Browsing by Author "Zieritz, Alexandra"
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- Conbiomics: the missing approach for the conservation of freshwater bivalvesPublication . Froufe, Elsa; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Gonçalves, Duarte V.; Hinzmann, Mariana; Arenas-Arenas, Francisco José; Gan, Han Ming; Breton, Sophie; Prié, Vincent; Zieritz, Alexandra; Bogan, Arthur E.; Razgour, Orly; Vikhrev, Ilya V.; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Pfeiffer, John; Lopes-Lima, ManuelThe decline of freshwater biodiversity hás reached alarming proportions. The extinction rate of freshwater biodiversity is predicted to be five times faster than ali other groups of species. The Unionidae, being the largest of the freshwater bivalve families, is among the most endangered group in the world. They are important providers of aquatic ecosystem services and are characterized by an unusual pattem of mtDNA inheritance. However, phylogeny, population genetic structure and species-level diversity remains unclear for much of the group. With an experienced and well-qualified team, the present proposal aims to define the most important freshwater mussel taxa and most criticai áreas for conservation, at European and Global leveis, to inform the most relevant policy niakers. This will be achieved by integrating a genomics approach with available distribution data, in order to determine and map global species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and weighted endemism. This complementary approach will not only help conserve this vulnerable group but will offer wider benefits to freshwater ecosystems whose billions of people depend globally. Additionally, as these animals have an extraordinary unusual pattern of mtDNA inheritance, they will be used as model-taxa to study the evolution of mtDNA and life in general.
- Conbiomics: the missing approach for the conservation of freshwater bivalvesPublication . Froufe, Elsa; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Gonçalves, Duarte V.; Hinzmann, Mariana; Arenas-Arenas, Francisco José; Gan, Han Ming; Breton, Sophie; Prié, Vincent; Zieritz, Alexandra; Bogan, Arthur E.; Razgour, Orly; Vikhrev, Ilya; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Pfeiffer, John; Lopes-Lima, ManuelThe decline of freshwater biodiversity hás reached alarming proportions. The extinction rate of freshwater biodiversity is predicted to be five times faster than ali other groups of species. The Unionidae, being the largest of the freshwater bivalve families, is among the most endangered group in the world. They are important providers of aquatic ecosystem services and are characterized by an unusual pattem of mtDNA inheritance. However, phylogeny, population genetic structure and species-level diversity remains unclear for much of the group. With an experienced and well-qualified team, the present proposal aims to define the most important freshwater mussel taxa and most criticai áreas for conservation, at European and Global leveis, to inform the most relevant policy niakers. This will be achieved by integrating a genomics approach with available distribution data, in order to determine and map global species richness, phylogenetic diversity, and weighted endemism. This complementary approach will not only help conserve this vulnerable group but will offer wider benefits to freshwater ecosystems whose billions of people depend globally. Additionally, as these animals have an extraordinary unusual pattern of mtDNA inheritance, they will be used as model-taxa to study the evolution of mtDNA and life in general.
- Expansion and systematics redefinition of the most threatened freshwater mussel family, the MargaritiferidaePublication . Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Do, Van Tu; Aldridge, David C.; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Gan, Han Ming; Gofarov, Mikhail Y.; Kondakov, Alexander V.; Prié, Vincent; Sousa, Ronaldo; Varandas, Simone; Vikhrev, Ilya V.; Teixeira, Amílcar; Wu, Rui Wen; Wu, Xiaoping; Zieritz, Alexandra; Froufe, Elsa; Bogan, Arthur E.Two Unionida (freshwater mussel) families are present in the Northern Hemisphere; the Margaritiferidae, representing the most threatened of unionid families, and the Unionidae, which include several genera of unresolved taxonomic placement. The recent reassignment of the poorly studied Lamprotula rochechouartii from the Unionidae to the Margaritiferidae motivated a new search for other potential species of margaritiferids from members of Gibbosula and Lamprotula. Based on molecular and morphological analyses conducted on newly collected specimens from Vietnam, we here assign Gibbosula crassa to the Margaritiferidae. Additionally, we reanalyzed all diagnostic characteristics of the Margaritiferidae and examined museum specimens of Lamprotula andGibbosula.As a result, two additional speciesarealsomovedtotheMargaritiferidae, i.e.Gibbosula confragosa and Gibbosula polysticta. We performed a robust five marker phylogeny with all available margaritiferid species and discuss the taxonomy within the family. The present phylogeny reveals the division of Margaritiferidae into four ancient clades with distinct morphological, biogeographical and ecological characteristics that justify the division of the Margaritiferidae into two subfamilies (Gibbosulinae and Margaritiferinae) and four genera (Gibbosula, Cumberlandia, Margaritifera, and Pseudunio). The systematics of the Margaritiferidae family is redefined as well as their distribution, potential origin and main biogeographic patterns.
