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Animals
Special Issues
Wildlife Genetic Diversity
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Wildlife Genetic Diversity

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 6709

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Heliodor Wierzbicki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Kożuchowska 7, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: animal science; biostatistics; genetic diversity; landscape genetics; phylogenetics; population genetics
Dr. Magdalena Moska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics, Wrocław University of and Life Sciences, Kożuchowska 7, 51-631 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: genetic differentiation of mammals; population genetics; influence of habitat fragmentation on small mammals; wildlife conservation; landscape ecology
Prof. Dr. Anna Rząsa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Immunology, Pathophysiology and Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Norwida 31, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: problems with different parameters influencing pig health and production; production and quality of colostrum; passive immunity transfer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently witnessing a human-driven biodiversity crisis that necessitates the protection of wildlife and the maintenance of species richness. The scale and high extinction rates of the current biodiversity crisis constitute a challenge for humans and a call for conservation action. To effectively protect biodiversity, it is necessary to understand and monitor both beneficial and destructive changes in order to help wildlife to recover and save many species from extinction. Therefore, monitoring genetic diversity is an important step in gaining information on the extinction risk of many populations and species to target conservation action and provide effective solutions. Habitats that accommodate ecological networks, rather than individual species, appear to be the best way to protect wildlife diversity.

The current Special Issue welcomes original manuscripts on (1) vertebrate genetic diversity, with particular emphasis on rare and declining species; (2) the effects of environmental degradation (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation) on the genetic fitness of populations/species; and (3) conservation efforts to improve genetic diversity.

