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Fulgione D, Maselli V, Rivieccio E, Aceto S, Salvemini M, Buglione M. Evolutionary Plasticity in Insular Lizard, Adapting over Reproduction, Metabolism, and Color Variation. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:1478. [PMID: 38132304 PMCID: PMC10740616 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
The Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) living on islets exhibits a melanic skin coloration and a suite of adaptive traits lacking in nearby mainland populations. On islets, the unpredictable environmental conditions and highly fluctuating population densities are believed to have produced reversed island syndrome (RIS). Several physiological, behavioral, and life-history changes based on the RIS could result from positive selection on increased activity of melanocortins. We hypothesize that phenotypes on islets are the product of a plastic variation depending on the regulation of specific genes. Focusing on control systems that determine the insular-adapted phenotype, we demonstrated that reproductive markers, involved in the hypothalamus-hypophysis-gonadal axis, and metabolism markers, flags for hypophysis-melanocortin receptors, are all up-regulated in island lizards under the RIS. This behavior, combined with the observed limited variation in the mitochondrial genome, agrees with the hypothesis that plasticity enables populations to persist in novel environmental conditions and that over time, natural selection will "fine-tune" the population to the environment by modifying the phenotype under selection. We believe that analysis of the transcriptome and the single gene expression, such that all the variations observed in the island populations, can be useful to shed light on evolutionary plasticity as a process affecting animals' populations in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (D.F.); (S.A.); (M.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (D.F.); (S.A.); (M.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Eleonora Rivieccio
- Department of Humanities Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Serena Aceto
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (D.F.); (S.A.); (M.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Marco Salvemini
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (D.F.); (S.A.); (M.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy; (D.F.); (S.A.); (M.S.); (M.B.)
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Petrelli S, Buglione M, Rivieccio E, Ricca E, Baccigalupi L, Scala G, Fulgione D. Reprogramming of the gut microbiota following feralization in Sus scrofa. Anim Microbiome 2023; 5:14. [PMID: 36823657 PMCID: PMC9951470 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00235-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wild boar has experienced several evolutionary trajectories from which domestic (under artificial selection) and the feral pig (under natural selection) originated. Strong adaptation deeply affects feral population's morphology and physiology, including the microbiota community. The gut microbiota is generally recognized to play a crucial role in maintaining host health and metabolism. To date, it is unclear whether feral populations' phylogeny, development stages or lifestyle have the greatest impact in shaping the gut microbiota, as well as how this can confer adaptability to new environments. Here, in order to deepen this point, we characterized the gut microbiota of feral population discriminating between juvenile and adult samples, and we compared it to the microbiota structure of wild boar and domestic pig as the references. Gut microbiota composition was estimated through the sequencing of the partial 16S rRNA gene by DNA metabarcoding and High Throughput Sequencing on DNA extracted from fecal samples. RESULTS The comparison of microbiota communities among the three forms showed significant differences. The feral form seems to carry some bacteria of both domestic pigs, derived from its ancestral condition, and wild boars, probably as a sign of a recent re-adaptation strategy to the natural environment. In addition, interestingly, feral pigs show some exclusive bacterial taxa, also suggesting an innovative nature of the evolutionary trajectories and an ecological segregation in feral populations, as already observed for other traits. CONCLUSIONS The feral pig showed a significant change between juvenile and adult microbiota suggesting an influence of the wild environment in which these populations segregate. However, it is important to underline that we certainly cannot overlook that these variations in the structure of the microbiota also depended on the different development stages of the animal, which in fact influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Concluding, the feral pigs represent a new actor living in the same geographical space as the wild boars, in which its gut microbial structure suggests that it is mainly the result of environmental segregation, most different from its closest relative. This gives rise to interesting fields of exploration regarding the changed ecological complexity and the consequent evolutionary destiny of the animal communities involved in this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Petrelli
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Naples, NA Italy
| | - Maria Buglione
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Naples, NA Italy
| | - Eleonora Rivieccio
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Via Porta Di Massa 1, 80133 Naples, Italy
| | - Ezio Ricca
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Naples, NA Italy ,grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XTask Force On Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80100 Naples, NA Italy
| | - Loredana Baccigalupi
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA Italy
| | - Giovanni Scala
- grid.4691.a0000 0001 0790 385XDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Naples, NA Italy
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, NA, Italy. .,Task Force On Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80100, Naples, NA, Italy.
