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Population genetic parameters of the emerging corallivorous snail Drupella cornus in the northern Gulf of Eilat and Tanzanian coastlines based on mitochondrial COI gene sequences

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Abstract

The genetic diversity and population genetic structures of Drupella cornus populations from six localities in the northern Gulf of Eilat (GOE) and five localities in Tanzania (269 individuals) were investigated using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Overall, 107 haplotypes, 47 in GOE and 61 in Tanzania, revealed similar haplotype diversity for the D. cornus populations within each location (0.9 ± 0.00025 and 0.903 ± 0.00078 respectively), with only a single haplotype shared between the two regions. Network analysis for the 107 COI haplotypes displayed two major clades separated by nine mutations, and Bayesian analyses of population structures revealed two clusters highly correlated with the collecting region. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 73% of the molecular variance for all Drupella populations is based on differences among regions. Within regions, most of the molecular variance is based on within population differences, north vs south in Tanzania (89%) and Israel vs Jordan in GOE (98%). Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D values for all populations were negative, suggesting that the Drupella populations in both regions underwent population expansion or purifying selection. Based on the differences in genetic structuring within populations, the study strongly recommends application of conservation approaches that suit the description of the population in each region.

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Acknowledgements

This study is part of the PhD dissertation of N. Mbije at the University of Haifa, Israel, supported by grants from the World Bank/GEF the EU–INCO DEV and grants from the Israeli Ministry of Infrastructures Energy and Water Resources. We thank F. Al-Horani and Lee Shaish for animal collections in Jordan, Israel, Mr. Guy Paz, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography for manuscript for invaluable technical advice, and the Institute of Marine Science in Zanzibar for its financial facilitation in the field in Tanzania.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel- Shikmona, P.O.B. 8030, 31080, Haifa, Israel

    Nsajigwa E. J. Mbije, Jacob Douek & Baruch Rinkevich

  2. The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department of Maritime Civilizations, The Leon H. Charney School for Marine Science, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel

    Nsajigwa E. J. Mbije & Ehud Spanier

  3. Faculty of Forestry and Nature conservation, Wildlife Management Department, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3073, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Nsajigwa E. J. Mbije

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  1. Nsajigwa E. J. Mbije
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  2. Jacob Douek
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  3. Ehud Spanier
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  4. Baruch Rinkevich
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Correspondence to Nsajigwa E. J. Mbije or Baruch Rinkevich.

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Communicated by S. Gollner

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Population genetic parameters of D. cornus from Tanzania and the Northern Red Sea, based on COI; sample numbers, associated GenBank numbers, and sampling sites
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Mbije, N.E.J., Douek, J., Spanier, E. et al. Population genetic parameters of the emerging corallivorous snail Drupella cornus in the northern Gulf of Eilat and Tanzanian coastlines based on mitochondrial COI gene sequences. Mar Biodiv 49, 147–161 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-017-0768-2

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