Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle
The geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle <i>Emys trinacris</i> across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of <i>E. trinacris</i> were studied, showing high polymorphic mi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/9/343 |
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| author | Luca Vecchioni Federico Marrone Marco Arculeo Uwe Fritz Melita Vamberger |
| author_facet | Luca Vecchioni Federico Marrone Marco Arculeo Uwe Fritz Melita Vamberger |
| author_sort | Luca Vecchioni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle <i>Emys trinacris</i> across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of <i>E. trinacris</i> were studied, showing high polymorphic microsatellite loci, with allele numbers ranging from 7 to 30. STRUCTURE and GENELAND analyses showed a noteworthy, geographically based structuring of the studied populations in five well-characterized clusters, supported by a moderate degree of genetic diversity (FST values between 0.075 and 0.160). Possible explanations for the genetic fragmentation observed are provided, where both natural and human-mediated habitat fragmentation of the Sicilian wetlands played a major role in this process. Finally, some conservation and management suggestions aimed at preventing the loss of genetic variability of the species are briefly reported, stressing the importance of considering the five detected clusters as independent Management Units. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:32:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f07a040abaad4380b090d6c65e152416 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:32:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-f07a040abaad4380b090d6c65e1524162023-11-20T12:47:18ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182020-09-0112934310.3390/d12090343Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond TurtleLuca Vecchioni0Federico Marrone1Marco Arculeo2Uwe Fritz3Melita Vamberger4Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, ItalyMuseum of Zoology (Museum für Tierkunde), Senckenberg Dresden, A. B. Meyer Building, 01109 Dresden, GermanyMuseum of Zoology (Museum für Tierkunde), Senckenberg Dresden, A. B. Meyer Building, 01109 Dresden, GermanyThe geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle <i>Emys trinacris</i> across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of <i>E. trinacris</i> were studied, showing high polymorphic microsatellite loci, with allele numbers ranging from 7 to 30. STRUCTURE and GENELAND analyses showed a noteworthy, geographically based structuring of the studied populations in five well-characterized clusters, supported by a moderate degree of genetic diversity (FST values between 0.075 and 0.160). Possible explanations for the genetic fragmentation observed are provided, where both natural and human-mediated habitat fragmentation of the Sicilian wetlands played a major role in this process. Finally, some conservation and management suggestions aimed at preventing the loss of genetic variability of the species are briefly reported, stressing the importance of considering the five detected clusters as independent Management Units.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/9/343Emydidae<i>Emys trinacris</i>microsatellitesgenetic structuringSicily |
| spellingShingle | Luca Vecchioni Federico Marrone Marco Arculeo Uwe Fritz Melita Vamberger Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle Diversity Emydidae <i>Emys trinacris</i> microsatellites genetic structuring Sicily |
| title | Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle |
| title_full | Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle |
| title_fullStr | Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle |
| title_short | Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle |
| title_sort | stand out from the crowd small scale genetic structuring in the endemic sicilian pond turtle |
| topic | Emydidae <i>Emys trinacris</i> microsatellites genetic structuring Sicily |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/9/343 |
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