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Rivieccio E, Troiano C, Petrelli S, Maselli V, de Filippo G, Fulgione D, Buglione M. Population development and landscape preference of reintroduced wild ungulates: successful rewilding in Southern Italy. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14492. [PMID: 36530413 PMCID: PMC9756874 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the past decades, the abandonment of traditional land use practices has determined landscape changes inducing reforestation dynamics. This phenomenon can be contrasted with rewilding practices, i.e., the reintroduction of animals that may promote the recovery of landscape diversity. In this study, we explore the dynamics of expansion of two reintroduced populations of wild ungulates, Italian roe deer (Capreolus capreolus italicus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), assessing their contribution in the recovery of landscape diversity. Methods By using direct and indirect information on the two species, collected by nocturnal and diurnal surveys and camera trapping, we modelled a habitat suitability map, and estimated the density and distribution of the populations. We also performed a land use changes analysis, combining the presence of wild ungulates and livestock. Results and Discussion We demonstrated that deer dispersed gradually from their release location, increasing in population size, and this occurred in the entire study area. Moreover, we show that areas with lower grazing density are significantly affected by forest encroachment. A possible interpretation of this result could be that wild grazers (roe deer and red deer) prefer semi-open areas surrounded by the forest. This, in association with other factors, such as domestic grazing, could be one of the main responsible in maintaining landscape mosaic typical of the Apennine mountain, confirming the value of grazers as a landscape management tool. Moreover, we show the possibility to conserve through reintroduction the vulnerable C.c. italicus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Rivieccio
- Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy,Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Troiano
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Petrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Buglione M, Ricca E, Petrelli S, Baccigalupi L, Troiano C, Saggese A, Rivieccio E, Fulgione D. Gut microbiota plasticity in insular lizards under reversed island syndrome. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12682. [PMID: 35879521 PMCID: PMC9314426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16955-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals living on small islands are more drastically exposed to environmental changes, such as food or water starvation, and rapid temperature shifts. Facing such conditions, and probably thank to adaptive plasticity mechanisms, some animals display a Reversed Island Syndrome (RIS), a suite of traits, including skin pigmentation, voracity, sexual dimorphism, showed differently from mainland relatives. Here, we analyse a so far poorly explored aspect of RIS: the effect of this on the microbiota composition of host Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus), strongly influenced by the animal’s lifestyle, and conditioning the same. We compare mainland and island populations, assessing the difference between their microbial communities and their response under unexpected food, experimentally provided. Our observations showed a significant difference in microbiota communities between island and mainland groups, depended mainly from changes in relative abundance of the shared genera (difference due to decrease/increase). Exposure to experimental diet regimes resulted into significative reshaping of bacterial composition of microbiota and a greater variation in body mass only in the island population. Our results could be an evidence that gut microbial community contributes to adaptive plasticity mechanisms of island lizards under RIS to efficiently respond to unexpected changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Ezio Ricca
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy.,Task Force of the Federico II University for Microbiome Studies, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Petrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Loredana Baccigalupi
- Task Force of the Federico II University for Microbiome Studies, Naples, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudia Troiano
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Anella Saggese
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Eleonora Rivieccio
- Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126, Naples, Italy. .,Task Force of the Federico II University for Microbiome Studies, Naples, Italy.
