Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) é uma das principais espécies de lagosta no Atlântico, sendo um dos maiores recursos pesqueiros do Atlântico Ocidental, onde apresenta um alto valor comercial. A forte explotação da espécie resulta em uma grande pressão sobre suas populações. Recentemente, foi descoberto que sob o binômio P. argus estão contidas duas espécies crípticas que ocorrem em alopatria, uma na região do Caribe e outra na costa brasileira. Esta tese tem como objetivo estudar como se estruturam geneticamente as populações dessas duas espécies, com o propósito de fornecer mais informações para a determinação de estoques e um correto manejo das espécies, e analisar os processos históricos evolutivos que moldaram suas histórias demográficas. Para tal, foram estudados dois marcadores mitocondriais (região controle e o gene da Citocromo Oxidase I) e loci de microssatélites de indivíduos de 7 regiões do Caribe (Florida, Bahamas, Turks e Caicos, Porto Rico, Cuba, Colômbia e Venezuela) e 11 estados do Brasil (Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo). Dentro de cada espécie foram observadas duas linhagens mitocondriais diferentes, que co-ocorriam, de maneira homogênea, ao longo de suas distribuições. Hipotetiso que essas linhagens foram formadas a partir de um evento de vicariância com contato secundário ou como consequência de um efeito gargalo seguido de expansão. As duas linhagens são evidentes nas sequências da região controle mitocondrial, mas no gene da COI foram evidentes apenas em P. cf. argus do Caribe. As linhagens do Brasil se separaram há aproximadamente 233 - 288 mil anos e cada uma sofreu expansão em tempos diferentes, a primeira se expandiu há 100 mil anos e a segunda linhagem há 50 mil anos. As linhagens do Caribe se separaram cerca de 1 milhão de anos atrás e possuem o mesmo tempo de expansão, 50 mil anos. Os microssatélites não revelaram subdivisão populacional para nenhuma das duas espécies, porém os marcadores, juntos, sugeriram um fluxo gênico diferenciado entre localidades expostas a diferentes correntes marítimas. Considerando que essas lagostas são intensamente explotadas, é importante ser cuidadoso no momento de definir estoques pesqueiros. Para a espécie do Brasil, dois estoques pesqueiros foram sugeridos, o primeiro do Pará à Bahia e o segundo do sul da Bahia a São Paulo. Para a espécie do Caribe, foi mantida e reforçada a hipótese de quatro estoques sugerida pela FAO (Norte, Sul, Centro-Norte e Centro-Sul). / Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) is one of the main lobster species in the Atlantic, and one of the largest fisheries in the western Atlantic, with a high commercial value. The heavy exploitation of the species results in much pressure on its populations. Recently, it was discovered that under the name P. argus there are two cryptic species that occur in allopatry, one in the Caribbean and the other on the coast of Brazil. This thesis studies the population genetic structure of those two species with the purpose of providing more information to delimitate stocks for fisheries management, and for understanding the historical processes that have shaped their evolutionary demographic histories. For this, we analysed two mitochondrial markers (control region and the Cytochrome Oxidase I gene) and microsatellite markers of individuals from 7 localities in the Caribbean (Florida, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela) and 11 States of Brazil (Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo). Within each species two different mitochondrial lineages were observed. They occurred throughout their distributions, and it is hypothesized that they were formed from a vicariance event with secondary contact or are the result of a genetic bottleneck followed by expansion. The lineages of P. cf. argus from Brazil were only observed in the mitochondrial control region and were separated approximately 233-288 thousand years ago, and each lineage underwent expansion at different times: the first expanded 100,000 years ago and the second 50,000 years ago. The lineages of the Caribbean species were found for the two mitochondrial markers. They were separated about 1 million years ago and have had the same expansion time, 50,000 years. Microsatellites revealed no population subdivision for either species, but the molecular markers together suggest a differential gene flow between localities exposed to different currents. Since these lobsters are heavily exploited, it is important to be conservative when defining their fishing stocks. For the species from Brazil, two fishing stocks are suggested, the first from Pará to Bahia States and the second from Southern Bahia to São Paulo State. For the species of the Caribbean, our data give support to the four stocks suggested by FAO (North, South, North Central and South Central).