Dr. Heliodor Wierzbicki
Dr. Magdalena Moska
Prof. Dr. Anna Rząsa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetic diversity
  • climate change
  • habitat loss
  • habitat fragmentation
  • endangered species
  • biodiversity
  • conservation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10238 KiB  
Article
Phylogeographic Substructuring in the Southernmost Refugium of the European Common Frog Rana temporaria
by Marija Ilić, Vanja Bugarski-Stanojević, Bogdan Jovanović, Gorana Stamenković, Katarina Zorić, Momir Paunović and Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović
Animals 2024, 14(10), 1430; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14101430 - 10 May 2024
Viewed by 1450
Abstract
Rana temporaria is one of the most widespread Palearctic brown frogs. We aimed to clarify distribution pattern of two main genetic clades in the understudied Balkan peninsula by using 16SrRNA and MT-CYTB sequences, already widely applied in analyses of populations from other parts [...] Read more.
Rana temporaria is one of the most widespread Palearctic brown frogs. We aimed to clarify distribution pattern of two main genetic clades in the understudied Balkan peninsula by using 16SrRNA and MT-CYTB sequences, already widely applied in analyses of populations from other parts of Europe, while focusing on the broad area along the Morava river (central Balkans) as a known gap in the species distribution. Additionally, we were interested in revealing the extent of haplotype diversity within the main genetic clades in the Balkans, particularly around the supposed suture zone. The results revealed a suture zone between the Western and Eastern Clades in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. This indicated the existence of a historical barrier between the Balkan Mountain Belt and geographically close mountains surrounding the Vlasina Plateau (Rhodope/Serbian–Macedonian Massif). The overall observed haplotype diversity in populations of R. temporaria from the Balkan Peninsula seems high. Harboring both main genetic clades of R. temporaria qualifies the Balkan Peninsula as another important center of species’ genetic diversity, as well as rich in unique haplotypes. This points out the necessity of applying conservation measures focused on the common European frog populations and habitats in this part of the species’ distribution area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Genetic Diversity)
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15 pages, 5935 KiB  
Article
A Cryptic Subterranean Mammal Species, the Lesser Blind Mole Rat (Nannospalax leucodon syrmiensis)—Retreated but Not Extinct
by Vanja Bugarski-Stanojević, Marko Đokić, Gorana Stamenković, Nataša Barišić Klisarić, Oliver Stojković, Vida Jojić and Ivo Savić
Animals 2024, 14(5), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050774 - 29 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1588
Abstract
Blind mole rats (genus Nannospalax) attract a great deal of attention because of their cancer resistance and longevity. Due to the high rate of chromosome rearrangements, 74 Nannospalax chromosomal forms have been discovered. The convergence of their external morphology complicates their taxonomy, [...] Read more.
Blind mole rats (genus Nannospalax) attract a great deal of attention because of their cancer resistance and longevity. Due to the high rate of chromosome rearrangements, 74 Nannospalax chromosomal forms have been discovered. The convergence of their external morphology complicates their taxonomy, and many cryptic species remain unrecognized. Thus, the European N. leucodon supersp. is listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with “Data Deficient” status. It is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity to clarify its taxonomy, to recognize each cryptic species, and assign to them the correct conservation status. Of the more than 20 chromosomal forms described within N. leucodon, five cryptic species occur in Serbia. The most threatened among them—N. l. syrmiensis, described and named 50 years ago in the regions of Srem, Belgrade and Mačva—has been declared extinct in the literature, which may have negative consequences for the conservation of wildlife genetic diversity. Through five years of fieldwork and comparison of 16SrRNA and MT-CYTB gene segments between old, archived teeth and recently collected material, we show that N. l. syrmiensis is not extinct. However, its habitat has been fragmented and reduced, owing primarily to anthropogenic impact. Therefore, detailed surveillance, population-structure studies, risk assessment, and appropriate conservation measures are needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Genetic Diversity)
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17 pages, 2498 KiB  
Article
Low Genetic Variability of the Tundra Vole in Lithuania
by Petras Prakas, Dalius Butkauskas, Laima Balčiauskienė and Linas Balčiauskas
Animals 2024, 14(2), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020270 - 15 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1040
Abstract
The distribution and spread of the tundra vole (Alexandromys oeconomus) in Lithuania have been documented over the last 70 years, but the genetic diversity of the species has not been studied. In this study, we examined A. oeconomus trapped in three [...] Read more.
The distribution and spread of the tundra vole (Alexandromys oeconomus) in Lithuania have been documented over the last 70 years, but the genetic diversity of the species has not been studied. In this study, we examined A. oeconomus trapped in three sites in northern and western Lithuania using mtDNA sequence analysis of the cytb and control region. The western and northern sites are separated by anthropogenic landscape barriers. The western site is subject to regular spring flooding. Phylogenetic analyses of the studied individuals placed them in the Central European phylogroup, suggesting that Lithuanian A. oeconomus originated from northeastern Poland. In Lithuania, the genetic diversity of A. oeconomus at both mtDNA loci was relatively low (Hd < 0.6, π < 0.002) compared to that found in other European samples (Hd = 0.833–0.958; π = 0.00402–0.01552). Individuals analyzed in Lithuania were genetically different from samples collected in Poland and Northern Europe (ΦST > 0.15, p < 0.05). The genetic divergence between the western and northern samples of A. oeconomus in Lithuania, together with the low genetic variability among the voles studied, provides new insights into the phylogeography of the species and the influence of barriers on the colonization of the country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Genetic Diversity)
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15 pages, 1674 KiB  
Article
Population Genetic Divergence among Worldwide Gene Pools of the Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
by Yassine Ouagajjou, Adil Aghzar and Pablo Presa
Animals 2023, 13(24), 3754; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243754 - 5 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1481
Abstract
The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is distributed in both hemispheres either natively or introduced. The updated population genetic distribution of this species provides a useful knowledge against which future distribution shifts could be assessed. This study, performed with seven microsatellite markers and three [...] Read more.
The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is distributed in both hemispheres either natively or introduced. The updated population genetic distribution of this species provides a useful knowledge against which future distribution shifts could be assessed. This study, performed with seven microsatellite markers and three reference species (M. edulis, M. chilensis and M. trossulus), aimed to determine the scenario of genetic divergence between 15 samples of M. galloprovincialis from 10 localities in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and South America. In agreement with previous data, M. trossulus was the most divergent taxon of the genus, but M. chilensis appeared as an intermediate taxon between M. edulis and M. galloprovincialis, though closer to this latter. M. galloprovincialis from the Atlantic Northeast appears as the most likely source of worldwide exotic settlements instead of the previously thought Mediterranean population. The successful worldwide establishment of M. galloprovincialis suggests it is a flexible evolutionary species (FES), i.e., a species or population whose genetic background allows it to rapidly adapt to changing environments. This natural endowed plastic adaptation makes it a candidate resilient species amidst the ongoing climatic change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildlife Genetic Diversity)
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