Genetic Investigation of Four Beluga Sturgeon (Huso huso, L.) Broodstocks for its Reintroduction in the Po River Basin

The reintroduction of the extinct beluga sturgeon (Huso huso L.), an anadromous species with economic and traditional relevance, is a priority in next conservation strategies in Northern Italy. The EU-LIFE NATURA project aims to reintroduce the beluga sturgeon in the Po River basin through a captive breeding program. Critical requirements for the success of the program are river connectivity and knowledge of genetic diversity of the selected broodstocks to ensure self-sustainability of reintroduced populations. Here, the four broodstocks used for the reintroduction of beluga sturgeon have been genetically screened, genotyping 13 loci and sequencing mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene and the entire mitochondrial DNA control region (D-Loop). The four broodstocks showed a medium-high level of nuclear genetic variability and the presence of two sub-populations, evidencing a total level of inbreeding coefficients able to sustain the good potential as future breeders. Mitochondrial analyses showed a genetic variability comparable to wild populations, further strengthening the positive potential of the investigated broodstock. Therefore, this study, showed how the degree of genetic diversity found within the four broodstocks used for H. huso reintroduction in the Po River basin could be suitable to ensure the success of the program, avoiding the inbreeding depression associated with founder effect and captive breeding.

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Cloud obstruction and snow cover in Alpine areas from MODIS products

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-18-4579-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 4579-4600 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

P. Da Ronco ◽

C. De Michele

Keyword(s):

Snow Cover ◽

River Basin ◽

Cloud Cover ◽

Large Scale ◽

Snow Water Equivalent ◽

Practical Interest ◽

Computational Effort ◽

Po River ◽

Average Value ◽

Po River Basin

Abstract. Snow cover maps provide information of great practical interest for hydrologic purposes: when combined with point values of snow water equivalent (SWE), they enable estimation of the regional snow resource. In this context, Earth observation satellites are an interesting tool for evaluating large scale snow distribution and extension. MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on board Terra and Aqua satellites) daily Snow Covered Area product has been widely tested and proved to be appropriate for hydrologic applications. However, within a daily map the presence of cloud cover can hide the ground, thus obstructing snow detection. Here, we consider MODIS binary products for daily snow mapping over the Po River basin. Ten years (2003–2012) of MOD10A1 and MYD10A1 snow maps have been analysed and processed with the support of a 500 m resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM). We first investigate the issue of cloud obstruction, highlighting its dependence on altitude and season. Snow maps seem to suffer the influence of overcast conditions mainly in mountain and during the melting period. Thus, cloud cover highly influences those areas where snow detection is regarded with more interest. In spring, the average percentages of area lying beneath clouds are in the order of 70%, for altitudes over 1000 m a.s.l. Then, starting from previous studies, we propose a cloud removal procedure and we apply it to a wide area, characterized by high geomorphological heterogeneity such as the Po River basin. In conceiving the new procedure, our first target was to preserve the daily temporal resolution of the product. Regional snow and land lines were estimated for detecting snow cover dependence on elevation. In cases when there was not enough information on the same day within the cloud-free areas, we used temporal filters with the aim of reproducing the micro-cycles which characterize the transition altitudes, where snow does not stand continually over the entire winter. In the validation stage, the proposed procedure was compared against others, showing improvements in the performance for our case study. The accuracy is assessed by applying the procedure to clear-sky maps masked with additional cloud cover. The average value is higher than 95% considering 40 days chosen over all seasons. The procedure also has advantages in terms of input data and computational effort requirements.

