1
|
Sanna D, Azzena I, Locci C, Ankon P, Kružić P, Manfrin C, Pallavicini A, Ciriaco S, Segarich M, Batistini E, Scarpa F, Casu M. Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Pinna nobilis: New Genetic Signals from the Past of a Species on the Brink of Extinction. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:114. [PMID: 38200845 PMCID: PMC10778441 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Pinna nobilis, commonly known as the noble pen shell, is a marine bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, due to a multifactorial disease that began affecting its populations in 2016, the species is currently facing the threat of extinction. To gain insights into the evolutionary history of P. nobilis before the mass mortality event (MME), and to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how evolutionary processes led to the adaptation of the species into the Mediterranean Sea, phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were carried out. The dataset analysed includes 469 sequences of COI gene fragment both from GenBank and the present study (100). The analysis performed evidenced that P. nobilis diverged about 2.5 mya, after the entrance of its ancestor into the Mediterranean Sea following the Zanclean flood (5.33 mya). Moreover, our results suggest that the starting point of colonisation was the central part of the western Mediterranean basin, with the eastern basin being populated subsequently. From a conservational viewpoint, these results provide important hints for present and future restocking plans, helping to reconstruct the pre-existing genetic variability in sites where the species became extinct.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daria Sanna
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43b, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (I.A.); (C.L.); (F.S.)
| | - Ilenia Azzena
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43b, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (I.A.); (C.L.); (F.S.)
| | - Chiara Locci
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43b, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (I.A.); (C.L.); (F.S.)
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Pavel Ankon
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Petar Kružić
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (P.A.); (P.K.)
| | - Chiara Manfrin
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (C.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Alberto Pallavicini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 5, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (C.M.); (A.P.)
| | - Saul Ciriaco
- WWF AMP Miramare, Via Beirut 2/4, 34151 Trieste, Italy;
- Shoreline Soc. Coop., AREA Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Marco Segarich
- Shoreline Soc. Coop., AREA Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Edoardo Batistini
- Shoreline Soc. Coop., AREA Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Fabio Scarpa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43b, 07100 Sassari, Italy; (I.A.); (C.L.); (F.S.)
| | - Marco Casu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|