CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal.
Genes (Basel). 2023 Jan 31;14(2):381. doi: 10.3390/genes14020381.
Invasive species disrupt relations between endemics and their ecosystem and are an increasing biodiversity conservation problem. The genus comprises the most successful invasive reptile species, including the worldwide-distributed . In this study, we used 12S and ND2 sequences to taxonomically identify and tentatively determine the diversity and origin of these invaders in Cabo Verde while also clarifying this for several Western Indian Ocean (WIO) populations. By comparing our sequences to recently published ones, we showed, for the first time, that Cabo Verde individuals belong to the lineage and that both of its sublineages (a and b) occur there. Both haplotypes are also in Madeira, which indicates a connection between these archipelagos, possibly related to the past Portuguese trading routes. Across the WIO, results clarified the identity of many island and coastal populations, showing that this likely invasive lineage is widespread in the region, including northern Madagascar, with important conservation implications. Colonisation origins were difficult to access due to the wide geographical spread of these haplotypes; thus, several possible scenarios were outlined. The introduction of this species throughout western and eastern Africa may threaten endemic taxa and needs to be closely monitored.
入侵物种破坏了特有物种与其生态系统之间的关系，是生物多样性保护日益严重的问题。该属包含最成功的入侵爬行动物物种，包括分布广泛的 。在这项研究中，我们使用 12S 和 ND2 序列对佛得角的这些入侵物种进行分类鉴定和初步确定其多样性和起源，并同时阐明了西印度洋（WIO）几个种群的情况。通过将我们的序列与最近发表的序列进行比较，我们首次表明佛得角个体属于 谱系，并且它的两个亚谱系（a 和 b）都存在于那里。这两种单倍型也存在于马德拉群岛，这表明这些群岛之间存在联系，可能与过去的葡萄牙贸易路线有关。在整个 WIO 范围内，结果澄清了许多岛屿和沿海种群的身份，表明这种可能的入侵 谱系在该地区广泛存在，包括马达加斯加北部，这对保护具有重要意义。由于这些单倍型的广泛地理分布，难以确定其殖民起源；因此，概述了几种可能的情况。该物种在整个西非和东非的引入可能会威胁到特有类群，需要密切监测。
