Slight thermal stress exerts genetic diversity selection at coral (Acropora digitifera) larval stages.

Background: Rising seawater temperatures increasingly threaten coral reefs. The ability of coral larvae to withstand heat is crucial for maintaining reef ecosystems. Although several studies have investigated coral larvae's genetic responses to thermal stress, most relied on pooled sample sequencing, which provides population-level insights but may mask individual genotype variability.

Integrative taxonomic analyses reveal that rapid genetic divergence drives Acropora speciation.

Reef-building corals provide the structural basis for one of Earth's most spectacular and diverse but increasingly threatened ecosystems. The reef-building coral genus Acropora may have undergone substantial speciation during the Pleistocene climate and sea-level changes. Here, we aimed to evaluate the speciation history of four morphologically similar tabular Acropora species (Acropora aff.