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:21:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2705.pdf: 4158508 bytes, checksum: e7be7fc76294b9361bf22b40ad1ada06 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-25 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The dynamics of use of land in urban and agricultural areas has led to destruction and fragmentation of ecosystems. It has been related to the increase of susceptibility of natural populations to extinction due to increase of isolation between populations and reduction of population size. To evaluate the effect of the recent habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of natural populations, we will analyze the diversity and genetic structure of populations of the wooly mouse opossum Micoureus paraguayanus (Marsupialia: Didelphimorphia) in the Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo (SP) and in bush fragments in its surroundings. For this purpose, we used the control region (D-Loop) to examine population structure and dynamics in fragmented forest habitats. We found low values of haplotypic and nucleotidic diversity when compared to values from previous works with marsupials in fragmented areas. We found values of diversity of 0.28 and 0.0022% respectively. Besides that, there was a correlation between continuous cultivated lands distance and number of exclusives haplotypes. The AMOVA test showed no genetic structure between fragments, however, Fst values indicated significant genetic differentiation to Santa Tereza and Ponte Branca when compared with all the others fragments. These are between the smallest areas evaluated in this study and the differentiation indicates that the recent fragmentation suffered by these patches could be responsible for the changes in the genetic composition of these populations. / A dinâmica de uso da terra em áreas urbanas e rurais tem levado à fragmentação de ecossistemas e suas conseqüências têm sido relacionadas ao aumento da susceptibilidade de populações naturais à extinção devido à redução do tamanho populacional e ao aumento do isolamento por distância entre populações. Para avaliar os efeitos que a fragmentação recente de habitat possui sobre a diversidade genética das populações naturais, nós analisamos a diversidade e estrutura genética do marsupial Micoureus paraguayanus em fragmentos remanescentes de Floresta Estacional Semi-Decidual na região do Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) através da análise da região controle (D-Loop) do DNA mitocondrial. Foram encontrados valores baixos para as diversidades haplotípica e nucleotídica quando comparados à outros valores citados na literatura para populações de outras espécies de marsupiais em declínio. Nós encontramos valores de diversidades haplotípica e nucleotídica de 0.28 e 0.0022% respectivamente. Além disso, foi encontrada uma correlação entre a distancia agropastoril contínua e o numero de haplótipos exclusivos nos fragmentos amostrados para este estudo. O teste AMOVA não detectou estruturação genética entre fragmentos, todavia, os valores de Fst mostram diferenciação significativa dos fragmentos Santa Tereza e Ponte Branca em relação aos demais. Estes estão entre os menores e mais alterados fragmentos avaliados e a sua diferenciação indica que o processo recente de fragmentação (cerca de 60 anos) já pode ter sido o responsável por mudanças na composição genética da população.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) é uma das principais espécies de lagosta no Atlântico, sendo um dos maiores recursos pesqueiros do Atlântico Ocidental, onde apresenta um alto valor comercial. A forte explotação da espécie resulta em uma grande pressão sobre suas populações. Recentemente, foi descoberto que sob o binômio P. argus estão contidas duas espécies crípticas que ocorrem em alopatria, uma na região do Caribe e outra na costa brasileira. Esta tese tem como objetivo estudar como se estruturam geneticamente as populações dessas duas espécies, com o propósito de fornecer mais informações para a determinação de estoques e um correto manejo das espécies, e analisar os processos históricos