- The first Margaritiferidae male (M-Type) mitogenome: Mitochondrial gene order as a potential character for determining higher-order phylogeny within Unionida (Bivalvia)Publication . Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Aldridge, David C.; Bogan, Arthur E.; Gan, Han Ming; Ghamizi, Mohamed; Sousa, Ronaldo; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Zanatta, David T.; Zieritz, Alexandra; Froufe, Elsa
- Integrative phylogenetic, phylogeographic and morphological characterisation of the Unio crassus species complex reveals cryptic diversity with important conservation implicationsPublication . Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Geist, Juergen P.; Egg, S.; Beran, Luboš; Bikashvili, Ani; Van Bocxlaer, Bert; Bogan, Arthur E.; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Chelpanovskaya, O.A.; Douda, Karel; Fernandes, Verónica; Gomes-dos-Santos, André; Gonçalves, Duarte Vasconcelos; Gürlek, Mustafa Emre; Johnson, Nathan A.; Karaouzas, Ioannis D.; Kebapçı, Ümit; Kondakov, Duarte Vasconcelos; Kuehn, Ralf; Lajtner, Jasna; Mumladze, Levan; Nagel, Karl Otto; Neubert, Eike; Österling, Martin E.; Pfeiffer, John M.; Prié, Vincent; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Sell, Jerzy; Schneider, Lea D.; Shumka, Spase; Sîrbu, Ioan; Skujienė, Grita; Smith, Chase H.; Sousa, Ronaldo Gomes; Stöckl, K.; Taskinen, Jouni K.; Teixeira, Amílcar; Todorov, Milcho T.; Trichkova, Teodora A.; Urbańska, Maria; Välilä, Santtu; Varandas, Simone Da Graça Pinto; Veríssimo, Joana; Vikhrev, Ilya V.; Woschitz, G.; Zając, Katarzyna; Zając, Tadeusz A.; Zanatta, David Thomas; Zieritz, Alexandra; Zogaris, Stamatis; Froufe, ElsaThe global decline of freshwater mussels and their crucial ecological services highlight the need to understand their phylogeny, phylogeography and patterns of genetic diversity to guide conservation efforts. Such knowledge is urgently needed for Unio crassus, a highly imperilled species originally widespread throughout Europe and southwest Asia. Recent studies have resurrected several species from synonymy based on mitochondrial data, revealing U. crassus to be a complex of cryptic species. To address long-standing taxonomic uncertainties hindering effective conservation, we integrate morphometric, phylogenetic, and phylogeographic analyses to examine species diversity within the U. crassus complex across its entire range. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (815 specimens from 182 populations) and, for selected specimens, whole mitogenome sequences and Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) data on ∼ 600 nuclear loci. Mito-nuclear discordance was detected, consistent with mitochondrial DNA gene flow between some species during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Fossil-calibrated phylogenies based on AHE data support a Mediterranean origin for the U. crassus complex in the Early Miocene. The results of our integrative approach support 12 species in the group: the previously recognised Unio bruguierianus, Unio carneus, Unio crassus, Unio damascensis, Unio ionicus, Unio sesirmensis, and Unio tumidiformis, and the reinstatement of five nominal taxa: Unio desectus stat. rev., Unio gontierii stat. rev., Unio mardinensis stat. rev., Unio nanus stat. rev., and Unio vicarius stat. rev. Morphometric analyses of shell contours reveal important morphospace overlaps among these species, highlighting cryptic, but geographically structured, diversity. The distribution, taxonomy, phylogeography, and conservation of each species are succinctly described.
