Phylogeographic Relationships Reveal the Origin of an Introduced Population of the Dalmatian Algyroides (Reptilia: Lacertidae) into Southern Italy
Elisavet-Aspasia Toli,
Dimitra Sergiadou,
Piero Carlino,
Anastasios Bounas,
Miguel A. Carretero,
Riccardo Castiglia,
D. James Harris,
Chrysoula Papadaki,
Olivier S. G. Pauwels,
Lidija Leković,
Konstantinos Sotiropoulos
Affiliations
Elisavet-Aspasia Toli
Molecular Ecology and Conservation Genetics Lab, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Dimitra Sergiadou
Section for Forest and Landscape Ecology, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Piero Carlino
Natural History Museum of Salento (MSNS), Department of Herpetology, 73021 Calimera, Italy
Anastasios Bounas
Molecular Ecology and Conservation Genetics Lab, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Miguel A. Carretero
CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
Riccardo Castiglia
Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie ‘Charles Darwin’, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’, Via A. Borelli 50, 00161 Rome, Italy
D. James Harris
CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
Chrysoula Papadaki
University of Athens Molecular Ecology Lab (UAMECO), Section of Ecology and Taxonomy, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
Olivier S. G. Pauwels
Department of Recent Vertebrates, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Lidija Leković
Natural History Museum of Montenegro, Trg Vojvode Bećir-Bega Osmanagića 16, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Konstantinos Sotiropoulos
Molecular Ecology and Conservation Genetics Lab, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
The genetic structure and dispersal dynamics of reptile populations are profoundly influenced by natural processes and human activities. While natural dispersal is shaped by species’ characteristics and paleogeographical features, human-mediated translocations have become increasingly prevalent, posing ecological challenges. Mitochondrial genetic markers have been pivotal in untangling invasion pathways for various species. Our study focuses on the Dalmatian Algyroides, Algyroides nigropunctatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1839), a lizard species endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, where recent observations in the Apulian region of Italy suggest an introduced population. Genetic analyses employing two mtDNA markers (16S and ND4 genes) elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of the Dalmatian Algyroides and trace the geographic origin of the introduced population. Our findings reveal areas in western Greece and southwestern Albania as the most probable areas of the source population, while we identify two previously undetected geographical lineages in the native range, highlighting the complex evolutionary history of the species in the region. Additionally, indications of potential glacial refugia and post-glacial dispersal patterns shed more light on the species’ demographic dynamics.
