The intriguing biogeographic pattern of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus (Squamata: Lacertidae) in the Tuscan Archipelago reveals the existence of a new ancient insular clade

The Tuscan Archipelago is one of the most ancient and ecologically heterogeneous island systems in the Mediterranean. The biodiversity of these islands was strongly shaped by the Pliocene and Pleistocene sea regressions and transgression, resulting in different waves of colonization and isolation of species coming from the mainland. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, is present on the following islands of the Tuscan Archipelago: Elba, Giglio, Giannutri, Capraia, Montecristo and Cerboli. The species in the area displays a relatively high morphological variability that in the past led to the description of several subspecies. In this study, both the genetic and morphological diversity of P. siculus of the Tuscan Archipelago were investigated. Specifically, the meristic characters and the dorsal pattern were analyzed, while the genetic relationships among these populations were explored with mtDNA and microsatellite nuclear markers to reconstruct the colonization history of the Archipelago. Our results converge in the identification of at least two different waves of colonization in the Archipelago: Elba, and the populations of Cerboli and Montecristo probably originate from historical introductions from mainland Tuscany, while those of Giglio and Capraia are surviving populations of an ancient lineage which colonized the Tuscan Archipelago during the Pliocene and which shares a common ancestry with the P. siculus populations of south-eastern Italy. Giannutri perhaps represents an interesting case of hybridization between the populations from mainland Tuscany and the Giglio-Capraia clade. Based on the high phenotypic and molecular distinctiveness of this ancient clade, these populations should be treated as distinct units deserving conservation and management efforts as well as further investigation to assess their taxonomic status

DOES THE SITTING POSITION INFLUENCE CLAY TARGET SHOOTING PERFORMANCE IN ATHLETES WITH A MOTOR IMPAIRMENT?

Olympic trap clay target shooting (CTS) is currently performed by motor impaired individuals (MII), but not yet included in the International Paralympic Committee endorsement. This study aimed at supporting the development of a classification model that divides athletes competing in standing and sitting postures. Two groups of 5 standing and 5 sitting MII athletes were recruited for an instrumented CTS task execution. During competition, sitting athletes showed a lower rate of success with respect to the standing ones only for targets requiring wider ranges of motion, possibly due to fatigue. Their predominant use of upper body movements implies an adapted technique to reach a good performance, testified by a smoother movement, a lower peak accelerations at the gun tip, a smaller range for all absolute and relative rotations, and a different muscle activity

The Software Architecture and development approach for the ASTRI Mini-Array gamma-ray air-Cherenkov experiment at the Observatorio del Teide

The ASTRI Mini-Array is an international collaboration led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and devoted to the imaging of atmospheric Cherenkov light for very-high gamma-ray astronomy. The project is deploying an array of 9 telescopes sensitive above 1 TeV. In this contribution, we present the architecture of the software that covers the entire life cycle of the observatory, from scheduling to remote operations and data dissemination. The high-speed networking connection available between the observatory site, at the Canary Islands, and the Data Center in Rome allows for ready data availability for stereo triggering and data processing

Phylogeographic and Bioclimatic Determinants of the Dorsal Pattern Polymorphism in the Italian Wall Lizard, <i>Podarcis siculus</i>

The geographic variability of the dorsal pattern (DP) of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, across its native range was studied with the aim of understanding whether the distributions of this phenotypic trait were more shaped by allopatric differentiation rather than adaptive processes. A total of 1298 georeferenced observations scattered across the Italian peninsula and the main islands (Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia) were obtained from citizen science databases and five DPs were characterized by different shapes of the dark pattern (“reticulated”, “campestris”, “reticulated/campestris” and “striped”) or by absence of it (“concolor”). Frequencies of different DP phenotypes differ between the two main mtDNA lineages settled in central-northern and in southern Italy, respectively. This pattern may be indicative of a role of long-term allopatric historical processes in determining the observed pattern. The analysis also identified a putative wide area of secondary contact, in central southern Italy, characterized by high diversity of the DP. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs), used to estimate a possible association between bioclimatic variables and the observed phenotypic variation, showed that each of the five DPs is correlated to different environmental factors and show a different distribution of areas with high probability of occurrence. However, for all but one of the DPs, the area with the greatest probability does not correspond exactly to the real distribution of the DP. Conversely, the “concolor” phenotype does not seem related to any particular mtDNA lineage and it shows a preference for areas with high temperature and low rainfall. This is in agreement with the expectation of low amount of melanin of the dorsal pattern that, in the study areas, is characterized by a light uniform coloration which could confer a better thermoregulation ability in high temperatures environments to avoid overheating

