Leptodirus hochenwartiiNatural history and evolutionary studies of Cave organisms
People
G.Allegrucci, V.Sbordoni, D.Cesaroni, G.Gentile, S.Cocchi, L.Latella
Cave populations are an appropriate experimental support for analyzing and validating parameters such as amount of genetic variation in populations, the degree of gene exchange among populations (genes flow), and the strength of selection. Organisms of interest are cave crickets belonging to the family Rhaphidophoridae and Crustacea Isopoda belonging to genus Androniscus. The structure of cave populations is investigated with a specific focus on the genetic consequences of habitat’s and isolation’s fragmentation processes. Genetic structure is investigated by using multiple molecular markers. Dolichopoda cave crickets are the animal model best studied, molecular phylogeny and phylogeography are used to reconstruct cladogenetic events and the natural history of this Mediterranean genus. Projects in progress concern taxonomic revision and molecular phylogeny reconstruction in Coleoptera Cholevidae and microsatellites survey in Androniscus from Frasassi river cave.
Sbordoni V, Allegrucci G, Cesaroni D. 2012. Population structure. In: W.B.White & D.C.Culver(Eds). Encyclopedia of Caves, 2nd Edition. p. 608-618, Elsevier Inc.
Allegrucci,G., E. Trucchi, V. Sbordoni. 2011. Tempo and mode of species diversification in Dolichopoda cave crickets (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 60(1): 108-121.
Allegrucci, G., S. A. Trewick, A. Fortunato, G. Carchini, V.Sbordoni. 2010. Cave crickets and cave weta (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from the southern end of the world: a molecular phylogeny test of biogeographical hypotheses. Journal of Orthoptera Research 19(1):121-130.
Allegrucci, G., M. Rampini, P. Gratton, V. Todisco, V. Sbordoni. 2009. Testing phylogenetic hypotheses for reconstructing the evolutionary history of Dolichopoda cave crickets in the eastern Mediterranean. Journal of Biogeography, 36(9): 1785-1797.
Sbordoni, V., G.Allegrucci and D.Cesaroni. 2005. Population structure. In: D.Culver & W.White (eds.), Enciclopedia of Caves , pp. 447-455, Elsevier, San Diego, Ca, USA
Allegrucci, G., V. Todisco and V. Sbordoni. 2005 - Molecular phylogeography of Dolichopoda cave crickets (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae): A scenario suggested by mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37: 153-164.
Gentile, G. and S.M. Sarbu. 2004. Trophic sources partition and population genetic structure of the isopod Androniscus dentiger from a chemoautotrophy based underground ecosystem. Subterranean Biology, 2:7-14.
Sbordoni, V., G. Allegrucci & V.Todisco. 2004 - Il genere Dolichopoda in Sardegna: filogenesi molecolare e ipotesi sulla evoluzione del popolamento. Studi Trent. Sci. Nat., Acta Biol., 81 (2004): 103-111.
Weber, A. G. Allegrucci and V.Sbordoni. 2003. Rhamdia laluchensis, a new species of troglobitic catfish Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) from Chiapas, Mexico. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwaters, 14: 273-280.