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Life
Special Issues
Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics: 3rd Edition
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Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics: 3rd Edition

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Evolutionary Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 4101

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Daria Sanna

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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: evolutionary genetics; conservation genetics; population genetics; molecular taxonomy; phylogenetics; phylogeography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ilenia Azzena

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: marine biology; zoology; genetics; conservation biology; phylogeny; population genetics; phylogeography; biodiversity; phylogenetic analysis; molecular biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last two years of the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the entire world was able to witness how evolution and genetics dynamics can affect human health. Accordingly, more than ever before, we know that the role of scientific research in all fields is of pivotal importance for increasing our knowledge of every kind of organism and biological phenomenon, from viruses to mammals and to plants. In this context, evolutionary genetics provides a basis for shedding light on the evolutionary mechanisms involving organisms. Indeed, DNA sequences, which characterize every biological entity, are the first traits involved in variation and evolution.

In addition, DNA variation is a subject representing the shoulders of giants on which the bases of conservation genetics have been placed. This specific field of research is derived from population and evolutionary genetics and focuses on the study of threats to every species.

For these reasons, this Special Issue aims to combine the contributions of research groups working around the world in the field of phylodynamics, evolutionary genetics, population genetics, DNA barcoding, conservation genetics, and molecular epidemiology in order to compile a group of papers that highlight the importance of the study of genetic variability in organisms for the safeguarding of species and humans.

Given that the first and second edition of this Special Issue were a great success, we now invite you to publish in the third edition (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/life/special_issues/Evolutionary_Conservation, https://www.mdpi.com/journal/life/special_issues/95762Z5225).

