To improve the systematics and taxonomy of Patellogastropoda within the evolution of gastropods, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequences ofLottia goshimaiandNipponacmea fuscoviridisin the family Lottiidae, which presented sizes of 18,192 bp and 18,720 bp, respectively. In addition to 37 common genes among metazoa, we observed duplication of thetrnMgene inL. goshimaiand thetrnMandtrnWgenes inN. fuscoviridis. The highest A + T contents of the two species were found within protein-coding genes (59.95% and 54.55%), followed by rRNAs (56.50% and 52.44%) and tRNAs (56.42% and 52.41%).trnS1andtrnS2could not form the canonical cloverleaf secondary structure due to the lack of a dihydrouracil arm in both species. The gene arrangements in all Patellogastropoda compared with those of ancestral gastropods showed different levels of gene rearrangement, including the shuffling, translocation and inversion of single genes or gene fragments. This kind of irregular rearrangement is particularly obvious in the Lottiidae family. The results of phylogenetic and gene rearrangement analyses showed thatL. goshimaiandLottia digitalisclustered into one group, which in turn clustered withN. fuscoviridisin Patellogastropoda. This study demonstrates the significance of complete mitogenomes for phylogenetic analysis and enhances our understanding of the evolution of Patellogastropoda.
The hard-shell mussel (Mytilus coruscus) is widespread in the temperate coastal areas of the northwest Pacific and holds a significant position in the shellfish aquaculture market in China. However, the natural resources of this species have been declining, and population genetic studies of M. coruscus are also lacking. In this study, we conducted whole-genome resequencing (WGR) of M. coruscus from eight different latitudes along the Chinese coast and identified a total of 25,859,986 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Our findings indicated that the genetic diversity of M. coruscus from the Zhoushan region was lower compared with populations from other regions. Furthermore, we observed that the evolutionary tree clustered into two primary branches, and the Zhangzhou (ZZ) population was in a separate branch. The ZZ population was partly isolated from populations in other regions, but the distribution of branches was not geographically homogeneous, and a nested pattern emerged, consistent with the population differentiation index (FST) results. To investigate the selection characteristics, we utilized the northern M. coruscus populations (Dalian and Qingdao) and the central populations (Zhoushan and Xiangshan) as reference populations and the southern ZZ population as the target population. Our selection scan analysis identified several genes associated with thermal responses, including Hsp70 and CYP450. These genes may play important roles in the adaptation of M. coruscus to different living environments. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive understanding of the genomic diversity of coastal M. coruscus in China and is a valuable resource for future studies on genetic breeding and the evolutionary adaptation of this species.
Neritidae is one of the most diverse families of Neritimorpha and possesses euryhaline properties. Members of this family usually live on tropical and subtropical coasts and are mainly gregarious. The phylogenetic relationships between several subclasses of Gastropoda have been controversial for many years. With an increase in the number of described species of Neritidae, the knowledge of the evolutionary relationships in this family has improved. In the present study, we sequenced four complete mitochondrial genomes from two genera (ClithonandNerita) and compared them with available complete mitochondrial genomes of Neritidae. Gene order exhibited a highly conserved pattern among three genera in the Neritidae family. Our results improved the phylogenetic resolution within Neritidae, and more comprehensive taxonomic sampling of subclass Neritimorpha was proposed. Furthermore, we reconstructed the divergence among the main lineages of 19 Neritimorpha taxa under an uncorrelated relaxed molecular clock.
Copepods are the most abundant organisms in marine zooplankton and the primary components of the food chain. They are hotspots for highly adaptable microorganisms, which are pivotal in biogeochemical cycles. The microbiome, encompassing microorganisms within and surrounding marine planktonic organisms, holds considerable potential for biotechnological advancements. Despite marine microbiome research interests expanding, our understanding of the ecological interactions between microbiome and copepods remains limited. This review intends to give an overview of the recent studies regarding the microbiome associated with marine copepods, with particular focus on the diversity of bacteria and fungi. The significance of copepod-associated microbiomes in different contexts, such as aquaculture and biodegradation processes, was evaluated. The ability of the microbiome to mitigate harmful bacterial growth in cultured organisms was also explored. The microbiome associated with copepods has demonstrated efficacy in reducing the proliferation of detrimental bacteria in aquaculture, paving the way for the commercial utilization of natural zooplankton in fish rearing. Additionally, copepod-associated microbiomes may play a role in addressing marine environmental challenges, such as the bioremediation of polluted marine matrices. Overall, this review represents a basis for investigating intricate copepod-associated microbiomes and their diverse applications, enhancing our comprehension of the ecological and evolutionary significance of marine microbiomes.
We determined the complete mitochondrial genome of Batillaria zonalis. The B. zonalis mitochondrial genome is 15748 bp in length, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. The nucleotide composition for B. zonalis is 17.71% of C, 16.74% of G, 34.99% of T, and 30.3% of A. In 13 protein-coding genes, all genes start with ATG. For the stop codon, the cox2 gene stops with TTC, the cytb, nad1, nad2 genes stop with TAG, the other nine genes are with TAA. Of these 37 genes identified, nine protein-coding genes and six transfer RNA genes are encoded on the heavy strand and the other genes on the light strand. The phylogenetic tree was constructed based on 13 protein-coding genes of the B. zonalis and other 19 Gastropoda species, Sepia latimanus as outgroup using the Neighbour-joining method. The result showed that B. zonalis is most closely related to the Tylomelania sarasinorum in Cerithioidea. We believe that this result will be helpful for the study of population genetic and phylogenetic analysis of the family Batillariidae.