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Integrated transcriptomic and functional immunological approach for assessing the invasiveness of bivalve alien species
13 pages, 6 figures, 1 table.-- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International LicenseBiological invasions started when humans moved species beyond their normal geographic limits.
Bivalves are the most notoriously invasive species in subtidal aquatic environments. Next-generation
sequencing technologies are applied to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the invasion.
The ecological immunology focuses on the role of immunity in invasion, and its magnitude could help
to predict the invasiveness of alien species. A remarkable case of invasion has been reported in the Ría
de Vigo (Spain) by the black pygmy mussel Xenostrobus securis. In Galicia, the Mediterranean mussel
Mytilus galloprovincialis is the predominant cultured bivalve species. Can we predict the invasiveness
of alien bivalve species by analyzing their immune response? Can X. securis represent a risk for the
autochthonous mussel? We evaluated the suitability of the immune-related hypotheses in our model
by using an integrated transcriptomic and functional immunological approach. Our analysis suggests
lower immune capabilities in X. securis compared to M. galloprovincialis, probably due to the relocation
of energetic resources from the immune response to vital physiological processes to cope with salinity
stress. This multidisciplinary approach will help us understand how the immune response can be
influenced by the adaptive process and how this immune response can influence the invasion processThis work was supported by the projects AGL2015-65705-R (MINECO, Spain), IN607B 2016/12 (Xunta de Galicia) and VIVALDI 678589 (EU H2020)Peer reviewe