the coral populations' adaptive potential in response to environmental stressors. We explore methodologies for detecting clones in corals and discuss key concepts such as IGV, somatic mutations, polyploidy, and chimerism and their implications for the adaptive potential of coral reefs. Additionally, we propose a framework for estimating the potential number of adaptive genotypes, considering factors like growth rates and polyp density. We recommend that future coral genetics and genomics research incorporate these clonal concepts to accurately assess the adaptive potential of coral reefs.

Intracolonial genetic variability (IGV) is key to coral reef resilience but remains underexplored in current coral research. This review compares corals with well‐studied clonal systems like seagrass meadows, discusses methods to detect IGV and estimate the number of potential new genotypes, and advocates incorporating these clonal concepts into coral genetics research to better capture reefs' adaptive potential.