Plastic and genomic change of a newly established lizard population following a founder event.

Understanding how phenotypic divergence arises among natural populations remains one of the major goals in evolutionary biology. As part of competitive exclusion experiment conducted in 1971, 10 individuals of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810)) were transplanted from Pod Kopište Island to the nearby island of Pod Mrčaru (Adriatic Sea). Merely 35 years after the introduction, the newly established population on Pod Mrčaru Island had shifted their diet from predominantly insectivorous towards omnivorous and changed significantly in a range of morphological, behavioural, physiological and ecological characteristics.

Marine Pollutant Tributyltin Affects DNA Methylation and Fitness of Banded Murex () Populations.

Banded murex, , is a marine gastropod whose reproductive fitness can be severely affected by very low concentrations of antifouling compound tributyltin (TBT). TBT has strong xenoandrogen impacts on snails, causing the development of imposex (e.g.

Relationships between dietary breadth and flexibility in jaw movement: A case study of two recently diverged insular populations of Podarcis lizards.

The kinematics of lizard feeding are the result of complex interactions between the craniocervical, the hyolingual, and the locomotor systems. The coordinated movement of these elements is driven by sensory feedback from the tongue and jaws during intraoral transport. The kinematics of jaw movements have been suggested to be correlated with the functional characteristics of the prey consumed, such as prey mobility and hardness.

From micro to macroevolution: drivers of shape variation in an island radiation of Podarcis lizards.

Phenotypictraits have been shown to evolve in response to variation in the environment. However, the evolutionary processes underlying the emergence of phenotypic diversity can typically only be understood at the population level. Consequently, how subtle phenotypic differences at the intraspecific level can give rise to larger-scale changes in performance and ecology remains poorly understood.

Diet variability among insular populations of lizards reveals diverse strategies to face resource-limited environments.

Access to resources is a dynamic and multicausal process that determines the success and survival of a population. It is therefore often challenging to disentangle the factors affecting ecological traits like diet. Insular habitats provide a good opportunity to study how variation in diet originates, in particular in populations of mesopredators such as lizards.

Biomarker response of Mediterranean mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis regarding environmental conditions, pollution impact and seasonal effects.

The complexity of seasonally and spatially variable environments, coupled with complex biological interactions, makes it difficult to pinpoint biological responses to specific environmental stressors, including chemical pollution. To disentangle causative factors and reveal biomarker responses, we applied biomarker-based multivariate approaches to 15 native populations of Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in spring and autumn. In addition, we used a subset of these populations in transplant experiments between clean and polluted environments in nature and in lab mesocosms.

Electromagnetic fields at a mobile phone frequency (900 MHz) trigger the onset of general stress response along with DNA modifications in Eisenia fetida earthworms.

Eisenia fetida earthworms were exposed to electromagnetic field (EMF) at a mobile phone frequency (900 MHz) and at field levels ranging from 10 to 120 V m-1 for a period of two hours (corresponding to specific absorption rates ranging from 0.13 to 9.33 mW kg-1).

Prospects and challenges for the conservation of farm animal genomic resources, 2015-2025.

Livestock conservation practice is changing rapidly in light of policy developments, climate change and diversifying market demands. The last decade has seen a step change in technology and analytical approaches available to define, manage and conserve Farm Animal Genomic Resources (FAnGR). However, these rapid changes pose challenges for FAnGR conservation in terms of technological continuity, analytical capacity and integrative methodologies needed to fully exploit new, multidimensional data.

Zebrafish genome instability after exposure to model genotoxicants.

Sublethal exposure to environmental genotoxicants may impact genome integrity in affected organisms. It is therefore necessary to develop tools to measure the extent and longevity of genotoxicant-induced DNA damage, and choose appropriate model organisms for biomonitoring. To this end, markers of DNA damage were measured in zebrafish larvae and adults following exposure to model genotoxicants (benzo[a]pyrene and ethyl methanesulfonate).

