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Preserving Biodiversity: Ecogeographical Insights with Molecular Markers

Explore the biodiversity of the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean Basin, focusing on species variations, genetic markers, and conservation efforts. Discover the underestimated diversity and the importance of island ecosystems for evolutionary studies. Insights on new species identification and conservation measures.

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Preserving Biodiversity: Ecogeographical Insights with Molecular Markers

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  1. Identifying and conserving biodiversity: combining ecogeographical information with molecular markers D. James Harris – CIBIO, University of Porto

  2. What is Biodiversity? • Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms for a given ecosystem

  3. The Mediterranean Basin forms part of a “biodiversity hotspot”

  4. Why is the Iberian Peninsula in particular so diverse? Complex geology of the region...

  5. But how much do we really know? “201 species are included compared with 125 (in 1978)... The number of amphibians alone have changed from 45 to 74” Arnold EN, preface to 2002 edition, Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe.

  6. Podarcis muralis Podarcis bocagei Podarcis hispanica Iberian Podarcis: Arnold & Burton 1978

  7. But are these variants or species?

  8. Fieldwork...

  9. microsatellites DNA-sequencing Laboratory work...

  10. Data analysis...

  11. P. hispanica type NE ? P. h. type 1 a ? P. bocagei ? ? ? ? P. h. type 2 ? ? ? P. h. type 1 b P. carbonelli ? ? P. (h.) hispanica P. (h.) vaucheri P. hispanica Galera ? ? ? ? P. hispanica J. Siroua P. hispanica Tunísia The interpretation... Adapted from Pinho et al. 2006, Mol. Phylogen. Evol. and Pinho et al. 2008, BMC Evol. Biol.

  12. Data analysis... Still more lineages that may correspond to species have to be described...

  13. Clustered / GPS Independent / GPS Clustered / GPS Clustered / UTM10x10 + Atlases Clustered / UTM10x10 + Atlas Independent / UTM10x10 + Atlas Modelling the unknown...

  14. The same situation in Tarentola geckos T. m. mauritanica T. m. fascicularis T. m. fascicularis T. m. mauritanica T. m. mauritanica T. m. juliae T. m. pallida T. deserti T. angustimentalis T. deserti T. boehmei Harris et al. 2004, Mol. Phylogen. Evol. Perera and Harris 2008 Amphibia-Reptilia

  15. Conclusions: biodiversity in the region has been massively underestimated, and much more work is needed.

  16. Biodiversity in island systems

  17. Why islands? Islands are natural “laboratories” to study evolution

  18. Identify introductions to islands New introductions reported by our group at CIBIO • Hemidactylus mabouia Cape Verdes 2001 • Hemidactylus brooki Cape Verdes 2001 • Hemidactylus mabouia Madeira 2002 • Hemidactylus mabouia Annobon 2003 • Ramphotyphlops braminus Annobon 2003 • Ramphotyphlops braminus Curieuse, Seychelles 2009 • Agama agama Cape Verdes 2010 • Bufo regularis Brava, Cape Verdes in press

  19. Identify new species Hemidactylus lopezjuradoi – Fogo – Described 2008

  20. Chioninia vaillanti xanthotis – Fogo – Described 2010 Tarentola bocagei – Sao Nicolau –Description in preparation

  21. Field surveys – Reserve design Modelling terrestrial biodiversity in the Cape Verde islands

  22. Conclusion... The basic knowledge required to ensure adequate conservation measures is lacking. Far more studies are needed to address these issues.

  23. Thank you...

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