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Publication
Genetic diversity of the non-indigenous species Styela Plicata: ascertainment of introduction factors in the Albufeira Lagoon
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The presence of non-indigenous species (NIS) in a given location can cause negative
socio-economic, ecological and environmental impacts. The Albufeira Lagoon (W Portugal),
a brackish water lagoon with intermittent contact with the Atlantic Ocean, currently harbors a
variety of NIS. Among these, the solitary ascidian Styela plicata (Lesueur, 1823) has caused
problems to the mussel farming operations present in the lagoon. The objectives of this work
were the following: i) provide a preliminary assessment of the haplotypic composition of the
S. plicata population present in the lagoon, in comparison with other established populations
worldwide and ii) assess the most probable entry vectors into the Lagoon, through the
construction of a haplotype network. S. plicata sampling was carried out from 2017 to 2021,
in the Albufeira Lagoon and in two additional locations: the Setúbal fishing port and the Real
Club Náutico, in Vigo, Spain. Muscular tissue was collected from sampled specimens and its
DNA extracted through the use of an extraction kit. Publicly available S. plicata sequences
were obtained from the NCBI and BOLDSystems platforms and added to the network in
order to compare the haplotypic constitution and diversity of the lagoon with other locations
worldwide, as well as to study its phylogeographic routes and narrow down the number of
possible entry vectors to only the most probable ones. From the resulting DNA extract, a
fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was amplified through PCR and later
sequenced. A minimum spanning haplotype network was constructed, using all sequences
as input. The resulting haplotype network indicated a more intense phylogeographical link
between sequences collected in Portugal and Spain, with both grouped into an haplotype
with large geographical expression. This suggests that the Lagoon was, and perhaps still is,
subject to multiple introduction events from two probable vectors, both of anthropogenic
origin: i) as biofouling in the hulls and ballast waters of small fishing or recreational vessels,
probably anchored in fouled areas like ports or marinas and ii) as a contaminant in
translocated mussel seeds used in the nearby aquaculture operations, possibly sourced from
a fouled area.
Description
Keywords
Albufeira Lagoon Haplotype network Non-indigenous species Phylogeography