Phenotypic plasticity over genetic diversity. Ecomorphological patterns revealed in the eurytopic and threatened Italian endemic freshwater fish Sarmarutilus rubilio (Bonaparte, 1837)

The large number of cryptic species and extensive intraspecific phenotypic plasticity among freshwater fishes pose a challenge to the correct assessment of diversity within these taxa, which is crucial for their conservation. Recently, three different genetic lineages have been identified within the Italian endemic South European roach Sarmarutilus rubilio, a threatened species with a broad ecological niche. Using geometric morphometrics, we tested the existence of morphological differences associated with genetic common ancestry (i.e. between lineages) and/or environmental parameters. We observed streamlined body shapes in sites scarcely altered by human intervention and with fast water flow; on the contrary, we observed deeper body shapes in canals and in one reservoir with slow/still water flow. Our results suggest that morphological diversity in the South European roach is mainly a result of phenotypic plasticity in response to different environmental drivers (i.e. lotic vs. lentic hydrodynamic patterns) rather than different genetic backgrounds

VKORC1 mutations associated with resistance to rodenticides in Mus musculus domesticus in four Italian islands

Human commensal rodents can be extremely harmful to small islands biocenoses. Eradication of invasive rodents is often one of the most direct methods to protect island biodiversity and most of them are carried out using anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). These compounds act by inhibiting the vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase (VKORC) complex of the vitamin K synthesis cycle, an essential cofactor for blood clotting. The phenomenon of resistance to ARs is among the principal reasons for their low efficiency in the management of invasive rodents. Resistance is mainly due to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vkorc1 gene that confer resistance to ARs. The occurrence and the frequency of this SNPs is poorly known for the population of house mice Mus musculus domesticus on the Mediterranean islands. We analysed the three exons of the vkorc1 gene on four islands of central-southern Italy and we found resistance-related mutations on three of them. Particularly, we found the Tyr139Cys mutation on San Domino Island and Ventotene Island and the Glu155Lys on Pantelleria Island and Ventotene Island. San Nicola Island was the only one showing no resistance-related mutations. Tyr139Cys is one of the most frequent amino acid substitutions occurring in the vkorc1 gene in resistant mice and rats in Europe, and it is known to confer resistance to ARs also in heterozygous condition. Glu155Lys was only detected in Norway rats so far and this is the first record of this mutation in the house mouse. Our results preliminarily suggest a wide distribution of resistance-related mutations in insular Italy and therefore a urgent need for a safer, more conscious use of ARs

The Intriguing Biogeographic Pattern of the Italian Wall Lizard Podarcis siculus (Squamata: Lacertidae) in the Tuscan Archipelago Reveals the Existence of a New Ancient Insular Clade

The Tuscan Archipelago is one of the most ancient and ecologically heterogeneous island systems in the Mediterranean. The biodiversity of these islands was strongly shaped by the Pliocene and Pleistocene sea regressions and transgression, resulting in different waves of colonization and isolation of species coming from the mainland. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, is present on the following islands of the Tuscan Archipelago: Elba, Giglio, Giannutri, Capraia, Montecristo and Cerboli. The species in the area displays a relatively high morphological variability that in the past led to the description of several subspecies. In this study, both the genetic and morphological diversity of P. siculus of the Tuscan Archipelago were investigated. Specifically, the meristic characters and the dorsal pattern were analyzed, while the genetic relationships among these populations were explored with mtDNA and microsatellite nuclear markers to reconstruct the colonization history of the Archipelago. Our results converge in the identification of at least two different waves of colonization in the Archipelago: Elba, and the populations of Cerboli and Montecristo probably originate from historical introductions from mainland Tuscany, while those of Giglio and Capraia are surviving populations of an ancient lineage which colonized the Tuscan Archipelago during the Pliocene and which shares a common ancestry with the P. siculus populations of south-eastern Italy. Giannutri perhaps represents an interesting case of hybridization between the populations from mainland Tuscany and the Giglio-Capraia clade. Based on the high phenotypic and molecular distinctiveness of this ancient clade, these populations should be treated as distinct units deserving conservation and management efforts as well as further investigation to assess their taxonomic status