Morphological and genetic evidence supports the existence of two species in the genus Ophelia (Annelida, Polychaeta) from the Western Mediterranean

About 900 individuals of the intertidal polychaete Ophelia cf. bicornis were collected at four sandy beaches in Corsica, ten in Sardinia and one in Tuscany (Western Mediterranean). They were analysed morphologically and genetically to clarify the taxonomic status of the littoral species of Ophelia in the study area and to assess the population genetic structuring. Two morphotypes were distinguished on the basis of the number of nephridiopore pairs (five or six). Genetic distances, F -statistics and analysis of molecular variance based on eight allozyme genetic markers were consistent in showing the two morphotypes to separate at species level. Thus, the two morphotypes which most authors have included in O. bicornis s.l. are not one morphologically variable taxon, but instead constitute two valid species, namely O. bicornis Savigny, 1818, with six pairs of nephridiopores, and O. barquii Fauvel, 1927, with five pairs of nephridiopores. Mechanisms of ecological speciation in a background of gene flow can be taken into account to explain the origin of the two species. Moderate genetic differentiation was found among populations within each species, suggesting that dispersal may not be effective over large distances, or that local selection plays an important role in population differentiation.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 83 , 101–113.     

Identification and functional characterization of effectors in expressed sequence tags from various life cycle stages of the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida

In this article, we describe the analysis of over 9000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from cDNA libraries obtained from various life cycle stages of Globodera pallida . We have identified over 50 G. pallida effectors from this dataset using bioinformatics analysis, by screening clones in order to identify secreted proteins up-regulated after the onset of parasitism and using in situ hybridization to confirm the expression in pharyngeal gland cells. A substantial gene family encoding G. pallida SPRYSEC proteins has been identified. The expression of these genes is restricted to the dorsal pharyngeal gland cell. Different members of the SPRYSEC family of proteins from G. pallida show different subcellular localization patterns in plants, with some localized to the cytoplasm and others to the nucleus and nucleolus. Differences in subcellular localization may reflect diverse functional roles for each individual protein or, more likely, variety in the compartmentalization of plant proteins targeted by the nematode. Our data are therefore consistent with the suggestion that the SPRYSEC proteins suppress host defences, as suggested previously, and that they achieve this through interaction with a range of host targets.     

YOU CAN USE MY NAME; YOU DON'T HAVE TO STEAL MY STORY – A CRITIQUE OF ANONYMITY IN INDIGENOUS STUDIES

Our claim in this paper is that not being identified as the data source might cause harm to a person or group. Therefore, in some cases the default of anonymisation should be replaced by a careful deliberation, together with research subjects, of how to handle the issues of identification and confidentiality. Our prime example in this article is community participatory research and similar endeavours on indigenous groups. The theme, content and aim of the research, and the question of how to handle property rights and ownership of research results, as well as who should be in charge of the research process, including the process of creating anonymity, should all be answered, before anonymity is accepted.     

Phylogeography and genetic structure of the edible sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) inferred from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene

Phylogeographical analysis of Paracentrotus lividus was carried out by means of sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1143 bp) of 260 individuals collected at 22 Mediterranean and four Atlantic localities. Against a background of high haplotype diversity and shallow genetic structuring, we observed significant genetic divergence between the Adriatic Sea and the rest of the Mediterranean, as well as between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic sample groups. Furthermore, on the largest spatial scale, isolation by distance was detected. Three main haplogroups were identified by network and Bayesian assignment analyses. The relative proportions of haplogroups were different in the four regions considered, with the exception of Western and Eastern Mediterranean that showed a similar pattern. This result together with the outcome of S_nn statistics, analysis of molecular variance and network analyses allowed to identify three weakly differentiated populations corresponding to the Atlantic, Western + Eastern Mediterranean, and Adriatic seas. Analyses of mismatch distribution and neutrality tests were consistent with the presence of genetic structuring and past demographic expansion(s). From a fisheries perspective, the results obtained in the present study are consistent with genetic sustainability of current exploitation; local depleted stocks are recurrently replenished by recruits that may have originated from nonharvested areas. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100 , 910–923.