Genetic variation among populations of the endangered fan mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinna nobilis</Emphasis> (Mollusca: Bivalvia) along the Tunisian coastline |
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Authors: | Lotfi Rabaoui Randa Mejri Sabiha Tlig-Zouari Lilia Bahri Oum Kalthoum Ben Hassine Costas S Tsigenopoulos |
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Institution: | (1) Research Unit of Biology, Ecology and Parasitology of Aquatic Organisms, Faculty of Science of Tunis, University Campus, El Manar I, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia;(2) Institute of Marine Biology and Genetics (IMBG), Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) Crete, PO Box 2214, Thalassocosmos, Gournes Pediados, 715 00 Heraklion, Greece; |
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Abstract: | The Mediterranean fan mussel Pinna nobilis is an endangered invertebrate due to overexploitation and habitat deterioration. In this species, two distinctive morphs,
the “combed” and “straight and wide” forms, have been recorded and it is not known whether this morphometric variability is
attributed to genetic or environmental factors. In this study, we used mitochondrial COI sequences to describe the genetic
variability of five Pinna nobilis populations sampled along the northern, eastern, and southern Tunisian coastline, and to examine whether there is a genetic
differentiation between the two forms of this species. DNA sequences of 675 bp from the mitochondrial COI gene have revealed
10 different haplotypes among 49 examined specimens. Haplotype diversity was high, ranging between 0.40441 and 0.80952, and
showed a decreasing North-East gradient, which seems to be explained by the hydrogeography of the study area. The mitochondrial
COI marker did not suggest a genetic distinctiveness between the two Pinna nobilis shell forms, “combed” and “straight and wide”. Although the morphometric plasticity of the fan mussel could be due to the
influence of environmental factors, further genetic studies using nuclear markers are envisaged to investigate whether this
differentiation is associated to gene flow restrictions. |
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