evolutivos que moldaram suas histórias demográficas. Para tal, foram estudados dois marcadores mitocondriais (região controle e o gene da Citocromo Oxidase I) e loci de microssatélites de indivíduos de 7 regiões do Caribe (Florida, Bahamas, Turks e Caicos, Porto Rico, Cuba, Colômbia e Venezuela) e 11 estados do Brasil (Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo). Dentro de cada espécie foram observadas duas linhagens mitocondriais diferentes, que co-ocorriam, de maneira homogênea, ao longo de suas distribuições. Hipotetiso que essas linhagens foram formadas a partir de um evento de vicariância com contato secundário ou como consequência de um efeito gargalo seguido de expansão. As duas linhagens são evidentes nas sequências da região controle mitocondrial, mas no gene da COI foram evidentes apenas em P. cf. argus do Caribe. As linhagens do Brasil se separaram há aproximadamente 233 - 288 mil anos e cada uma sofreu expansão em tempos diferentes, a primeira se expandiu há 100 mil anos e a segunda linhagem há 50 mil anos. As linhagens do Caribe se separaram cerca de 1 milhão de anos atrás e possuem o mesmo tempo de expansão, 50 mil anos. Os microssatélites não revelaram subdivisão populacional para nenhuma das duas espécies, porém os marcadores, juntos, sugeriram um fluxo gênico diferenciado entre localidades expostas a diferentes correntes marítimas. Considerando que essas lagostas são intensamente explotadas, é importante ser cuidadoso no momento de definir estoques pesqueiros. Para a espécie do Brasil, dois estoques pesqueiros foram sugeridos, o primeiro do Pará à Bahia e o segundo do sul da Bahia a São Paulo. Para a espécie do Caribe, foi mantida e reforçada a hipótese de quatro estoques sugerida pela FAO (Norte, Sul, Centro-Norte e Centro-Sul). / Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804) is one of the main lobster species in the Atlantic, and one of the largest fisheries in the western Atlantic, with a high commercial value. The heavy exploitation of the species results in much pressure on its populations. Recently, it was discovered that under the name P. argus there are two cryptic species that occur in allopatry, one in the Caribbean and the other on the coast of Brazil. This thesis studies the population genetic structure of those two species with the purpose of providing more information to delimitate stocks for fisheries management, and for understanding the historical processes that have shaped their evolutionary demographic histories. For this, we analysed two mitochondrial markers (control region and the Cytochrome Oxidase I gene) and microsatellite markers of individuals from 7 localities in the Caribbean (Florida, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela) and 11 States of Brazil (Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo). Within each species two different mitochondrial lineages were observed. They occurred throughout their distributions, and it is hypothesized that they were formed from a vicariance event with secondary contact or are the result of a genetic bottleneck followed by expansion. The lineages of P. cf. argus from Brazil were only observed in the mitochondrial control region and were separated approximately 233-288 thousand years ago, and each lineage underwent expansion at different times: the first expanded 100,000 years ago and the second 50,000 years ago. The lineages of the Caribbean species were found for the two mitochondrial markers. They were separated about 1 million years ago and have had the same expansion time, 50,000 years. Microsatellites revealed no population subdivision for either species, but the molecular markers together suggest a differential gene flow between localities exposed to different currents. Since these lobsters are heavily exploited, it is important to be conservative when defining their fishing stocks. For the species from Brazil, two fishing stocks are suggested, the first from Pará to Bahia States and the second from Southern Bahia to São Paulo State. For the species of the Caribbean, our data give support to the four stocks suggested by FAO (North, South, North Central and South Central).

