DOI: 10.5061/dryad.sc0nf
title: Data from: Clones or clans: the genetic structure of a deep-sea sponge, Aphrocallistes vastus, in unique sponge reefs of British Columbia, Canada

description: Understanding patterns of reproduction, dispersal and recruitment in
 deep-sea communities is increasingly important with the need to manage
 resource extraction and conserve species diversity. Glass sponges are
 usually found in deep water (&gt;1000 m) worldwide but form
 kilometre-long reefs on the continental shelf of British Columbia and
 Alaska that are under threat from trawling and resource exploration. Due
 to their deep-water habitat, larvae have not yet been found and the level
 of genetic connectivity between reefs and nonreef communities is unknown.
 The genetic structure of Aphrocallistes vastus, the primary reef-building
 species in the Strait of Georgia (SoG) British Columbia, was studied using
 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Pairwise comparisons of multilocus
 genotypes were used to assess whether sexual reproduction is common.
 Structure was examined 1) between individuals in reefs, 2) between reefs
 and 3) between sites in and outside the SoG. Sixty-seven SNPs were
 genotyped in 91 samples from areas in and around the SoG, including four
 sponge reefs and nearby nonreef sites. The results show that sponge reefs
 are formed through sexual reproduction. Within a reef and across the SoG
 basin, the genetic distance between individuals does not vary with
 geographic distance (r = −0.005 to 0.014), but populations within the SoG
 basin are genetically distinct from populations in Barkley Sound, on the
 west coast of Vancouver Island. Population structure was seen across all
 sample sites (global FST = 0.248), especially between SoG and non-SoG
 locations (average pairwise FST = 0.251). Our results suggest that genetic
 mixing occurs across sponge reefs via larvae that disperse widely.
description: Sample_informationAphrocallistes vastus sample metadata including sequencing barcode identifier, full sample name, collection year, sample site, GPS coordinates, depth, and heading of the remote operated vehicle (ROV) during collection. Samples correspond to sequence data and are organized by sequencing barcode. This list include controls (samples sequenced twice as well as one Heterochone calyx control) and samples with poor sequence data which did not contribute to the analyses.Genotypes_ID_dataset_91samples_76lociAphrocallistes vastus single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for full sample set (all samples with adequate sequencing coverage/quality except for interspecies control) including sequencing controls. This dataset was used to examine clonality (identity) across samples. Samples are identified by sequencing barcode with sample site identifiers in the second column. Data are organized into two columns per locus with GenAlEx format (A=1,C=2,G=3,T=4, missing=0).ID_dataset_91samples_76loci.csvPOP_dataset_78samples_67lociAphrocallistes vastus single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes for samples used in population analyses (all samples from sample sites with n &gt; 5) excluding sequencing controls. Samples are identified by sequencing barcode with sample site identifiers in the second column. Data are organized into two columns per locus with GenAlEx format (A=1,C=2,G=3,T=4, missing=0).