Paolo Momigliano

University of Helsinki | HY · Department of Biosciences

Divergent selection may initiate ecological speciation extremely rapidly. How often and at what pace ecological speciation proceeds to yield strong reproductive isolation is more uncertain. Here, we document a case of extraordinarily rapid speciation associated with ecological selection in the postglacial Baltic Sea. European flounders (Platichthys...

Unobserved diversity, such as undetected genetic structure or the presence of cryptic species, is of concern for the conservation and management of global biodiversity in the face of threatening anthropogenic processes. For instance, unobserved diversity can lead to overestimation of maximum sustainable yields and therefore to overharvesting of the...

Incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) can lead to biased divergence time estimates. To explore if and how ILS has influenced the results of a recent study of worldwide phylogeny of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we estimated divergence times among major clades by applying both a concatenation approach and the multispecies coalescent...

The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is an important model system for the study of parallel evolution in the wild, having repeatedly colonized and adapted to freshwater from the sea throughout the northern hemisphere. Previous studies identified numerous genomic regions showing consistent genetic differentiation between freshwater...

Testing among competing demographic models of divergence has become an important component of evolutionary research in model and non-model organisms. However, the effect of unaccounted demographic events on model choice and parameter estimation remains largely unexplored. Using extensive simulations, we demonstrate that under realistic divergence s...

The European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) species complex is a classic example of recent adaptive radiation. Here we examine a whitefish population introduced to northern Finnish Lake Tsahkal in the late 1960's, where three divergent morphs (viz. littoral, pelagic and profundal feeders) were found ten generations after. Using demographic modelli...

We used mitochondrial DNA gene sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci to investigate the extent and outcome of hybridization between the Black‐billed Gull Chroicocephalus bulleri and the Red‐billed Gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus in New Zealand. Six of 26 sampled Black‐billed Gulls possessed mitochondrial DNA typical of Red‐bille...

The ongoing decline of large marine vertebrates must be urgently mitigated, particularly under increasing levels of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. However, characterizing the connectivity among populations remains one of the greatest challenges for the effective conservation of an increasing number of endangered species. Achievin...

Analyses of genetic diversity can shed light on both the origins of biodiversity hotspots, as well as the conservation status of species that are impacted by human activities. With these objectives, we assembled a genomic dataset of 14,935 single nucleotide polymorphisms from 513 grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) sampled across 17 locat...

The three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) has repeatedly and independently adapted to freshwater habitats from standing genetic variation (SGV) following colonisation from the sea. However, in the Mediterranean Sea G. aculeatus is believed to have gone extinct, thus the spread of locally adapted alleles between different freshwater popu...

The ongoing decline of large marine vertebrates must be urgently mitigated, particularly under increasing levels of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. However, characterizing the connectivity among populations remains one of the greatest challenges for the effective conservation of an increasing number of endangered species. Achievin...

The European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) species complex is a classic example of recent adaptive radiation. Here we examine a whitefish population introduced to northern Finnish Lake Tsahkal in late 1960s, where three divergent morphs (viz. littoral, pelagic and profundal feeders) were found ten generations after. Using demographic modelling ba...

Oyster reef habitats are critical to coastal biodiversity and their decline has prompted restoration efforts in Australia. Knowledge gaps exist regarding the population structure and diversity of key species in these habitats. This may be critical information for the design of effective restoration programs. Sydney rock oysters (Saccostrea glomerat...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01447-7.

Population genetic theory predicts that small effective population sizes (Ne) and restricted gene flow limit the potential for local adaptation. In particular, the probability of evolving similar phenotypes based on shared genetic mechanisms (i.e. parallel evolution), is expected to be reduced. We tested these predictions in a comparative genomic s...

Population genetic theory predicts that small effective population sizes (Ne) and restricted gene flow limit the potential for local adaptation. In particular, the probability of evolving similar phenotypes based on shared genetic mechanisms (i.e. parallel evolution), is expected to be reduced. We tested these predictions in a comparative genomic s...

The role of geological events and Pleistocene climatic fluctuations as drivers of current patterns of genetic variation in extant species has been a topic of continued interest among evolutionary biologists. Nevertheless, comprehensive studies of widely distributed species are still rare, especially from Asia. Using geographically extensive samplin...

Testing among competing demographic models of divergence has become an important component of evolutionary research in model and non-model organisms. However, the effect of unaccounted demographic events on model choice and parameter estimation remains largely unexplored. Using extensive simulations, we demonstrate that under realistic divergence s...

While intraspecific variation in aposematic signals can be selected for by different predatory responses, their evolution is also contingent on other processes shaping genetic variation. We evaluate the relative contributions of selection, geographic isolation, and random genetic drift to the evolution of aposematic color polymorphism in the poison...

Reuse of standing genetic variation is thought to be the main mechanism behind the repeated evolution of the same phenotypes in similar environments. An important model system for the study of genomic mechanisms underlying parallel ecological adaptation in the wild is the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which has repeatedly colon...

Recent years have brought the realization that evolutionary changes driven by selection can occur in ecological time scales. However, recent evolutionary events can be hard to detect and may easily go unnoticed. For harvested species, such cryptic diversity may lead to suboptimal management. These points are illustrated by the two flounder species...

