Browsing by Author "Zogaris, Stamatis"
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- Conservation status of freshwater mussels in Europe: state of the art and future challengesPublication . Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Sousa, Ronaldo; Geist, Juergen; Aldridge, David C.; Araujo, Rafael; Bergengren, Jakob; Bespalaya, Yulia V.; Bódis, Erika; Burlakova, Lyubov E.; Van Damme, Dirk; Douda, Karel; Froufe, Elsa; Georgiev, Dilian; Gumpinger, Clemens; Karatayev, Alexander Y.; Kebapçi, Ümit; Killeen, Ian; Lajtner, Jasna; Larsen, Bjørn M.; Lauceri, Rosaria; Legakis, Anastasios; Lois, Sabela; Lundberg, Stefan; Moorkens, Evelyn A.; Motte, Gregory; Nagel, Karl Otto; Ondina, Paz; Outeiro, Adolfo; Paunovic, Momir; Prié, Vincent; Proschwitz, Ted von; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Rudzīte, Mudīte; Rudzītis, Māris; Scheder, Christian; Seddon, Mary; Şereflişan, Hülya; Simić, Vladica; Sokolova, Svetlana; Stoeckl, Katharina; Taskinen, Jouni; Teixeira, Amílcar; Thielen, Frankie; Trichkova, Teodora; Varandas, Simone; Vicentini, Heinrich; Zajac, Katarzyna; Zając, Tadeusz; Zogaris, StamatisFreshwater mussels of the Order Unionida provide important ecosystem functions and services, yet many of their populations are in decline. We comprehensively review the status of the 16 currently recognized species in Europe, collating for the first time their life-history traits, distribution, conservation status, habitat preferences, and main threats in order to suggest future management actions. In northern, central, and eastern Europe, a relatively homogeneous species composition is found in most basins. In southern Europe, despite the lower species richness, spatially restricted species make these basins a high conservation priority. Information on freshwater mussels in Europe is unevenly distributed with considerable differences in data quality and quantity among countries and species. To make conservation more effective in the future, we suggest greater international cooperation using standardized protocols and methods to monitor and manage European freshwater mussel diversity. Such an approach will not only help conserve this vulnerable group but also, through the protection of these important organisms, will offer wider benefits to freshwater ecosystems.
- First record of the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 in Greece suggests distinct European invasion eventsPublication . Karaouzas, Ioannis; Zogaris, Stamatis; Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Froufe, Elsa; Varandas, Simone; Teixeira, Amílcar; Sousa, RonaldoThis contribution presents the first record of the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 in Greece. The species was found in a water transfer canal adjacent to Lake Marathon, 45 km northeast of Athens; this is the southernmost record of this invasive alien medusa in the Balkan Peninsula and Europe. A review of recently published records shows that this species has expanded its range in Europe and the Mediterranean countries. Genetic analysis of the Greek specimen suggests that the phylogeny of C. sowerbii needs further evaluation since we are probably dealing with a distinct species within the genus Craspedacusta, and that the Greek population represents a distinct invasion event from that previously recorded in central Europe. However, due to a lack of molecular information on the native and invasive ranges, further phylogenetic studies are necessary to clarify this issue.
- 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.
- Phylogeny, phylogeography, and evolution in the Mediterranean region: news from a freshwater mussel (Potomida, Unionida)Publication . Froufe, Elsa; Prié, Vincent; Faria, João; Ghamizi, Mohamed; Gonçalves, Duarte V.; Gürlek, Mustafa Emre; Karaouzas, Ioannis; Kebapçi, Ümit; Şereflişan, Hülya; Sobral, Carina; Sousa, Ronaldo; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Zogaris, Stamatis; Lopes-Lima, ManuelThe Potomida genus (Bivalvia, Unionida) has a Circum-Mediterranean distribution and like other freshwater mussel species, its populations have suffered dramatic declines. Although this genus is currently considered as monotypic, it has a long history of taxonomic revisions and presently many aspects of its systematics and evolutionary history are unclear. We sampled a total of 323 individuals from 39 different sites across the Potomida genus distribution, and sequenced two mitochondrial (16S rDNA and Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit I) and one nuclear (28S rDNA) genes to clarify its phylogeny and phylogeographic history. Our results show that the genus includes two well-supported clades, one comprising solely the western Mediterranean species Potomida littoralis, and the other including two eastern Mediterranean species, the Greek endemic P. acarnanica and the Anatolian and Middle Eastern P. semirugata. We suggest that Potomida started radiating during the upper Miocene, and that both vicariance and dispersal events shaped the diversification and distribution of the genus along the Mediterranean region. P. littoralis is further divided in two mitochondrial lineages, one restricted to Europe and the other occurring mostly in North Africa. Moreover, some European basins present both lineages in sympatry. The conservation status of the three recognized species should be reevaluated, particularly P. acarnanica, since it is restricted to two Greek river basins presenting a high risk of extinction. Overall, our results clarify some important gaps in knowledge concerning the phylogeny, phylogeography and evolution of the Potomida genus in the Mediterranean region with important taxonomical, ecological and conservational implications.
- The complete mitochondrial genome of Potomida acarnanica (Kobelt, 1879)Publication . Matos, Ana; Gomes-dos-Santos, André; Teixeira, Amílcar; Varandas, Simone; Sousa, Ronaldo; Karaouzas, Ioannis; Zogaris, Stamatis; Froufe, Elsa; Lopes-Lima, ManuelFreshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) play essential roles in the well-functioning of ecosystems, even providing essential services to humans. However, these bivalves face numerous threats (e.g. habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, introduction of invasive species, and climate change) which have already led to the extinction of many populations. This underscores the need to fully characterize the biology of these species, particularly those, such as Potomida acarnanica, that are still poorly studied. This study presents the first mitogenome of P. acarnanica (Kobelt, 1879), an endemic species of Greece with a distribution limited to only two river basins. The mitochondrial genome of a P. acarnanica specimen, collected at Pamisos River (Peloponnese, Greece), was sequenced by Illumina high-throughput sequencing. This mitogenome (16,101 bp) is characterized by 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The size of this mitogenome is within the range of another Potomida mitogenome already published for the species Potomida littoralis. In the phylogenetic inference, P. acarnanica was recovered as monophyletic with P. littoralis mitogenome in the Lamprotulini tribe, as expected. This genomic resource will assist in genetically characterizing the species, potentially benefiting future evolutionary studies and conservation efforts.