- Lifting the curtain on the freshwater mussel diversity of the Italian Peninsula and Croatian Adriatic coastPublication . Froufe, Elsa; Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Zaccara, Serena; Vanetti, Isabella; Lajtner, Jasna; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Prié, Vincent; Zieritz, Alexandra; Sousa, Ronaldo; Bogan, Arthur E.Freshwater mussels of the order Unionida have been dramatically declining globally. Despite their ecological importance, conservation of these animals has been hindered by unresolved taxonomy and a lack of data on the distribution and status of populations, especially in southern Europe. Although the Italian Peninsula has been noted as a centre of endemism and one of the major refugia of the glacial ages for several taxa, few studies have been performed on the genetic diversity of Unionida. Most importantly, the taxonomic status of several freshwater mussel populations of the Italian Peninsula is still unresolved. Here we present the first comprehensive dataset for the Unionida of the region spanning Italy and the coastal Croatian region (west of the Dinaric Alps). In total, 191 specimens were collected (85 Anodonta, 64 Unio, 17 Microcondylaea bonellii and 25 Sinanodonta woodiana) from 34 sites across the Italian Peninsula and coastal Croatian river basins for molecular identification (COI, 16S and 28S). Genetic analyses were performed to understand major phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns. Seven species were detected: three Anodonta species (A. anatina, A. cygnea and A. exulcerata), two Unio species (U. mancus and U. elongatulus), Microcondylaea bonellii, and the invasive Sinanodonta woodiana. The presence of three endemic species (A. exulcerata, U. elongatulus and M. bonellii) confirms the importance of the region as a centre of endemism for freshwater mussels. The Apennine Mountains act as an important biogeographic barrier.
- The male and female complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the Endangered freshwater mussel Potomida littoralis (Cuvier, 1798) (Bivalvia: Unionidae)Publication . Froufe, Elsa; Gan, Han Ming; Lee, Yin Peng; Carneiro, João; Varandas, Simone; Teixeira, Amílcar; Zieritz, Alexandra; Sousa, Ronaldo; Lopes-Lima, ManuelFreshwater mussels of the family Unionidae exhibit a particular form of mitochondria inheritance called double uniparental inheritance (DUI), in which the mitochondria are inherited by both male and female parents. The (M)ale and (F)emale mitogenomes are highly divergent within species. In the present study, we determine and describe the complete M and F mitogenomes of the Endangered freshwater mussel Potomida littoralis (Cuvier, 1798). The complete M and F mitogenomes sequences are 16 451 bp and 15 787 bp in length, respectively. Both F and M have the same gene content: 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (trn) and 2 ribosomal RNA (rrn) genes. Bayesian analyses based on the concatenated nucleotide sequences of 12 PCGs and 2 rrn genes of both genomes, including mitogenome sequences available from related species, were performed. Male and Female lineages are monophyletic within the family, but reveal distinct phylogenetic relationships.
- Mesozoic mitogenome rearrangements and freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoidea) macroevolutionPublication . Froufe, Elsa; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Aldridge, David C.; Bogan, Arthur E.; Breton, Sophie; Gan, Han Ming; Kovitvadhi, Uthaiwan; Kovitvadhi, Satit; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Secci-Petretto, Giulia; Sousa, Ronaldo; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Zanatta, David; Zieritz, Alexandra; Fonseca, Miguel M.; Lopes-Lima, ManuelUsing a new fossil-calibrated mitogenome-based approach, we identified macroevolutionary shifts in mitochondrial gene order among the freshwater mussels (Unionoidea). We show that the early Mesozoic divergence of the two Unionoidea clades, Margaritiferidae and Unionidae, was accompanied by a synchronous split in the gene arrangement in the female mitogenome (i.e., gene orders MF1 and UF1). Our results suggest that this macroevolutionary jump was completed within a relatively short time interval (95% HPD 201–226 Ma) that coincided with the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction. Both gene orders have persisted within these clades for ~200 Ma. The monophyly of the so-called “problematic” Gonideinae taxa was supported by all the inferred phylogenies in this study using, for the first time, the M- and F-type mitogenomes either singly or combined. Within Gonideinae, two additional splits in the gene order (UF1 to UF2, UF2 to UF3) occurred in the Mesozoic and have persisted for ~150 and ~100 Ma, respectively. Finally, the mitogenomic results suggest ancient connections between freshwater basins of East Asia and Europe near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, probably via a continuous paleo-river system or along the Tethys coastal line, which are well supported by at least three independent but almost synchronous divergence events.
