TY - JOUR A1 - Ketmaier, Valerio A1 - Giusti, Folco A1 - Caccone, Adalgisa T1 - Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the land snail genus Solatopupa (Pulmonata) in the peri- Tyrrhenian area N2 - The land snail genus Solatopupa consists of six species and has a peri-Tyrrhenian distribution; most of the species have a very narrow range and all of them except one (Solatopupa cianensis, which inhabits porphyritic rocks) are strictly bound to calcareous substrates. One species (Solatopupa gidoni) is limited to Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba Island. Because the potential for dispersal of these snails is low, the insular range of this species has been traditionally related to the Oligocenic detachment of the Sardinia-Corsica microplate from the Iberian plate and its subsequent rotation towards the Italian peninsula. In this Study, we used sequences of three mitochondrial and one nuclear gene to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus. Our phylogenetic results are consistent with the genetic relationships found using allozymes, but contrast with the phylogenetic hypotheses based on karyology and morphology. Molecular clock estimates indicate that the main cladogenetic events in the genus occurred between the middle Miocene and the middle-late Pliocene. Patterns of phylogenetic relationships and geological considerations suggest that the cladogenesis of the genus can be explained by vicariant (tectonic) processes. Our datings do not support a causal relation between the split of S. guidoni from its continental sister taxon and the initial phases of the detachment of the Corsica-Sardinia microplate from the mainland. On the contrary, time estimates coincide with the very last phase of detachment of the microplate (from 5 to 3 Myrs ago). Overall, our molecular clock estimates are in good agreement with the latest geological views on the tectonic evolution of the peri-Tyrrhenian area. Y1 - 2006 UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10557903 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.008 SN - 1055-7903 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Milinkovitch, M. C. A1 - Monteyne, D. A1 - Gibbs, J. P. A1 - Fritts, T. H. A1 - Tapia, W. A1 - Snell, H. L. A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph A1 - Caccone, Adalgisa A1 - Powell, J. R. T1 - Genetic analysis of a successful repatriation programme : giant Galapagos tortoises N2 - As natural populations of endangered species dwindle to precarious levels, remaining members are sometimes brought into captivity, allowed to breed and their offspring returned to the natural habitat. One goal of such repatriation programmes is to retain as much of the genetic variation of the species as possible. A taxon of giant GalApagos tortoises on the island of Espahola has been the subject of a captive breeding-repatriation programme for 33 years. Core breeders, consisting of 12 females and three males, have produced more than 1200 offspring that have been released on Espanola where in situ reproduction has recently been observed. Using microsatellite DNA markers, we have determined the maternity and paternity of 132 repatriated offspring. Contributions of the breeders are highly skewed. This has led to a further loss of genetic variation that is detrimental to the long-term survival of the population. Modifications to the breeding programme could alleviate this problem Y1 - 2004 SN - 0962-8452 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Milinkovitch, Michel C. A1 - Kanitz, Ricardo A1 - Tiedemann, Ralph A1 - Tapia, Washington A1 - Llerena, Fausto A1 - Caccone, Adalgisa A1 - Gibbs, James P. A1 - Powell, Jeffrey R. T1 - Recovery of a nearly extinct Galapagos tortoise despite minimal genetic variation JF - Evolutionary applications N2 - A species of Galapagos tortoise endemic to Espanola Island was reduced to just 12 females and three males that have been bred in captivity since 1971 and have produced over 1700 offspring now repatriated to the island. Our molecular genetic analyses of juveniles repatriated to and surviving on the island indicate that none of the tortoises sampled in 1994 had hatched on the island versus 3% in 2004 and 24% in 2007, which demonstrates substantial and increasing reproduction in situ once again. This recovery occurred despite the parental population having an estimated effective population size <8 due to a combination of unequal reproductive success of the breeders and nonrandom mating in captivity. These results provide guidelines for adapting breeding regimes in the parental captive population and decreasing inbreeding in the repatriated population. Using simple morphological data scored on the sampled animals, we also show that a strongly heterogeneous distribution of tortoise sizes on Espanola Island observed today is due to a large variance in the number of animals included in yearly repatriation events performed in the last 40years. Our study reveals that, at least in the short run, some endangered species can recover dramatically despite a lack of genetic variation and irregular repatriation efforts. KW - captive populations KW - conservation biology KW - conservation genetics Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12014 SN - 1752-4571 VL - 6 IS - 2 SP - 377 EP - 383 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -