Genetic differentiation of a critically endangered population of the limpet Patella candei candei d’Orbigny, 1840, in the Canary Islands

Abstract

The adoption of measures to protect the viability of threatened populations should be supported by empirical data identifying appropriate conservation units and management strategies. The global population of the majorera limpet, P. candei candei d’Orbigny, 1840, is restricted to the Macaronesian islands in the NE Atlantic, including near-to-extinct and healthy populations in Fuerteventura and Selvagens, respectively. The taxonomic position, genetic diversity and intra- and interspecific relationships of these populations are unclear, which is hindering the implementation of a recovery plan for the overexploited majorera limpet on Fuerteventura. In this study, ddRAD-based genome scanning was used to overcome the limitations of mitochondrial DNA-based analysis. As a result, P. candei candei was genetically differentiated from the closely related P. candei crenata for the first time. Moreover, genetic differentiation was detected between P. candei candei samples from Selvagens and Fuerteventura, indicating that translocations from the healthy Selvagens source population are inadvisable. In conclusion, the majorera limpet requires population-specific management focused on the preservation of exceptional genetic diversity with which to face future environmental challenges.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers with Applications in Conservation and Exploitation of Aquatic Natural Populations

“…In Tasmania, in the small Dervent Estuary, over 4000 SNPs enabled the identification of three main groups of populations of the spotted handfish ( Brachionichthys hirsutus ), which are recommended to be considered as separate conservation management units by the authors [ 194 ]. The threatened populations of subspecies of limpet Patella candei distributed only in the northeast Atlantic Macaronesian islands (e.g., the Canary Islands) have been identified with over 3000 SNP [ 195 ]. SNPs can be used for estimating the effective population size with a linkage disequilibrium method.…”

The Satellite DNA PcH-Sat, Isolated and Characterized in the Limpet Patella caerulea (Mollusca, Gastropoda), Suggests the Origin from a Nin-SINE Transposable Element

“…In accordance with their ecological and commercial importance in marine ecosystems, interest in genetic and molecular research on Patella has increased in recent years [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Recent genome assemblies are available on online databases (direct submission by the Wellcome Sanger Tree of Life Programme [17,18]).…”