Dr. Daria Sanna
Dr. Ilenia Azzena
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. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • evolutionary genetics
  • population genetics
  • conservation genetics
  • phylogeography
  • phylogenetics
  • phylodynamics
  • molecular taxonomy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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17 pages, 2085 KiB  
Article
Exploring Mitochondrial Evolutionary Pathways: Insights into the Origin of the Endemic Ohrid Trout
by Anila Hoda, Chiara Locci, Ilenia Azzena, Noemi Pascale, Ilaria Deplano, Roland Kristo, Arian Demiri, Fabio Scarpa, Marco Casu and Daria Sanna
Life 2025, 15(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15010052 - 3 Jan 2025
Viewed by 898
Abstract
The Ohrid trout, Salmo letnica, is an endemic species of Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest lakes, located on the Albania-North Macedonia border. This species exhibits distinct morphotypes—Salmo letnica typicus, Salmo letnica aestivalis, Salmo letnica balcanicus, and Salmo [...] Read more.
The Ohrid trout, Salmo letnica, is an endemic species of Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s oldest lakes, located on the Albania-North Macedonia border. This species exhibits distinct morphotypes—Salmo letnica typicus, Salmo letnica aestivalis, Salmo letnica balcanicus, and Salmo letnica lumi—that differ in morphology and spawning behaviour. However, the extent of their genetic differentiation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the genetic variability and population structure of Salmo letnica morphotypes using the mitochondrial Control Region as molecular marker. We obtained 127 sequences from Salmo letnica morphotypes and compared them with sequences from other species within the genus Salmo. Phylogenetic and clustering analyses revealed no significant genetic structuring among the four morphotypes, suggesting an ecological differentiation not (yet) fixed at mitochondrial level. Additionally, our findings suggest that the modern Salmo letnica population likely originated in Lake Ohrid from Salmo farioides founders through evolutionary differentiation, potentially driven by environmental changes. Future studies incorporating a larger number of samples from both Salmo letnica and Salmo farioides are essential to fully understand the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of Salmo letnica morphotypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics: 3rd Edition)
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12 pages, 1233 KiB  
Article
Establishment of Real-Time PCR Method to Differentiate Phlebotomus sichuanensis (Diptera, Psychodidae) from P. chinensis s.s. Based on Whole Mitochondrial Genome Analysis
by Haowei Dong, Wenqi Shan, Hao Yuan, Qiuming Zhou, Wenbing Zhong, Maimaitijiang Wumaier, Kang Wang, Anjie Yang, Bing Rui, Hua Shi, Huiying Chen, Xiangyu Li, Yajun Ma and Heng Peng
Life 2024, 14(12), 1610; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14121610 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 830
Abstract
Phlebotomus sichuanensis, considered a potential vector for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is distributed in the southern Gansu and northern Sichuan regions in China. However, the high similarity in the morphology of P. sichuanensis and P. chinensis s.s. poses unresolved taxonomic challenges. In this [...] Read more.
Phlebotomus sichuanensis, considered a potential vector for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), is distributed in the southern Gansu and northern Sichuan regions in China. However, the high similarity in the morphology of P. sichuanensis and P. chinensis s.s. poses unresolved taxonomic challenges. In this study, phlebotomine sand flies were collected from three locations in the southern Gansu and northern Sichuan regions (SCB group) and three locations that are the dominant distribution areas of P. chinensis s.s. (ZHB group). Their whole mitochondrial genomes were sequenced and analyzed. The differential analysis revealed that there were 339 fixed differential sites in the mitochondrial genome-coding region of P. chinensis s.s. and P. sichuanensis, among which the COI gene had the most differential sites (57), followed by ND5 (46), ND4 (38), and CYTB (37), while ATP8 had the least differential sites (4). The molecular genetic p-distance was calculated based on 13 protein-coding regions, and the genetic distance ranged from 0.001 to 0.018 in the ZHB group and from 0.001 to 0.006 in the SCB group, while the interspecies molecular genetic distance was 0.464–0.466 between the two groups. A phylogenetic maximum likelihood tree was constructed from 16 samples via tandem sequence of 13 protein-coding regions, and the topology showed that the ZHB and SCB groups formed separate clusters. A real-time PCR method was established based on the differences in the COI fragment, which can identify P. sichuanensis from P. chinensis s.s. effectively. This study presents objective evidence of the genetic differentiation between P. sichuanensis and P. chinensis s.s., and provides a method for identifying these two morphologically highly similar VL-transmitting sandflies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics: 3rd Edition)
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19 pages, 10733 KiB  
Article
Phylogeographic Analysis for Understanding Origin, Speciation, and Biogeographic Expansion of Invasive Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)
by Xuhua Xia
Life 2024, 14(10), 1293; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14101293 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1643
Abstract
The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is an invasive species that has not only expanded its range in Asia but has also invaded European countries, and it incurs significant costs on local apiculture. This phylogeographic study aims to trace the evolutionary trajectory of [...] Read more.
The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is an invasive species that has not only expanded its range in Asia but has also invaded European countries, and it incurs significant costs on local apiculture. This phylogeographic study aims to trace the evolutionary trajectory of V. velutina and its close relatives; it aims to identify features that characterize an invasive species. The last successful invasion of Vespa velutina into France occurred in late May, 2002, and into South Korea in early October, 2002, which were estimated by fitting a logistic equation to the number of observations over time. The instantaneous rate of increase is 1.3667 for V. velutina in France and 0.2812 in South Korea, which are consistent with the interpretation of little competition in France and strong competition from local hornet species in South Korea. The invasive potential of two sister lineages can be compared by their distribution area when proper statistical adjustments are made to account for differences in sample size. V. velutina has a greater invasive potential than its sister lineage. The ancestor of V. velutina split into two lineages, one found in Indonesia/Malaysia and the other colonizing the Asian continent. The second lineage split into a sedentary clade inhabiting Pakistan and India and an invasive lineage colonizing much of Southeast Asia. This latter lineage gave rise to the subspecies V. v. nigrithorax, which invaded France, South Korea, and Japan. My software PGT version 1.5, which generates geophylogenies and computes geographic areas for individual taxa, is useful for understanding biogeography in general and invasive species in particular. I discussed the conceptual formulation of an index of invasiveness for a comparison between sister lineages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics: 3rd Edition)
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