Genomic and gene expression responses to genotoxic stress in PAC2 zebrafish embryonic cell line.

PAC2 cell line is, along most of the developed zebrafish cell lines, poorly characterized concerning its response to genotoxicants. To define the PAC2 cell line response to different forms of genotoxic stress, we exposed the cells to model genotoxic agents (benzo[a]pyrene, B[a]P, and ethyl methanesulfonate) and subsequently monitored DNA damage and alterations by using the battery of tests, including the Comet assay, quantitative random-amplified polymorphic DNA and amplified fragment length polymorphism. The expression of several DNA repair (xpc, xpd, hr23b, rad51, msh2) and oxidative stress response (sod (Cu/Zn)) genes was monitored as well.

Effects of freshwater pollution on the genetics of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) at the molecular and population level.

Revealing long-term effects of contaminants on the genetic structure of organisms inhabiting polluted environments should encompass analyses at the population, molecular, and cellular level. Following this concept, we studied the genetic constitution of zebra mussel populations from a polluted (Dp) and reference sites (Cl) at the river Drava, Croatia, and applied microsatellite and DNA damage analyses (Comet assay, micronucleus test (MNT)). Additionally, mussels from both populations were exposed to polluted wastewater in the laboratory for three days, and DNA damage was analyzed to evaluate acclimatization and genetic adaptation of the investigated populations to the polluted environment.

Gene flow vs. pollution pressure: genetic diversity of Mytilus galloprovincialis in eastern Adriatic.

Environmental pollution may modify all the evolutionary processes involved in shaping the genetic patterns of exposed populations. In order to evaluate the pollution impact on the genetic diversity of Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis ten populations inhabiting differently polluted sites along the eastern Adriatic coast, from pristine bays to heavily trafficked harbours, were studied. Pollution pressure was assessed through an integrated study of biological effects and responses across different levels of biological organization.

What is Comet assay not telling us: AFLP reveals wider aspects of genotoxicity.

DNA damage detected by genotoxicity biomarkers such as the Comet assay is not always a reliable indicator of the consequences that genotoxic agents can have on the genome integrity of the exposed organisms. Therefore, to reveal the existence of more permanent alterations of DNA structure after genotoxic stress, the RTG-2 rainbow trout cell line was exposed for 3 days to benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P, 0.1-10 μM) and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS, 0.

Oxidative and genotoxic effects of 900 MHz electromagnetic fields in the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) can have various biological effects. In this study the oxidative and genotoxic effects were investigated in earthworms Eisenia fetida exposed in vivo to RF-EMF at the mobile phone frequency (900 MHz). Earthworms were exposed to the homogeneous RF-EMF at field levels of 10, 23, 41 and 120 V m(-1) for a period of 2h using a Gigahertz Transversal Electromagnetic (GTEM) cell.

Distribution of mono-, di- and trisialo gangliosides in the brain of Actinopterygian fishes.

Background: Mono-, di- and trisialo gangliosides are major glycosphingolipids in the brain of higher vertebrates involved in lipid raft assembly. In contrast, the fish brain is abundant in polisialo-gangliosides, whose function is implicated in the modulation of repulsive and attractive intercellular interactions during embryonic development and a temperature adaptation process. The histological distribution of gangliosides is usually studied in rodent and mammalian brains, but to date it has not been described in the case of fish brain.

Genotoxicity monitoring of freshwater environments using caged crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus).

Genotoxicity of freshwater pollution was assessed by measuring DNA damage in haemocytes of caged freshwater crayfish Astacus leptodactylus by the means of Comet assay and micronucleus test, integrated with the measurements of physiological (total protein concentration) and immunological (total haemocyte count) haemolymph parameters as biomarkers of undergone stress. Crayfish were collected at the reference site (River Mrežnica) and exposed in cages for 1 week at three polluted sites along the Sava River (Zagreb, Sisak, Krapje). The long term pollution status of these locations was confirmed by chemical analyses of sediments.

