ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea
Non-indigenous species (NIS) are one of the major threats to the native marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea. <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> was the only exotic seagrass of the Mediterranean until 2018, when small patches of a species morphologically identified as <i>Halophila d...
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| author | Catalina A. García-Escudero Costas S. Tsigenopoulos Vasilis Gerakaris Alexandros Tsakogiannis Eugenia T. Apostolaki |
| author_facet | Catalina A. García-Escudero Costas S. Tsigenopoulos Vasilis Gerakaris Alexandros Tsakogiannis Eugenia T. Apostolaki |
| author_sort | Catalina A. García-Escudero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-indigenous species (NIS) are one of the major threats to the native marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea. <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> was the only exotic seagrass of the Mediterranean until 2018, when small patches of a species morphologically identified as <i>Halophila decipiens</i> were reported in Salamina Island, Greece. Given the absence of reproductive structures during the identification and the taxonomic ambiguities known to lead to misidentifications on this genus, we reassessed the identity of this new exotic record using DNA barcoding (rbcL, matK and ITS) and the recently published taxonomic key. Despite their morphologic similarity to <i>H. decipiens</i> based on the new taxonomic key, the specimens showed no nucleotide differences with <i>H. stipulacea</i> specimens (Crete) for the three barcodes and clustered together on the ITS phylogenetic tree. Considering the high species resolution of the ITS region and the common morphological variability within the genus, the unequivocal genetic result suggests that the <i>Halophila</i> population found in Salamina Island most likely corresponds to a morphologically variant <i>H. stipulacea</i>. Our results highlight the importance of applying an integrated taxonomic approach (morphological and molecular) to taxonomically complex genera such as <i>Halophila</i>, in order to avoid overlooking or misreporting species range shifts, which is essential for monitoring NIS introductions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:09:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d134364819b8491896db032317c700ba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:09:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-d134364819b8491896db032317c700ba2023-11-23T19:34:25ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-01-011427610.3390/d14020076ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean SeaCatalina A. García-Escudero0Costas S. Tsigenopoulos1Vasilis Gerakaris2Alexandros Tsakogiannis3Eugenia T. Apostolaki4Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 2214, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete, GreeceInstitute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 2214, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 712, GR-19013 Anavyssos, Attiki, GreeceInstitute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 2214, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete, GreeceInstitute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, P.O. Box 2214, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete, GreeceNon-indigenous species (NIS) are one of the major threats to the native marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea. <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> was the only exotic seagrass of the Mediterranean until 2018, when small patches of a species morphologically identified as <i>Halophila decipiens</i> were reported in Salamina Island, Greece. Given the absence of reproductive structures during the identification and the taxonomic ambiguities known to lead to misidentifications on this genus, we reassessed the identity of this new exotic record using DNA barcoding (rbcL, matK and ITS) and the recently published taxonomic key. Despite their morphologic similarity to <i>H. decipiens</i> based on the new taxonomic key, the specimens showed no nucleotide differences with <i>H. stipulacea</i> specimens (Crete) for the three barcodes and clustered together on the ITS phylogenetic tree. Considering the high species resolution of the ITS region and the common morphological variability within the genus, the unequivocal genetic result suggests that the <i>Halophila</i> population found in Salamina Island most likely corresponds to a morphologically variant <i>H. stipulacea</i>. Our results highlight the importance of applying an integrated taxonomic approach (morphological and molecular) to taxonomically complex genera such as <i>Halophila</i>, in order to avoid overlooking or misreporting species range shifts, which is essential for monitoring NIS introductions.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/2/76biological invasionsspecies range shiftsspecies monitoringintegrative taxonomyseagrass barcoding<i>Halophila decipiens</i> |
| spellingShingle | Catalina A. García-Escudero Costas S. Tsigenopoulos Vasilis Gerakaris Alexandros Tsakogiannis Eugenia T. Apostolaki ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea Diversity biological invasions species range shifts species monitoring integrative taxonomy seagrass barcoding <i>Halophila decipiens</i> |
| title | ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full | ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea |
| title_fullStr | ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea |
| title_short | ITS DNA Barcoding Reveals That <i>Halophila stipulacea</i> Still Remains the Only Non-Indigenous Seagrass of the Mediterranean Sea |
| title_sort | its dna barcoding reveals that i halophila stipulacea i still remains the only non indigenous seagrass of the mediterranean sea |
| topic | biological invasions species range shifts species monitoring integrative taxonomy seagrass barcoding <i>Halophila decipiens</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/2/76 |
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