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2016-06-28T18:01:45Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) AnaPavla_Tese.pdf: 2030041 bytes, checksum: d62d754a4e28b637ecec9ecbd30a1fb2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-28T18:01:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) AnaPavla_Tese.pdf: 2030041 bytes, checksum: d62d754a4e28b637ecec9ecbd30a1fb2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-25 / CAPES / Cerca de 265 mil mulheres morrem todos os anos vítimas de câncer cervical. Infecções persistentes causadas por Papilomavírus humano de alto risco oncogênico (HR HPVs) é uma condição necessária, porém não suficiente para o desenvolvimento de lesões cervicais e câncer cervical. Dessa forma, diversos fatores ambientais e genéticos estão envolvidos na carcinogênese cervical. Dentre os fatores genéticos, as variantes genéticas dos HR HPVs parecem estar relacionados com o risco de infecções persistentes e desenvolvimento de lesões e câncer cervical. Assim, o presente estudo investigou: 1) A variabilidade genética de um fragmento do gene L1 dos HPV16, 31, 53, 54, 56, 58, 61, 62, 66, 70 e 81 em amostras biológicas de pacientes oriundos dos Estados de Pernambuco, Alagoas e Sergipe, Nordeste do Brasil; 2) A variabilidade genética da LCR dos HR HPVs 16, 31 e 58 oriundas de pacientes dos Estados de Pernambuco, Alagoas e Sergipe, Nordeste do Brasil; 3) Uma possível associação entre os polimorfismos virais do gene L1 e o risco para desenvolver lesões cervicais nas pacientes do Nordeste do Brasil. Para tanto, a detecção do DNA viral foi realizada em amostras biológicas de 784 pacientes. Os fragmentos parciais do gene L1 e da LCR dos HPVs mencionados foram sequenciados. Análises in silico de possíveis epitopos de células B e de células T foram efetuadas nas regiões de mutação não-sinônima no gene L1. Além disso, análises in silico dos sítios de ligação dos fatores transcricionais foram realizadas em regiões de alteração nucleotídica da LCR. Foram detectados 23 tipos de HPVs: HPVs 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58, 61, 62, 66, 70, 72, 81, 82, 83 e 84. Com relação ao gene L1 dos HPV analisados, foram detectadas 98 mutações, sendo 96/98 substituições de bases, 1/98 deleção e 1/98 inserção de nucleotídeo. Dentre estas alterações nucleotídicas no gene L1, 29,6% são mutações não sinônimas. Ademais, 18,36% das variações detectadas no gene L1 estavam inseridas em epitopos de células B, 25,5% inseridos em regiões de MHC Classe I e 18,36% inseridos em regiões de MHC Classe II. Um total de 8,1% das variações genéticas observadas no gene L1 dos HPV estudados foram descritos pela primeira vez na literatura. Em relação a LCR, foram detectadas 95 mutações, sendo 88/95 substituições de bases, 5/98 deleções e 2/95 inserções de nucleotídeos. Um total de 51,5% das mutações detectadas estão inseridas em sítios de ligação dos fatores transcricional celular e/ou viral. Além disso, 3,1% das variações genéticas encontradas na LCR foram descritas pela primeira vez na literatura. As análises filogenéticas mostraram a presença das variantes A e D do HPV16, A e C do HPV31 e A, B, C e D do HPV58 circulante no Nordeste do Brasil. Com relação a repercussão biológica das mutações do gene L1 do HPV16, não foram observadas associações significativas (p>0.05) entre os polimorfismos do gene L1 e o risco para desenvolver lesões cervicais. Entretanto, a combinação de determinados alelos destes polimorfismos virais está fortemente associada com o risco de desenvolver lesão cervical. Assim, a detecção das principais variantes e de alterações nucleotídicas com potencial impacto biológico circulantes no Nordeste Brasileiro é importante face as diferenças na patogenicidade dos HPVs. / Approximately 265 thousand women die every year from cervical cancer. Persistent infections caused by high oncogenic risk Human papillomavirus (HR HPV) are necessary but not sufficient condition for the development of cervical lesions and cervical cancer. Therefore, several environmental and genetic factors are involved in cervical carcinogenesis. Concerning the genetic factors, variants of HR HPV seem to be related to the risk of persistent infections and the development of lesions and cervical cancer. In this sense, the present study aimed to investigate: 1) The genetic variability of a L1 gene fragment from HPV16, 31, 53, 54, 56, 58, 61, 62, 66, 70 and 81 in