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    PCR-RFLP: A practical method for the identification of specimens of<i>Patella ulyssiponensis s.l.</i>(Gastropoda: Patellidae)

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    "Patella ulyssiponensis s.l. is widely distributed in the Mediterranean as well as in the north-eastern Atlantic, from southern Norway to north-western Africa, including Macaronesia. Throughout its range, P. ulyssiponensis s.l. shows a high degree of variability in the shape and colour pattern of the shell and in the colour pattern of the foot. In addition, the species demonstrates widely overlapping morphological parameters with the coexisting P. caerulea (in the Mediterranean), P. vulgata (in north-eastern Atlantic) and P. candei (in the Macaronesian islands). Thus P. ulyssiponensis s.l. identification proves to be difficult. So far, method to unequivocally identify uncertain specimens of P. ulyssiponensis s.l. from the coexisting species was using a molecular taxonomy approach based on the Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences analysis. The aim of the present study was to identify specific PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism PCR-based) markers on the COI sequences which could be used as an alternative and fast diagnostic tool for the discrimination of P. ulyssiponensis s.l. from P. caerulea, P. vulgata and P. candei, when the morphology of the coexisting individuals provided equivocal information. First, we sampled 65 Patella spp. and classified these by means of the COI sequencing. Then, we selected the TaqI endonuclease for the specific RFLP reaction, which produced a combination of RFLP electrophoretic bands, allowing an unequivocal identification of the individuals of P. ulyssiponensis s.l.

    Evolution of satellite DNA sequences in two tribes of Bovidae: a cautionary tale

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    Two clones, Bt1 from Bos taurus and Om1 from Ovis orientalis musimon, were used as probes for hybridization on genomic DNA and on metaphase chromosomes in members of Bovini and Caprini tribes. Bt1 and Om1 are sequences respectively belonging to the 1.715 and 1.714 DNA satellite I families. Southern blots and fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments showed completely coherent results: the Bovini probe Bt1 hybridized only to members of the Bovini tribe and not to members of Caprini. Likewise, the Caprini probe Om1 hybridized only to members of the Caprini tribe and not to members of Bovini. Hybridization signals were detected in the heterochromatic regions of every acrocentric autosome, except for two pairs of autosomes from Capra hircus that did not show hybridization to probe Om1. No signal was detected on X and Y chromosomes or on bi-armed autosomes. Remarkably, probe Om1 showed almost 100% homology with a bacterial sequence reported in Helicobacter pylor

    Patterns of spatial genetic variation in Patella ulyssiponensis: insights from the western Mediterranean marine ecoregion

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    Patterns of genetic variation in marine species reflect the interplay of species-specific traits, oceanographic features, historical processes and selection. In the Atlantic-Mediterranean regions, Patella ulyssiponensis (Mollusca: Gastropoda) was previously used as model to investigate these patterns. Our study gained insight into the genetic patterns of P. ulyssiponensis in the western Mediterranean marine ecoregion (WME), by means of ISSRs and COI. We evaluated the genetic structure of the WME with respect to the Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean, as well as the occurrence of further structuring within this ecoregion. Both population- and individual-based analysis evidenced that WME does not appear to be sharply isolated from the adjacent regions. Within the WME P. ulyssiponensis displays a pattern of genetic structure that may reflect a chaotic patchiness scenario: structuring is neither related to coastal distance nor to other factors that may constrain dispersal. Compared to the congener P. ferruginea, P. ulyssiponensis shows weaker spatial genetic structure, which may reflect a higher dispersal potential coupled with greater population effective size. Whilst other processes that may have influenced the genetic pattern in the WME remain to be cleared, a recent range expansion coupled with species-specific traits favouring larval dispersal may have contributed to the genetic structuring

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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