Aporrectodea caliginosa, a suitable earthworm species for field based genotoxicity assessment?

There is a growing interest for the application of biomakers to field-collected earthworms. Therefore we have evaluated the usability of native populations of endogeic, widely distributed earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa in the assessment of soil genotoxicity using the Comet assay. Validation of the Comet assay on earthworm coelomocytes has been established using commercially available Eisenia fetida exposed to copper, cadmium, and pentachlorophenol, along with A.

Genotoxicity of marine sediments in the fish hepatoma cell line PLHC-1 as assessed by the Comet assay.

The main goal of this study was to test the usefulness of the Comet assay in the PLHC-1 hepatoma fish cell line as a tool for detecting the presence of genotoxic compounds in contaminated marine sediments. The system has been tested using both model chemicals (benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)) and extracts of sediment samples obtained with solvent dichloromethane/methanol. For all of the analysed sediment extracts as well as for the model chemicals a concentration dependent genotoxic effect was observed.

Genotoxic, physiological and immunological effects caused by temperature increase, air exposure or food deprivation in freshwater crayfish Astacus leptodactylus.

The aim of this research was to investigate influence of different environmental stressors, such as temperature increase, air exposure and food deprivation on DNA integrity of a bioindicator species, freshwater crayfish Astacus leptodactylus. DNA damage was measured in crayfish haemocytes using Comet assay and micronucleus test. Crayfish haemolymph was subsequentially sampled during their 7 days of exposure to increased temperatures (25 and 30 degrees C) and during 24 h of air exposure.

DNA integrity of chub erythrocytes (Squalius cephalus L.) as an indicator of pollution-related genotoxicity in the River Sava.

An alkaline comet assay and a micronucleus test were carried out on erythrocytes of the European chub, Squalius cephalus L., collected in spring and autumn in 2005 and 2006 at three sampling sites in River Sava, near Zagreb, Croatia. The results of comet assay showed the lowest genotoxic influence at the least polluted site, while higher DNA damage was observed at the polluted sites.

Genotoxicity monitoring of freshwater environments using caged carp (Cyprinus carpio).

The present study deals with genotoxicity assessment of freshwaters using caged carp (Cyprinus carpio). Carps were transplanted from a fish-farm to three differently polluted sites in eastern Croatia. Two polluted sites were situated in the river Drava, downstream from the cities of Belisće and Osijek, while the reference site was in the Nature Park Kopacki rit, a preserved wetland area with limited anthropogenic influence.

Assessment of genotoxicity in polluted freshwaters using caged painter's mussel, Unio pictorum.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the applicability of caged painter's mussel, Unio pictorum for freshwater environmental genotoxicity assessment. Mussels in cages were exposed for 3 weeks in 2002-2004 to polluted sites in two large rivers in the Croatia, the Sava and Drava, and on the respective reference sites. DNA damage was assessed in haemocytes of the exposed mussels by the comet and micronucleus assays.

Detection of DNA damage in haemocytes of Mytilus galloprovincialis in the coastal ecosystems of Kastela and Trogir bays, Croatia.

Coastal waters are burdened with different contaminants of anthropogenic origin due to intensive urbanisation and economical development. Bays, semi-enclosed areas with limited water renewal ability, are particularly endangered by contaminant inputs. Kastela Bay (Dalmatia, Eastern Adriatic) has earlier been identified as an area loaded with diffuse sources of pollution, including genotoxic agents.

Persistence of DNA damage in the freshwater mussel Unio pictorum upon exposure to ethyl methanesulphonate and hydrogen peroxide.

An important endpoint in assessing pollution-related toxicity is genotoxicity. To obtain insight into the time-course of oxidative- and alkylation-induced DNA damage in the freshwater mussel, Unio pictorum, mussels were exposed for 24 hr to concentration gradients of pro-oxidant hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and a mono-functional alkylating agent, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). DNA damage was assessed in haemocytes immediately upon exposure and over the recovery period of up to 72 days by means of comet and micronucleus assays.