No abstract

Today, there are only two information sources about Anguilla anguilla mtDNA D-loop region haplotypic variety and both are quite old. Our research group updated the ten year-old mtDNA D-loop region database of 80 sequences by adding the homological sequences of 45 European eels caught in Lithuanian territorial waters, i.e., in the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon, and in inland Lakes Dringis and Siesartis. Even 37 unique haplotypes of European eel were found. Based on all available mtDNA D-loop sequence data, 115 polymorphic sites (S), 132 mutations (η), 0.9965 (± 0.002) overall haplotype diversity (H) and 0.02523 nucleotide diversity (π) were determinated. No significant clustering related to the sampling location was identified after the evaluation of the distribution patterns of different haplotypes in the phylogenetic tree constructed using 125 European eel mtDNA D-loop sequences. However, limited genetic differentiation based on geographic distribution of some haplogroups of A. anguilla became evident after the refinement of haplotype relationships using a network approach. The ambiguous clustering of specimens representing geographically related sampling locations in the phylogenetic tree derived using the neighbor-joining method and a non-random distribution of some haplotypes in the median joining network are discussed.

The European Turtle Dove, Streptopelia turtur, a long-distance migrant wintering in Africa, is a widespread Palearctic species. This species is classified as vulnerable and is undergoing a long-term demographic decline. The results of the previous study (based on mitochondrial (mtDNA) cytochrome-b (cytb) sequences of birds from Western and Southern Europe) indicated that the species was not genetically structured. We analysed the mtDNA cytb and D-loop of 258 birds collected from Morocco, Spain, and Ukraine. High genetic variability, expressed by haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity, was revealed in both cytb (Hd = 0.905 ± 0.009, π = 0.00628 ± 0.00014) and the D-loop (Hd = 0.937 ± 0.009, π = 0.01502 ± 0.00034). SAMOVA and principal coordinates analysis revealed the birds belonged to two genetically distinct groups. One group included birds collected in Spain, while birds sampled in Morocco and Ukraine formed another group. Furthermore, significant genetic differentiation was identified between Turtle Doves from Morocco and Ukraine, and certain Spanish samples. The present results indicate that specific management and conservation plans relevant for the species in various regions should be applied. However, further nuclear DNA research and new studies (particularly in Eastern Europe) are necessary for the decisive results on genetic structure of this species.

Abstract. To find out if native and introduced European eel (Anguilla anguilla) populations differ from one another genetically, we used five microsatellite markers and compared naturally recruited and introduced European eel populations at four different locations. Samples of naturally recruited eels were taken from the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, while introduced eels were sampled from Lakes Dringis and Siesartis. Results of the study do not support the hypothesis on panmixia in the European eel, since low but significant genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.0238, p = 0.0148) was found to exist among introduced eel groups. Significant genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.0228, p = 0.0281) among the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon, Lake Dringis and Lake Siesartis populations was ascertained too.

Determining the genetic population structure and intraspecific evolution of species is important for efficient management. Here we investigated 394 sequences of the mtDNA cyt b of the critically endangered European eel, Anguilla anguilla. We found 62 different haplotypes, among which 32 novel ones. All those sequences were grouped into 9 haplogroups on the basis of their frequency and links in the haplotype network. Two pairwise comparisons revealed significant genetic differentiation between regions. One comparison indicated small (F ST = 0.02768; P = 0.0071) genetic differentiation between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Another comparison indicated small (F ST = 0.01144; P = 0.0440) genetic differentiation between eel samples caught in the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Lagoon and the Gulf of Riga and those captured in the North Sea. The results of the study are in agreement with the recent findings obtained using the mtDNA D-loop region as a molecular marker, indicating that although A. anguilla is considered a panmictic species the genetic structure of its population indicated by mtDNA markers could be characterized as a genetic mosaic.