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Daphnia diversity in water bodies of the Po River Basin

Journal of Limnology ◽

10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1531 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Silvia Marková ◽

Catia Maurone ◽

Erica Racchetti ◽

Marco Bartoli ◽

Valeria Rossi

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

North American ◽

Water Bodies ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Long Distance ◽

Po River ◽

The North ◽

North Eastern ◽

Northern European Russia ◽

Po River Basin

Shallow water bodies dominate the areal extent of continental waters and host a proportion of biodiversity higher than the percentage of Earth’s surface they cover. Daphnia is a key component of small aquatic ecosystems food webs. Here we present the result of a survey in 24 ponds located in the core of Po river Basin, to assess the actual spreading of Daphnia species in one of the most productive areas of the Northern hemisphere. By using diagnostic genetic markers (12S rRNA and ND5 genes) we identified five Daphnia species: D. ambigua, D. curvirostris, D. longispina, D. obtusa and D. pulex in fourteen ponds. Additional analyses of two nuclear genes (LdhA and Rab4) revealed that D. pulex in the study area is native European strain. In opposite, D. ambigua shared haplotype with the North-Eastern American lineage that was introduced to Europe by long-distance dispersal. In the Po river Basin we identified a highly divergent lineage of D. longispina group that formed a clade with individuals from northern European Russia and might represent a new Daphnia species. Daphnia species in the Cremona province have European origin, except for D. ambigua which is a North American species spreading across Europe. Future attention will require monitoring of invasive species, particularly D. ambigua and the North American invasive clone of D. pulex that is already present in Northern Italy.

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Genetic variability and relationship among different accessions of Froriepia subpinata Bail (Gijavash) an endangered medicinal plant from Iran revealed by ISSR and IRAP markers

Advances in Horticultural Science ◽

10.36253/ahsc-8107 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Abbas Jorkesh ◽

Yousef Hamidoghli ◽

Jamalali Olfati ◽

Habibollah Samizadeh ◽

Davood Bakhshi

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Cluster Analysis ◽

Genetic Variability ◽

Medicinal Plant ◽

Genetic Information ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Polymorphic Band ◽

Mean Values ◽

Endangered Medicinal Plant ◽

Irap Markers

The genetic variability of Froriepia subpinata Ledeb. Bail., an endangered Iranian endemic species, has been estimated with a total of 52 accessions using 20 markers including ISSR and IRAP. The results showed the polymorphic band produced by primers was 82.3%. The best mean values of genetic diversity parameters observed in ISSRs markers, being UBC873, UBC811, and UBC873 the best primers tested. The similarity range among accessions was 34.45% to 93.3%. The cluster analysis classified the accessions into five main groups that in totally, accessions with similarity in region generally were clustered in the same group. Overall, present study could provide elementary information for formulation of conservation strategies and invaluable elementary genetic information for next breeding or designing conservation programs.

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Loss of Genetic Diversity with Captive Breeding and Re-Introduction: A Case Study on Pateke/Brown Teal (Anas chlorotis)

10.26686/wgtn.16992715 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Gemma Bowker-Wright

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Captive Breeding ◽

Barrier Island ◽

Breeding Population ◽

Island Population ◽

Wildlife Sanctuary ◽

Management Options ◽

Introduced Populations ◽

Loss Of Genetic Diversity

Pateke/brown teal (Anas chlorotis) have experienced a severe population crash leaving only two remnant wild populations (at Great Barrier Island and Mimiwhangata, Northland). Recovery attempts over the last 35 years have focused on an intensive captive breeding programme which breeds pateke, sourced almost exclusively from Great Barrier Island, for release to establish re-introduced populations in areas occupied in the past. While this important conservation measure may have increased pateke numbers, it was unclear how much of their genetic diversity was being retained. The goal of this study was to determine current levels of genetic variation in the remnant, captive and re-introduced pateke populations using two types of molecular marker, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite DNA. Feathers were collected from pateke at Great Barrier Island, Mimiwhangata, the captive breeding population and four re-introduced populations (at Moehau, Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Mana Island). DNA was extracted from the base of the feathers, the mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced, and DNA microsatellite markers were used to genotype individuals. The Great Barrier Island population was found to have only two haplotypes, one in very high abundance which may indicate that historically this population was very small. The captive breeding population and all four re-introduced populations were found to contain only the abundant Great Barrier Island haplotype as the vast majority of captive founders were sourced from this location. In contrast, the Mimiwhangata population contained genetic diversity and 11 haplotypes were found, including the Great Barrier Island haplotype which may have been introduced by captive-bred releases which occurred until the early 1990s. From the microsatellite results, a loss of genetic diversity (measured as average alleles per locus, heterozygosity and allelic richness) was found from Great Barrier Island to captivity and from captivity to re-introduction. Overall genetic diversity within the re-introduced populations (particularly the smaller re-introduced populations at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Mana Island) was much reduced compared with the remnant populations, most probably as a result of small release numbers and small population size. Such loss of genetic diversity could render the re-introduced populations more susceptible to inbreeding depression in the future. Suggested future genetic management options are included which aim for a broader representation of genetic diversity in the pateke captive breeding and release programme.