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Buglione M, Petrelli S, de Filippo G, Troiano C, Rivieccio E, Notomista T, Maselli V, di Martino L, Carafa M, Gregorio R, Latini R, Fortebraccio M, Romeo G, Biliotti C, Fulgione D. Contribution to the ecology of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus). Sci Rep 2020; 10:13071. [PMID: 32753640 PMCID: PMC7403147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70013-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) is endemic to Central-Southern Italy and Sicily, classified as vulnerable due to habitat alterations, low density and fragmented populations and ecological competition with the sympatric European hare (Lepus europaeus). Despite this status, only few and local studies have explored its ecological features. We provided some key traits of the ecological niche of the Italian hare as well as its potential distribution in the Italian peninsula. All data derived from genetically validated presences. We generated a habitat suitability model using maximum entropy distribution model for the Italian hare and its main competitor, the European hare. The dietary habits were obtained for the Italian hare with DNA metabarcoding and High-Throughput Sequencing on faecal pellets. The most relevant environmental variables affecting the potential distribution of the Italian hare are shared with the European hare, suggesting a potential competition. The variation in the observed altitudinal distribution is statistically significant between the two species.The diet of the Italian hare all year around includes 344 plant taxa accounted by 62 families. The Fagaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae (counts > 20,000) represented the 90.22% of the total diet. Fabaceae (60.70%) and Fagaceae (67.47%) were the most abundant plant items occurring in the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter diets, respectively. The Spring/Summer diet showed richness (N = 266) and diversity index values (Shannon: 2.329, Evenness: 0.03858, Equitability: 0.4169) higher than the Autumn/Winter diet (N = 199, Shannon: 1.818, Evenness: 0.03096, Equitability: 0.3435). Our contribution adds important information to broaden the knowledge on the environmental (spatial and trophic) requirements of the Italian hare, representing effective support for fitting management actions in conservation planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Petrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Troiano
- Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Tommaso Notomista
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Romano Gregorio
- Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park, Salerno, Italy
| | - Roberta Latini
- Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, Pescasseroli, Aquila, Italy
| | | | - Giorgia Romeo
- Wildlife Section, Tuscan Regional Council, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Claudia Biliotti
- SOS Animali Onlus, Wildlife Rescue Center, Semproniano, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
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Buglione M, Petrelli S, Troiano C, Notomista T, Rivieccio E, Fulgione D. The diet of otters ( Lutra lutra) on the Agri river system, one of the most important presence sites in Italy: a molecular approach. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9606. [PMID: 32821542 PMCID: PMC7395603 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) underwent a strong decline in large areas of the Central-Western part of its distribution range, during the second half of the twentieth century. In Italy, only residual fragmented nuclei survive in the Central-Southern part of the peninsula. Nowadays, the otter is one of the most endangered mammals in Italy, and increasing the knowledge about the ecology of this species is a key step in defining fitting management strategies. Here we provide information about the diet of otter on the Agri river system, one of the most important presence sites in Italy, to understand both the species’ food requirements and the impact on fish communities. Methods DNA metabarcoding and High Throughput Sequencing were used on DNA extracted from spraints. We amplified DNA with a primer set for vertebrates, focusing efforts on the bulk of the otter’s diet (fishes and amphibians). Results Our findings showed that the diet of the otter was dominated by cyprinids (97.77%, and 99.14% of fishes), while amphibians represented 0.85% of the sequences analyzed. Results are in general accordance with previous studies based on morphological characterization; however, molecular analyses allow the resolving of some morphological uncertainties. Although the study area offers a very wide range of available prey, the diet of the otters shows marked selectivity. We highlighted a variation in prey consumed, in accordance with the typology of water system (i.e., river, lake, tributary). Some of the preys found in the diet were alien species introduced by man for sport fishing. Our findings could help define strategies useful for the conservation of the otter population in Southern Italy, suggesting management actions directed at avoiding fish community alterations through illegal stockings without severe controls on their taxonomic status. These introductions could result in a general reduction in the diversity of the otter’s preys, affecting its predatory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
| | - Simona Petrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
| | - Claudia Troiano
- Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
| | - Tommaso Notomista
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
| | - Eleonora Rivieccio
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy, Italy
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