engleski

From molecule to genetic diversity: integrated study of pollution impact on Mytilus galloprovinciallis across different levels of biological organization

The effect of contamination on exposed organisms is usually early detectable at the molecular and cellular level. However, consequences of such changes on higher levels of biological organization remain one of the most important issues in ecotoxicology. This research was conducted on the populations of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis inhabiting ten sites of different pollution intensity along the eastern Adriatic coast. Contamination impact on studied populations was assessed using chemical analysis of metals in the mussel tissue and biomarkers on different levels of biological organization. On the molecular and cellular levels activities of several antioxidative and biotransformational enzymes, protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation were assessed, and genotoxic effect was detected using Comet assay and micronucleus test. On the individual level condition index was measured. Preliminary genetic analysis was conducted on five microsatellite loci to appraise the genetic diversity at population level. Studied populations exhibited low to moderate contamination impact. Principal component analysis (PCA) of biomarker data set revealed grouping of the three reference populations, and most prominent divergence of the site Gruž, at which the highest genotoxic influence was measured. In addition, the mussel population from the same site was pinpointed as being under highest pollution influence by the integrated biomarker response (IBR). Interestingly, the microsatellite analysis showed the highest level of genetic diversity in term of allelic richness at the same site. No connection between heterozigosity of mussel populations and the pollution status of the investigated sites has been observed and mussels from the aquaculture site Ston exhibited highest heterozygote deficit. Overall genetic differentiation was very low, indicating that researched populations are subpopulations and microsatellites revealed no genetic differentiation of mussel populations due to a pollution impact.

Mytilus galloprovincialis; microsatelite analysis; biomarkers

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