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The Italian Campaign of 1703. Struggle for Control over the Po River Basin

Manuscript ◽

10.30853/mns210237 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1360-1366

Author(s):

Alexander Vasilyevich Kutishchev ◽

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Po River ◽

Italian Campaign ◽

Po River Basin

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Drought Management in the Po River Basin, Italy

Drought ◽

10.1002/9781119017073.ch11 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 201-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dario Musolino ◽

Claudia Vezzani ◽

Antonio Massarutto

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Drought Management ◽

Po River ◽

Po River Basin

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Estimating the economic impacts of drought on agriculture through models and surveys in the Po river basin (Northern Italy)

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12066 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Iolanda Borzì ◽

Beatrice Monteleone ◽

Brunella Bonaccorso ◽

Mario Martina

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

River Basin ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Economic Impacts ◽

Growing Season ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Po River ◽

Po River Basin

Drought economic impacts, even if non-structural, are a significant threat for those sectors highly dependent on water resources. Agricultural production is highly sensitive to extreme weather events such as droughts and heatwaves. &#160;Climate change is expected to exacerbate the frequency and the severity of droughts, as stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which raises concerns about food security for the next decades.The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that between 2005 and 2015, 83% of all drought-related losses were absorbed by agriculture. The huge monetary losses are mainly due to crop yield reduction because of high temperatures and reduced precipitation, which are linked to additional expenses for field irrigation.This study aims at estimating the economic impacts of drought on the agricultural sector. The investigation has been carried out for a specific case study area within the Po river basin (Northern Italy). The Po valley is the largest agricultural area in Italy and accounts for 35% of Italian agricultural production. It has experienced multiple droughts over the past 20 years, with the long and severe drought from 2003 to 2008 that caused relevant impacts to the agricultural sector. The total economic impact of the 2005-2007 drought was estimated to be around 1.850M&#8364;. Climate change projections over the Italian peninsula from the PRUDENCE regional experiments showed that the frequency and the severity of droughts in Northern Italy will increase in the next century due to a decrease in precipitation during critical crop growing seasons (spring and summer).The proposed methodology consists of two steps. At first, farmers have been subjected to surveys for assessing the monetary losses they experienced during past drought events and the cost associated with the mitigation strategies implemented to reduce the economic impacts of the extreme event, with special attention to irrigation practices.Secondly, the crop growing season and yields have been estimated using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM), calibrated with local yields retrieved from the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) over the period from 2006 to 2020. Weather parameters for simulations in APSIM were derived from remote-sensing images. The comparison between the average growing season and the ones with low yields allows the identification of the crop growing stages that experienced stress. Among the identified stresses, the ones related to water shortages are considered. The economic costs associated with agricultural practices are computed to obtain an estimation of farmers' expenses. Besides, farmers' income is computed based on crop prices and simulated yield. The reduced income obtained by farmers during the previously identified water-related stresses represents their loss due to drought.Results reveal that the use of the developed methodology to identify drought stress in combination with the information coming from surveys helps in quickly assessing the economic impacts of past and present droughts in the Po river basin and represents a useful tool to evaluate which cultivations and which areas suffered the highest economic impacts of droughts.

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