biological samples of patients from Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe states, Northeastern Brazil; 2) The genetic variability of the LCR of HR HPVs 16, 31 and 58 of patients from from Pernambuco, Alagoas and Sergipe states, Northeastern Brazil; 3) Possible association between the viral polymorphisms of the L1 gene and the risk to develop cervical lesions in patients from the Brazilian Northeast. To achieve that, viral DNA detection was performed in biological samples from 784 patients. Partial fragments of the L1 gene and the LCR of the abovementioned HPVs were sequenced. In silico predictions of possible B cells and T cells epitopes were performed in regions of non-synonymous mutation of the L1 gene. Moreover, in silico predictions of the binding sites of transcriptional factors were performed in nucleotide change regions within LCR. Twenty-three HPV types were detected: HPVs 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58, 61, 62, 66, 70, 72, 81, 82, 83 e 84. Regarding the L1 gene from the analyzed HPVs, 98 mutations were detected, in which 96 are nucleotide substitutions, 1 is deletion and 1 is nucleotide insertion. Among these nucleotide changes in the L1 gene, 29.6% are non-synonymous mutations. Moreover, 18.36% of the nucleotide changes are located in B cell epitopes, 25.5% located in MHC Class I regions and 18.36% located in MHC Class II regions. Finally, 8.1% of the genetic variations in the L1 gene of the studied HPVs were observed for the first time. Concerning LCR, 95 mutations were detected, in which 88 are nucleotide substitutions, 5 are deletions and 2 are nucleotide insertions. A total of 51.5% of the detected mutations are located in binding sites of cellular and/or viral transcriptional factors. Additionally, 3.1% of the genetic variations found in LCR were described for the first time. Phylogenetic analisys showed the presence of A and D variants of the HPV16, A and C variants of the HPV31, and A, B, C and D variants of the HPV58 circulating in the Brazilian Northeast. In regard to the biological repercussion of the L1 gene mutations of the HPV16, no significant associations were observed (p>0.05) between L1 gene polymorphism and the risk to develop cervical lesions. However, the combination of certain alleles from these viral polymorphisms is firmly associated to the risk to develop cervical lesion. Thus, the detection of the main circulating variants with potential biological impact in the Brazilian Northeast is important in view of the differences in the pathogenicity of the HPV.

The oceanic whitetip shark, Carcharhinus longimanus, is a circumtropical pelagic shark of high conservation concern (IUCN Red List: “Critically Endangered” in the Western North and Western Central Atlantic and “Vulnerable” globally). I present the first, population genetic assessment of the oceanic whitetip shark on a global scale, based on analysis of two mitochondrial genome regions (entire 1066-1067 bp control region and 784 bp partial ND4 gene), and nine nuclear microsatellite loci. No population structure was detected within the Western Atlantic. However, highly significant population structure was detected between Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Ocean sharks across all markers. Additionally, a nominally significant signal of matrilineal structure between the Indian and Pacific Ocean sharks was detected by AMOVA and pairwise tests of the ND4 gene only (pairwise ΦST = 0.051, P = 0.046; pairwise Jost’s D = 0.311, 95% CI = 0.020, 0.0614). Although significant inter-basin population structure was evident, it was associated with deep phylogeographic mixing of mitochondrial haplotypes and evidence of contemporary migration between the Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans. I theorize that semi-permeable thermal barriers are responsible for the differentiation between the Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific set in a framework of global phylogeographic mixing. Relatively low mtDNA genetic diversity (concatenated mtCR-ND4 nucleotide diversity π = 0.32% ± 0.17%) compared to other circumtropical elasmobranch species raises potential concern for the future genetic health of this species. Overall, significant population structure exists, at a minimum, between the Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Ocean, and effective management strategies must take this into consideration.

