Search

We present a data set on the biodiversity of Italian freshwaters, including lakeshores and riverbanks of natural (N=379: springs, streams and lakes) and artificial (N=11: fountains) sites. The data set belongs partly to the Italian Long Term Ecological Research network (LTER-Italy) and partly to LifeWatch, the European e-Science infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research. The data included cover a time period corresponding to the last fifty years (1962-2014). They span a large number of taxa from prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes to vertebrates and plants, including taxa linked to the aquatic habitat in at least part of their life cycles (like immature stages of insects, amphibians, birds and vascular plants). The data set consists of 6463 occurrence data and distribution records for 1738 species. The complete data set is available in csv file format via the LifeWatch Service Centre.

Oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation play a key role in the development of hypoxic–ischemic (H–I) induced brain damage. Following H–I, rapid neuronal death occurs during the acute phase of inflammation, and activation of the oxidant–antioxidant system contributes to the brain damage by activated microglia. So far, in an animal model of perinatal H–I, it was showed that neuroprostanes are present in all brain damaged areas, including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum. Based on the interplay between inflammation and OS, it was demonstrated in the same model that inflammation reduced brain sirtuin-1 expression and affected the expression of specific miRNAs. Moreover, through proteomic approach, an increased expression of genes and proteins in cerebral cortex synaptosomes has been revealed after induction of neonatal H–I. Administration of melatonin in the experimental treatment of brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases has produced promising therapeutic results. Melatonin protects against OS, contributes to reduce the generation of pro-inflammatory factors and promotes tissue regeneration and repair. Starting from the above cited aspects, this educational review aims to discuss the inflammatory and OS main pathways in H–I brain injury, focusing on the role of melatonin as neuroprotectant and providing current and emerging evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative role of propagule pressure, abiotic and biotic variables as determinants of alien species occurrence differs among studies. This limits the synthesis of emergent patterns in invasion ecology and generalisations for conservation actions. In order to produce a broad and general assessment of the invasion pattern in aquatic habitats we here propose a macroecological approach to assess the drivers of occurrence of alien species within the whole biota (microorganisms, plants and animals) across several natural freshwater ecosystems of Italy. We simultaneously tested three groups of variables (propagule pressure, abiotic and biotic characteristics), selected as putative predictors of invasibility of a site. Propagule pressure, expressed as proximity to larger inhabited areas, and differences in the native species richness of the receiving community, had a significant role in determining the number of alien species occurrences. Furthermore, body size influenced the occurrence and colonization processes of alien species. Finally, climatic characteristics were relevant in determining the chances that a site was invaded, confirming the role of these abiotic filters in the invasion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the variety of cultured marine species, the turbot Scophthalmus maximus is a fish of growing importance in European aquaculture. In this paper, an advanced application of AFLPs to estimate the genetic diversity of haploid gynogenetic families with the aim of obtaining a preliminary genetic map is presented. Ten EcoRI/ TaqI primer combinations were tested in four families comprising diploid mothers and their haploid progenies. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis revealed an average of 6.8 polymorphic bands per primer combination and a total number of 88 polymorphisms out of 579 fragments. Among various primer pairs, seven combinations were selected in relation to the quality of profiles and number of polymorphic fragments, to be used in the determination of genetic linkage relationship between AFLP markers within the largest haploid family. Co-migration of non-homologous fragments was also investigated in one primer combination adding a fourth selective nucleotide to the three used in the classic TaqI AFLP protocol. Surprisingly, a rate of 38.7% of non-homologous fragments co-migrating with monomorphic bands was identified, due to the combined effect of homoplasy and the protocol used. Additional polymorphic markers discovered by this protocol were included in the linkage map. The turbot AFLP linkage map comprises 52 AFLP markers distributed in 12 linkage groups. On the basis of this map, turbot expected total genome length sums up to 1225.6 cM. The results confirm the usefulness of AFLPs in revealing genome segregation in haploid turbot progeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European endemic barbels represent important bioindicators of river quality and are nowadays threatened by changing environmental conditions and hybridization with the invasive alien Barbus barbus. It is therefore fundamental to investigate interactions among species and adaptability to climate changes in protected areas of Northern Apennines. An investigation was carried out considering 248 barbel samples that were analysed for Cytb mitochondrial DNA and 192 at 10 microsatellite loci, to delineate the distribution and population structure of the two native species as well as the impact of invasive B. barbus inside 15 sites of the Natura 2000 network. The complex distribution of the native barbel species was highlighted, together with a significant genetic structure emerging in different populations. Only one site revealed a “pure” population of B. caninus while the other ones showed a high level of hybridization between the different barbel species. For the B. plebejus two “genetically pure” populations were found in the hill‐mountain sector, while the hybridization level resulted in increasing in the lowest altitudinal stretch of watercourses with a consistent contribution driven by B. barbus. We herein present the first evidence of B. barbus introgression along an altitudinal gradient, carried from the lowland water course to mountain stretches driven by B. plebejus migration. B. plebejus is the species that can act as vicariant organism able to transfer the B. barbus genome from the plain habitats into B. caninus genome of the higher altitude waterstreams, as a consequence of habitat shifts due to climate changes and anthropogenic acitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study to assess the occurrence of null alleles and test markers reliability. It notes that while the presence of microsatellite null alleles was reported for the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum, this has not been checked by specific tests. The results suggest that allele frequency corrections allow the evaluation of population differential levels but do not lead to a reliable assignment of individuals to populations.