Hybridization and convergent evolution are phenomena of broad interest in evolutionary biology, but their occurrence poses challenges for reconstructing evolutionary affinities among affected taxa. Sticklebacks in the genus Pungitius are a case in point: evolutionary relationships and taxonomic validity of different species and populations in this...

Scientific opinion of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM)

The European flounder Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) displays two contrasting reproductive behaviors in the Baltic Sea: offshore spawning of pelagic eggs and coastal spawning of demersal eggs, a behavior observed exclusively in the Baltic Sea. Previous studies showed marked differences in behavioral, physiological, and life-history traits of f...

Stickleback fishes in the family Gasterosteidae have become model organisms in ecology and evolutionary biology. However, even in the case of the most widely studied species in this family - the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) - the worldwide phylogenetic relationships and colonization history of the different populations and line...

Increases in reported incidence of ciguatera fish poisoning (hereafter ciguatera) have been linked to warmer sea temperatures that are known to trigger coral bleaching events. The drivers that trigger blooms of ciguatera-causing dinoflagellates on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of increased t...

With overfishing reducing the abundance of marine predators in multiple marine ecosystems, knowledge of genetic structure and local adaptation may provide valuable information to assist sustainable management. Despite recent technological advances, most studies on sharks have used small sets of neutral markers to describe their genetic structure. W...

Grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) can be one of the numerically dominant high order predators on pristine coral reefs, yet their numbers have declined even in the highly regulated Australian Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Marine Park. Knowledge of both large scale and fine scale genetic connectivity of grey reef sharks is essential for their...

Genetically verified catch data from fishers in eastern Indonesia provide new distribution records for the fossil shark Hemipristis elongata in the Halmahera, Seram and Arafura seas. Previously only recorded from the island of Java, this study reports a range extension for this species of >2000 km across the Indonesian archipelago, suggesting that...

The grey nurse shark (Carcharius taurus) is listed as threatened throughout much of its global distribution, and as critically endangered in eastern Australia. Captive breeding programs have thus far been largely unsuccessful and little is known of their mating system in this context. Here we carry out a paternity analysis to determine if the matin...

The threatened grey nurse shark ( Carcharias taurus ) is reported for the first time from oceanic coral reefs in the Timor Sea. Generally known from temperate and subtropical coastal reef habitats, this species was encountered by Indonesian traditional fishers on oceanic coral reefs in an area of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone known as the...

In this chapter we examine the biodiversity and the status of conservation and management of shark species in Australasia and Indonesia. Almost 17% of shark species in the region are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened, and approximately 40% are of conservation concern, their future being dependent...

Here the occurrence of the species Gambierdiscus yasumotoi is reported for the first time along a latitudinal gradient spanning more than 1550 km of the Australian Great Barrier Reef (GBR), a region with endemic ciguatera fish poisoning. G. yasumotoi was found at three tropical and sub tropical coral reef sites, Raine Island (northern GBR), Nelly B...

Grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) are important apex predators on coral reefs, and their numbers have declined dramatically as a result of overfishing. Knowledge of environmental factors that shape gene flow is essential for developing appropriate management strategies, but the lack of suitable genetic markers has hindered research on t...

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Dinoflagellates are important primary producers, crucial in marine food webs. Toxic strains, however, are the main causative agents of non-bacterial seafood poisoning, a major concern for public health worldwide. Despite their importance, taxonomic uncertainty within many genera of dinoflagellates is still high. The genus Coolia includes potentiall...

Benthic foraminifera of the family Soritinae are important members of coral reef communities, contributing to carbonate deposition on coral reefs. These giant protists form photosymbiotic associations with microalgae of the genus Symbiodinium. The extent of flexibility in foraminefera−Symbiodinium partnerships is not well understood. While some stu...

The blue threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) is an exploited fishery species in southeast Asia and Australia. Demographic studies have revealed fine-scale stock structure throughout the Australian coastline, with demographically isolated populations separated by only tens of km. Similarly, population genetic analysis revealed fine-scale structu...

Increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations lead to decreased pH and carbonate availability in the ocean (Ocean Acidification, OA). Carbon dioxide seeps serve as 'windows into the future' to study the ability of marine invertebrates to acclimatise to OA. We studied benthic foraminifera in sediments from shallow volcanic CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea....

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Proper management of marine fisheries requires an understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of marine populations, which can be obtained from genetic data. While numerous fisheries species have been surveyed for spatial genetic patterns, temporally sampled genetic data is not available for many species. We present a phylogeographic survey...

The diversity of geographic scales at which marine organisms display genetic variation mirrors the biophysical and ecological complexity of dispersal by pelagic larvae. Yet little is known about the effect of larval ecology on genetic population patterns, partly because detailed data of larval ecology do not yet exist for most taxa. One species for...

Lactate dehydrogenase-B (ldh-b) encodes a metabolic enzyme (LDH-B) which plays an important role in maintaining aerobic performance and in thermal acclimation and/or adaptation of fish. As the first step in understanding the effect this enzyme has on the ability of tropical coral reef fishes to cope with thermal stress, we characterized both coding...