Chapter 1 DNA barcoding based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence is emerging as a useful tool for identifying unknown, whole or partial organisms to species level. However, the application of only a single mitochondrial marker for robust species identification has also come under some criticism due to the possibility of erroneous identifications resulting from species hybridizations and/or the potential presence of nuclear-mitochondrial psuedogenes. The addition of a complementary nuclear DNA barcode has therefore been widely recommended to overcome these potential COI gene limitations, especially in wildlife law enforcement applications where greater confidence in the identifications is essential. In this study, we examined the comparative nucleotide sequence divergence and utility of the mitochondrial COI gene (N=182 animals) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) locus (N=190 animals) in the 8 known and 1 proposed cryptic species of globally widespread, hammerhead sharks (family Sphyrnidae). Since hammerhead sharks are under intense fishing pressure for their valuable fins with some species potentially set to receive CITES listing, tools for monitoring their fishery landings and tracking trade in their body parts is necessary to achieve effective management and conservation outcomes. Our results demonstrate that both COI and ITS2 loci function robustly as stand-alone barcodes for hammerhead shark species identification. Phylogenetic analyses of both loci independently and together accurately place each hammerhead species together in reciprocally monophyletic groups with strong bootstrap support. The two barcodes differed notably in levels of intraspecific divergence, with average intraspecific K2P distance an order of magnitude lower in the ITS2 (0.297% for COI and 0.0967% for ITS2). The COI barcode also showed phylogeographic separation in Sphyrna zygaena, S. lewini and S. tiburo, potentially providing a useful option for assigning unknown specimens (e.g. market fins) to a broad geographic origin. We suggest that COI supplemented by ITS2 DNA barcoding can be used in an integrated and robust approach for species assignment of unknown hammerhead sharks and their body parts in fisheries and international trade. Chapter 2 The gray reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) is an Indo-Pacific, coral reef associated species that likely plays an important role as apex predator in maintaining the integrity of coral reef ecosystems. Populations of this shark have declined substantially in some parts of its range due to over-fishing, with recent estimates suggesting a 17% decline per year on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Currently, there is no information on the population structure or genetic status of gray reef sharks to aid in their management and conservation. We assessed the genetic population structure and genetic diversity of this species by using complete mitochondrial control region sequences and 15 nuclear microsatellite markers. Gray reef shark samples (n=305) were obtained from 10 locations across the species’ known longitudinal Indo-Pacific range: western Indian Ocean (Madagascar), eastern Indian Ocean (Cocos [Keeling] Islands, Andaman Sea, Indonesia, and western Australia), central Pacific (Hawaii, Palmyra Atoll, and Fanning Atoll), and southwestern Pacific (eastern Australia – Great Barrier Reef). The mitochondrial and nuclear marker data were concordant in most cases with population-based analysis showing significant overall structure (FST = 0.27906 (pST = 0.071 ± 0.02), and significant pairwise genetic differentiation between nearly all of the putative populations sampled (i.e., 9 of the 10 for mitochondrial and 8 of the 10 for nuclear markers). Individual-based analysis of microsatellite genotypes identified at least 5 populations. The concordant mitochondrial and nuclear marker results are consistent with a scenario of very low to no appreciable connectivity (gene flow) among most of the sampled locations, suggesting that natural repopulation of overfished regions by sharks from distant reefs is unlikely. The results also indicate that conservation of genetic diversity in gray reef sharks will require management measures on relatively local scales. Our findings of extensive genetic structuring suggests that a high level of genetic isolation is also likely to be the case in unsampled populations of this species.

(in English) Pipistrellus pipistrellus species complex contains two sympatric species inhabiting Europe and part of West and Central Asia (Pipistrellus pipistrellus s. str, Pipistrellus pygmaeus s. str) and several other lines, isolated in the Mediterranean (North Africa, islands and peninsulas of the Mediterranean Sea). This taxon is a part of the extensive radiation within the genus Pipistrellus, which in today's concept includes about 30 species. Mosaic line of P. pipistrellus complex, located at different stages of diversification and secondary contacts in the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, is a suitable model for research on speciation. In this thesis we focused on analyses of distribution, phylogeography, population structure and demography based on mitochondrial data from 323 individuals, representing almost the entire range. Control region of mitochondrial DNA was chosen as a genetic marker. Variability in the 378 pb long fragment acknowledged the existence of several genetically distinct lines whose species status is discussed. Observed fylogeografic pattern confirms the existence of groups of radiation centers in the Mediterranean region. An allopatric speciation was there, two of the lines (P. pipistrellus s. str and P. pygmaeus s. str.) later expanded into Europe and their ranges...

