1. Conservation hints for Pinna nobilis from a century-old genetic time capsuleIlenia Azzena, Chiara Locci, Noemi Pascale, Ilaria Deplano, Riccardo Senigaglia, Edoardo Batistini, Daniela Caracciolo, Mariachiara Chiantore, Saul Ciriaco, Maria Paola Ferranti, Daniele Grech, Arianna Liconti, Monica Montefalcone, Alice Oprandi, Valentina Pitacco, Marco Segarich, Rym Zakhama-Sraieb, Ahmed Ben Hmida, Salma Zribi, Fabio Scarpa, Marco Casu, Daria Sanna, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The noble pen shell, Pinna nobilis, is an iconic marine bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, playing a key role as an ecosystem engineer. Over the past century, it has faced severe threats from overharvesting, pollution, and catastrophic mass mortality events. This study analysed 119 mitochondrial COI gene sequences from historical (1700s, 1920s, 1970s, 1990s) and modern (2000s) samples, including survivors of recent mass mortality crises. We standardised a protocol to extract DNA from ancient byssus samples over a century old and dated the emergence of the mitochondrial lineages of Pinna nobilis, uncovering its evolutionary history in unprecedented detail. Our findings suggest two main temporal origins for the species’ genetic variation: (i) a group of modern lineages directly descended from Pinna nobilis early ancestors originating 2.5 mya, and (ii) a large group derived from the first Pleistocene radiation of the species, approximately 1.5 mya. Importantly, our research depicts the evolutionary response of Pinna nobilis to three major challenges in the last century: human overexploitation, pollution, and environmental changes. Our results highlight the species’ remarkable resilience, likely mediated by Pleistocene genetic traits, whose persistence over time mainly depends on the maintaining of a high effective population size to ensure successful recruitment.
Keywords: noble pen shell, genetic variability, evolutionary response, species conservation
Published in DiRROS: 19.11.2025; Views: 287; Downloads: 146
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2. A native insect on a non-native plant : the phylogeography of the Leafminer Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) attacking the North American Balsam Poplar in North AsiaNatalia I. Kirichenko, Maria A. Ryazanova, Evgeny Akulov, Svetlana V. Baryshnikova, Anton A. Efremenko, Konstantin V. Krutovsky, Victor Ya. Kuzevanov, Andrei V. Selikhovkin, Pathour R. Shashank, Sergey Yu. Sinev, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The trans-Palearctic moth Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) is a major pest of the North American Populus balsamifera and its hybrids widely planted as ornamentals in North Asia (i.e., the Asian part of Russia). We DNA barcoded Ph. populifoliella from distant geographical populations in Russia and analyzed them together with the data from eight European countries and India to estimate intraspecific variability and the haplotype richness in the Palearctic, and specifically in North Asia. Furthermore, using next-generation sequencing (NGS, Sequel platform, PacBio), we investigated larval and pupal remnants found in an old herbarium from the Nearctic, where P. balsamifera occurs naturally, to verify if any events of the moth introduction to this biogeographic zone happened in the past. Relatively high intraspecific variability in the COI gene of mtDNA, reaching 3.73%, was recorded in Ph. populifoliella. Overall, 30 COI haplotypes were defined in 83 specimens from the Palearctic, with a noticeable richness in North Asia (21 haplotypes). Using NGS, the remnants of 14 Phyllonorycter specimens dissected from up to 174-year-old herbaria from the Palearctic and Nearctic were sequenced, and four moth species were identified. Among them, there were three Palearctic species, Ph. populifoliella, Ph. pastorella (Zeller), and Ph. apparella (Herrich-Schäffer), and one Nearctic, Ph. nipigon (Freeman). No evidence of Ph. populifoliella introduction to North America was documented based on the examination of the herbarium dated 1850–1974. Three specimens of Ph. populifoliella identified from herbaria from Austria and Poland (dated 1879–1931) represented one haplotype (H7) known from the recent time. Overall, our study clarifies the modern range, provides insights into phylogeography, and defines the haplotype richness of the native leafminer outbreaking on the alien host. Furthermore, it underlines the use of old herbaria to explore the historical distribution of endophagous insect species.
Keywords: leafmining moth, alien host plant, DNA barcoding, NGS, intraspecific genetic variability, haplotypes, old herbaria, Asian part of Russia, Palearctic, Nearctic
Published in DiRROS: 18.02.2025; Views: 705; Downloads: 425
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3. Characterization of genetic variability of common and tartary buckwheat genotypes using microsatellite markersŽelmíra Balážová, Lucia Čišecká, Zdenka Gálová, Zuzana Hromadová, Milan Chňapek, Barbara Pipan, Vladimir Meglič, 2024, original scientific article Keywords: genetic variability, varieties, common buckwheat, genetic diversity, genotypes, microsatellite markers
Published in DiRROS: 31.12.2024; Views: 805; Downloads: 234
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4. The influence of genetic variability on the risk of developing malignant mesotheliomaAlenka Franko, Nika Kotnik, Katja Goričar, Viljem Kovač, Metoda Dodič-Fikfak, Vita Dolžan, 2018, original scientific article Keywords: malignant mesothelioma, genetic polymorphism, antioxidative enzymes, genetic variability
Published in DiRROS: 10.06.2024; Views: 1660; Downloads: 347
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5. Genetic variability of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) at the Mediterranean margin of the distribution rangeMirzeta Memišević Hodžić, Barbara Fussi, Dušan Gömöry, Dalibor Ballian, 2021, review article Abstract: In Bosnia and Herzegovina, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) occurs at the southern margin of its distribution range, close to the glacial refugia of this species. To assess the patterns of genetic diversity distribution at the rear edge of the Holocene colonization, we studied genetic variation in 20 pedunculate oak populations using 14 allozyme loci. Despite considerable differences among populations, neither the numbers of alleles nor genetic diversity showed any geographical trend within the studied area, although small isolated populations showed generally lower allelic richness. The Bayesian analysis of population structure indicated a kind of geographical pattern. We identified no signs of a recent bottleneck. The proximity to multiple glacial refugia explains the outcomes.
Keywords: pedunculate oak, allozyme, genetic variability, marginal populations, rear edge
Published in DiRROS: 22.07.2022; Views: 1516; Downloads: 925
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