In this project, researchers from the University of Bologna, in Italy (Federica Costantini, Barbara Mikac, and Eugenio Fossi) and the University of Dubrovnik in Croatia (Marijana Pećarević and Kruno Bonačić) join their forces to study alien species of the polychaete genus Polydora, invading farmed oysters in the Adriatic Sea, with the support of BGE funding.
Aquaculture is one of the main vectors for the introduction and transport of alien species in the Mediterranean Sea. Recently, researchers from the University of Bologna discovered for the first time in the Mediterranean new alien shell-boring poychaete oyster pests, from the genus Polydora, in oyster farms in the northern Adriatic Sea. Their introduction may have severe ecological and economic impacts. Movements of young and adult oysters among farms, performed regularly as a farming practice, might contribute to further translocation of these hitchhikers, which could also infest wild mollusks. Joint action of the neighboring Adriatic countries is needed to address the problem. The objectives of this project are to confirm the identity and define the distribution of shell-boring Polydora species in oyster farms along the Adriatic coasts, clarify the provenance and way of their introduction in the Adriatic, and strengthen connections between scientists, aquaculture companies, monitoring, and legislation institutions as a base for the implementation of management measures for these pests.
Images of an Oyster farm in the Sacca di Goro lagoon, Italy, Northern Adriatic Sea and oysters being sampled from the farm.
Italian and Croatian scientists sampled Polydora from several oyster farms along the Adriatic coasts and analyzed them morphologically and genetically. Population genomics based on a genome sequencing approach (RAD-seq) is going to be used on the sampled populations. The sequencing of the reference genome for Polydora is fundamental to map the sequenced reads for each sample and to SNP discovery to estimate diversity measures in pest species and to identify loci and alleles important for local adaptation. Analyzed data will indicate information on the routes of introduction of the species in the Adriatic Sea, on the connectivity patterns among populations, and the phylogenomic relationships between species within the genus.
Oyster infested by molluscs and Polydora worms. A close-up look at the Polydora worm parasite from an oyster sampled in the Adriatic Sea.
Through a series of actions (presentations at national and international conferences, meetings and round tables, and sending of reports) the scientific results obtained from this research will be communicated to aquaculture companies, governing and legislative institutions, public bodies working in environmental monitoring, and other public and private research institutions.
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