DNA barcodes foster collaborative networking in Argentina: from evolutionary biology to invasive species and pathogen identification in food production

• Autores: Lavinia, Pablo D.; Attiná, Natalí; Luszczak, Priscila; Núñez Bustos, Ezequiel; Canio, Elvira; Casale, Agustin I; Bukowski, Belén; Hünicken, Leandro; Moreno, Pablo; Campagna, Leonardo; Lijtmaer, Dario A.; Tubaro, Pablo L.
• Año de publicación: 2024
• Idioma: español castellano
• Tipo de recurso: documento de conferencia
• Materia: Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; argentina; barcodes; collaboration; evolution; Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
• Institución: Universidad Nacional de Río Negro

Fil: Lavinia, Pablo D. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Laboratorio de Investigación y Conservación de la Biodiversidad (UNRN–InCoBIO), Sede Atlántica, Viedma, Río Negro, Argentina
Fil: Attiná Natalí. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Luszczak Priscila. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Núñez Bustos Ezequiel. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Canio Elvira. Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Laboratorio de Investigación y Conservación de la Biodiversidad (UNRN–InCoBIO), Sede Atlántica, Viedma, Río Negro, Argentina
Fil: Casale Agustín I. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Bukowski Belen. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Hünicken Leandro. CONICET, CABA, Argentina
Fil: Moreno Pablo. INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y MEDIOAMBIENTE, Río Negro, Argentina
Fil: Campagna Leonardo. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, Argentina
Fil: Lijtmaer Dario A. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Fil: Tubaro Pablo L. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CABA, Argentina
Introduction: DNA barcodes are widely used in ecology, evolution and conservation. Here, we illustrate how the barcoding initiative fosters collaborative and interdisciplinary research in Argentina, with significant impact across various fields. Methods: We obtained the DNA barcodes of a wide arrange of taxa that occur in Argentina, and used them to test the effectiveness of this tool for species discrimination, as well as to study evolutionary and phylogeographic patterns. We analyzed COI sequences from around 1,000 bird specimens (~100 species), 3,000 butterfly specimens (~500 species), 210 individuals of invasive, androgenetic Corbicula freshwater clams, and ~60 COII sequences of oomycete pathogens that affect fish aquaculture. Results: Our findings show that DNA barcodes are an efficient tool for species discrimination and specimen identification across all taxa. Moreover, we found that ecological traits can predict the patterns of intraspecific divergence among bird and butterfly populations of geographical isolated forests. We also found multiple intraspecific splits within Patagonia, as well as between austral bird populations and those of other regions, highlighting the influence of Pleistocene glaciations in the evolutionary history of the Andean-Patagonian avifauna. As for the Corbicula clams, all individuals sequenced belonged to two of the four major invasive mitochondrial lineages worldwide, which largely corresponded to two different morphotypes. We recorded individuals with intermediate phenotype in northeastern Argentina, where the two haplogroups coexist, suggesting the presence of hybrids due to maternal nuclear genome capture. Lastly, we found that the oomycete pathogens in our dataset corresponded to at least four Saprolegnia species. Conclusions: The DNA barcoding initiative promotes collaborative networking in Argentina, contributing with new, meaningful insights in the fields of evolutionary biology, biological invasions and food production.