Caratterizzazione genetica del complesso di specie Austropotamobius pallipes in Friuli Venezia Giulia ai fini del ripopolamento

2013/2014The white-clawed crayfish A. pallipes has suffered in recent decades a strong decline throughout its entire distributional range, mainly due to the growing number of threats coming from anthropic influence, including habitat loss and degradation, overfishing, infectious diseases, and the introduction of non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS). The species is included in the red list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as a species at risk of extinction. An important goal in conservation biology is to assess the genetic variability and thus the “genetic health” of populations and to identify any evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) within endangered species, before management decisions are taken. Within RARITY (http://www.life-rarity.eu), a LIFE project for the eradication of the invasive Louisiana red swamp (Procambarus clarkii) and for the preservation of the native white-clawed crayfish in Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy), I was responsible for the genetic characterization of A. pallipes complex in this area, in order to define the taxonomic status, the genetic variability and the population structure and differentition. The analysis of two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16 rDNA) of about 500 individuals from 58 monitored sites showed that the FVG crayfish belong to the A. italicus species, with two different subspecies present: A.i. carsicus and A.i.meridionalis. The analysis at six polimorphic microsatellite loci revealed generally low levels of within population genetic diversity (0,0 <Ho< 0,5) with overall high inbreeding coefficients (average F=0,422), likely as a result of genetic drift in small sized populations. FVG populations appeared significantly differentiated among the different river drainages and were highly structured within rivers displaying a significant pattern of isolation by distance, suggesting significant habitat fragmentation of steam ecosystems. The combination of mithocondrial and microatellite markers allowed us to identify two ESUs , corresponding to the two subspecies in northern and southern FVG (Rosandra stream). Our data also support the maintenance of separate of separate demographic management strategies for crayfish inhabiting different drainage systems. This study provided new knowledge on white-clawed crayfish populations to create “genetic maps” that can be used as valuable data for restocking practices and conservation programs in FVG.XXVII Ciclo198

The conservation of Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Karst and Istria

Genetic analyses conducted on bee samples from Istrian Karst have revealed the presence of a high degree of genetic reshuffling of local populations due to repeated imports of non-native bees for commercial purposes. Nevertheless, genetic traces of two presumably native ecotypes are still present. The first is a hybrid between the yellow Italian bee and the grey Carniolan bee and was found mainly in the area of the Karst above Trieste, the natural boundary between the two subspecies. The second, more abundant in Istria, could be the Istrian-Dalmatian ecotype, which is described in the literature as a coastal form of the Carniolan bee adapted to the warmer drier climate of the coastal Karst. These two ecotypes are morphologically very similar, but distinct from a genetic perspective. The identification and characterization of these local strains is a first step to implementing targeted programmes for the conservation and the restoration of their rearing. It then becomes of primary importance to create regulations that prohibit the introduction of non-native bees in the area to curb the risk of extinction of local varieties

Detection of the Endangered Stone Crayfish Austropotamobius torrentium (Schrank, 1803) and Its Congeneric A. pallipes in Its Last Italian Biotope by eDNA Analysis

7noThe stone crayfish, Austropotamobius torrentium, is a European freshwater crayfish. Although this species is relatively widespread throughout the continent, it is undergoing significant declines throughout its range. However, as the decline rates have not been quantified in detail, this species is classified as data deficient by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The present study describes the development and validation of two species-specific assays based on hydrolysis probe chemistry for the detection of A. torrentium and A. pallipes environmental DNA (eDNA) in water samples collected in the Julian Alps of Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia). The eDNA-based method was applied to 14 sites within the Danubian Slizza basin, known to be inhabited by A. torrentium, but with insufficient information on their distribution. In addition, one station in the Tagliamento River basin was sampled to test the performance of the A. pallipes probe. The presence of A. torrentium is confirmed at 6 out of 15 sites. At four of these sites, A. torrentium is detected for the first time. In contrast, the presence of A. torrentium was not detected at two sites already known to harbour the species. Finally, the presence of A. pallipes was confirmed in the station belonging to the Tagliamento basin. The methodology described, which allows the distinction between the two species, paves the way for the parallel detection of the stone crayfish and the white-clawed crayfish (A. pallipes) through eDNA analysis.openopenChiara Manfrin, Massimo Zanetti, David Stanković, Umberto Fattori, Victoria Bertucci Maresca, Piero G. Giulianini, Alberto PallaviciniManfrin, Chiara; Zanetti, Massimo; Stanković, David; Fattori, Umberto; BERTUCCI MARESCA, Victoria; Giulianini, Piero G.; Pallavicini, Albert