Specialization into Host Sea Anemones Impacted Clownfish Demographic Responses to Pleistocene Sea Level Changes

Abstract

Fluctuating sea levels during the Pleistocene led to habitat loss and fragmentation, impacting the evolutionary trajectories of reef fishes. Species with specialized ecological requirements or habitat preferences, like clownfishes (Amphiprioninae), may have been particularly vulnerable due to their intricate dependence on sea anemones. The diverse host specializations within this group likely contributed distinct responses to sea-level fluctuations, differentially shaping their recent evolutionary histories. Leveraging a comprehensive genomic dataset, we reveal demographic patterns and connectivity dynamics across multiple populations of ten clownfish species under different host specializations. Host-generalist species demonstrated strong resilience to habitat perturbations, while those specialized on single hosts suffered dramatic bottlenecks linked to sea-level fluctuations. Spatial analyses revealed the significant role of oceanic currents in shaping clownfish genetic diversity landscapes. Dispersal barriers were driven by environmental variables, with the Coral Triangle emerging as a hub of genetic diversity. Our results reveal how clownfish associative behavior influences their population dynamics, holding major implications for their conservation such as the need to consider their mutualism with sea anemones, particularly on host-specialists, to ensure their survival in the face of climate threats. These findings extend broader principles of conservation, improving our understanding of species’ responses to ecological constraints and environmental changes over evolutionary timescales.