Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation
The Columbretes archipelago consists of a group of small volcanic islets located in the western Mediterranean near the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Four of its islands are inhabited by the wall lizard <i>Podarcis liolepis</i>, whose populations have been considered vulnerable. The purp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/5/408 |
| _version_ | 1797500361371549696 |
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| author | Marta Bassitta Iris Alemany Valentín Pérez-Mellado Ana Pérez-Cembranos Pilar Navarro Javier Lluch José A. Jurado-Rivera José A. Castro Antònia Picornell Cori Ramon |
| author_facet | Marta Bassitta Iris Alemany Valentín Pérez-Mellado Ana Pérez-Cembranos Pilar Navarro Javier Lluch José A. Jurado-Rivera José A. Castro Antònia Picornell Cori Ramon |
| author_sort | Marta Bassitta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Columbretes archipelago consists of a group of small volcanic islets located in the western Mediterranean near the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Four of its islands are inhabited by the wall lizard <i>Podarcis liolepis</i>, whose populations have been considered vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of genetic diversity across the archipelago and the possible evolutionary origin of the Columbretes lizard populations. Additionally, we investigated the evolutionary ecology of these populations using a DNA-based metabarcoding approach to characterise both their microbiota and trophic interactions. The genetic results reported very low genetic diversity and corroborated the conspecificity between insular populations and <i>P. liolepis</i> from the mainland (Peñagolosa region). The results of the metabarcoding analyses based on faecal samples were in accordance with an omnivorous ecology, suggesting that specific microbiota communities in the insular populations might be correlated with differences in host ecology and phylogeny. These results are a valuable contribution to the current understanding of the evolution of Columbretes’ lizards and provide important information for conservation management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:00:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45dc302192584a658cab626bdc105c11 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:00:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-45dc302192584a658cab626bdc105c112023-11-23T10:43:49ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-05-0114540810.3390/d14050408Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their ConservationMarta Bassitta0Iris Alemany1Valentín Pérez-Mellado2Ana Pérez-Cembranos3Pilar Navarro4Javier Lluch5José A. Jurado-Rivera6José A. Castro7Antònia Picornell8Cori Ramon9Laboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainDepartamento de Biología Animal, Edificio de Farmacia, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37071 Salamanca, SpainDepartamento de Biología Animal, Edificio de Farmacia, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37071 Salamanca, SpainDepartamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universitat de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, SpainDepartamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universitat de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, SpainLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainLaboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biología, Universitat de les Illes Baleares, Crta. De Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, SpainThe Columbretes archipelago consists of a group of small volcanic islets located in the western Mediterranean near the east of the Iberian Peninsula. Four of its islands are inhabited by the wall lizard <i>Podarcis liolepis</i>, whose populations have been considered vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of genetic diversity across the archipelago and the possible evolutionary origin of the Columbretes lizard populations. Additionally, we investigated the evolutionary ecology of these populations using a DNA-based metabarcoding approach to characterise both their microbiota and trophic interactions. The genetic results reported very low genetic diversity and corroborated the conspecificity between insular populations and <i>P. liolepis</i> from the mainland (Peñagolosa region). The results of the metabarcoding analyses based on faecal samples were in accordance with an omnivorous ecology, suggesting that specific microbiota communities in the insular populations might be correlated with differences in host ecology and phylogeny. These results are a valuable contribution to the current understanding of the evolution of Columbretes’ lizards and provide important information for conservation management.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/5/408<i>Podarcis liolepis</i>Columbretes Islandsphylogeneticsdiversitymetabarcodingfaecal microbiota |
| spellingShingle | Marta Bassitta Iris Alemany Valentín Pérez-Mellado Ana Pérez-Cembranos Pilar Navarro Javier Lluch José A. Jurado-Rivera José A. Castro Antònia Picornell Cori Ramon Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation Diversity <i>Podarcis liolepis</i> Columbretes Islands phylogenetics diversity metabarcoding faecal microbiota |
| title | Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation |
| title_full | Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation |
| title_fullStr | Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation |
| title_short | Phylogenetic, Microbiome, and Diet Characterisation of Wall Lizards in the Columbretes Archipelago (Spain): Clues for Their Conservation |
| title_sort | phylogenetic microbiome and diet characterisation of wall lizards in the columbretes archipelago spain clues for their conservation |
| topic | <i>Podarcis liolepis</i> Columbretes Islands phylogenetics diversity metabarcoding faecal microbiota |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/5/408 |
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