- Mitogenomic phylogeny and fossil-calibrated mutation rates for all F- And M-type mtDNA genes of the largest freshwater mussel family, the Unionidae (Bivalvia)Publication . Zieritz, Alexandra; Froufe, Elsa; Bolotov, Ivan N.; Gonçalves, Duarte V.; Aldridge, David C.; Bogan, Arthur E.; Gan, Han Ming; Gomes-dos-Santos, André; Sousa, Ronaldo; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Zanatta, David; Lopes-Lima, ManuelThe Unionidae represent an excellent model taxon for unravelling the drivers of freshwater diversity, but, phylogeographic studies on Southeast Asian taxa are hampered by lack of a comprehensive phylogeny and mutation rates for this fauna. We present complete female- (F) and male-type (M) mitogenomes of four genera of the Southeast Asian clade Contradentini+Rectidentini. We calculate substitution rates for the mitogenome, the 13 protein-coding genes, the two ribosomal units and three commonly used fragments (co1, nd1 and 16S) of both F- and M-mtDNA, based on a fossil-calibrated, mitogenomic phylogeny of the Unionidae. Phylogenetic analyses, including an M+F concatenated dataset, consistently recovers a monophyletic Gonideinae. Subfamily-level topology is congruent with that of a previous nuclear genomic study and with patterns in mitochondrial gene order, suggesting Unionidae F-type 2 as a synapomorphy of the Gonideinae. Our phylogeny indicates that the clades Contradentini+Rectidentini and Lamprotulini+Pseudodontini+Gonideini split in the early Cretaceous (~125 Mya), and that the crown group of Contradentini+Rectidentini originated in the late Cretaceous (~79 Mya). Most gonideine tribes originated during the early Palaeogene. Substitution rates were comparable to those previously published for F-type co1 and 16S for certain Unionidae and Margaritiferidae species (pairs).
- Phylogeny of European Anodontini (Bivalvia: Unionidae) with a redescription of Anodonta exulcerataPublication . Riccardi, Nicoletta; Froufe, Elsa; Bogan, Arthur E.; Zieritz, Alexandra; Teixeira, Amílcar; Vanetti, Isabella; Varandas, Simone; Zaccara, Serena; Nagel, Karl Otto; Lopes-Lima, ManuelFreshwater bivalves are highly threatened and globally declining due to multiple anthropogenic impacts, making them important conservation targets. Because conservation policies and actions generally occur at the species level, accurate species identification and delimitation is critical. A recent phylogenetic study of Italian mussel populations revalidated an Anodonta species bringing the number of known European Anodontini from three to four species. The current study contributes to the clarification of the taxonomy and systematics of European Anodontini, using a combination of molecular, morphological and anatomical data, and constructs phylogenies based on complete mitogenomes. A redescription of A. exulcerata and a comparative analysis of morphological and anatomical characters with respect to the other two species of Anodonta present in the area are provided. No reliable diagnostic character has emerged from comparative analysis of the morphometric characters of 109 specimens from 16 sites across the Italian peninsula. In fact, the discriminant analysis resulted in a greater probability of correct assignment to the site of origin than to the species. This confirms the difficulties of an uncritical application of visual characters for the delimitation of species, especially for Anodontinae.