Today, DNA-barcoding with the gene COI is regularly used in the identification of fish. However, this is not an adequate way of identifying species of tuna due to COI lacking sufficient interspecies divergence. This is problematic since fraud and mislabeling are a major concern within the fish and tuna industries. Thus, there is a need for a new genetic barcode region when identifying the 15 tuna species within the tribe Thunnini. This study has considered six mitochondrial genetic regions (16S, ATP8, COII, CR, CytB, and ND2) and their potential as barcodes in comparison to COI. To be of practical use, the barcode has to be able to differentiate between all 15 tuna species, as well as contain conserved primer binding sites and be approximately 400 bp, or shorter. Analyses of the regions were made through Multiple Sequence Alignments built using ClustalW in Mega 11.0. The candidates were first evaluated through neighbor-joining trees and plots of inter- and intraspecies variation, and then analyzed further in search of conserved regions for primer binding, flanking a segment of approximately 400 bp (or shorter). This resulted in two possible barcode candidates with corresponding primers from the CR and ND2 genes. As a final step, these two were analyzed for specificity using BLAST, to evaluate their actual utility in differentiating the tuna species. The results show that they both can identify the different tuna species, but that ND2 is superior with 100% identification accuracy. In addition to the theoretical analysis, the ability of the primers was measured through a real PCR amplification. Unfortunately, only the CR barcode could be evaluated, but the results show it to be practically useful. Even though the utility of ND2 in PCR could not be analyzed, it is highly recommended as a region for further investigations. Given the strong theoretical support, it definitely shows promise as a new barcode for species identification of tuna.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / As human beings we are curious about our origin and ancestry. A curiosity has led to an investigation of human evolution and expansion across the world by means of population genetics and phylo-genetics by evaluating a region in Southern Africa that is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to develop a quick, inexpensive and accurate hierarchical diagnostic screening system of the MtDNA phylogenetic tree, AI-SNPs in the mtDNA genome by using High Resolution Melting analysis to evaluate the population composition and ancestral haplogroups of Southern African populations in Limpopo. The admixture between the ‘Khoesan’ hunter-gatherers, herders and the Bantu speaking populations led to population growth and expansion in Limpopo. This has contributed to populations settling in Limpopo and has thus shaped the ancestral contemporary populations. No research on these individuals residing in Limpopo has been done before, thus an investigation of their ancestral origin was necessary. A total of 760 saliva samples were collected from individuals residing in Limpopo. Only 500 saliva samples were extracted by means of an optimized salting out technique. Five hundred extracted genomic samples were genotyped by means of a quick, inexpensive High-resolution melting analysis. Of the 500 samples, the genotyping results showed 95 individuals derived for the L3 haplogroup which gives a 19% ratio of individuals screened with Multiplex 1. Only 56 individuals were derived for the L1 haplogroup, which gives a percentage of 11%. A total of 249 individuals were derived for the L0 haplogroup, making up a 50% of the total individuals genotyped. Only 100 samples were derived for L0a, making up 20% of individuals screened with Multiplex 1. Of the 95 samples derived for the L3 haplogroup, the results showed 87 individuals to be ancestral for both M and N, making up 91.57% of individuals screened with Multiplex 2. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/. In population genetics using SNPs to infer population history and ancestral origin has become significant, this study allowed researchers to evaluate population groups by investigating their genetic markers and the application of the results allowed for downstream analyses. Finally, this study provides a quick and simple screening method for the selection of lineages that are of interest for further studies.

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