Population genetic parameters of the emerging corallivorous snail Drupella cornus in the northern Gulf of Eilat and Tanzanian coastlines based on mitochondrial COI gene sequences

The genetic diversity and population genetic structures of Drupella cornus populations from six localities in the northern Gulf of Eilat (GOE) and five localities in Tanzania (269 individuals) were investigated using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Overall, 107 haplotypes, 47 in GOE and 61 in Tanzania, revealed similar haplotype diversity for the D. cornus populations within each location (0.9 ± 0.00025 and 0.903 ± 0.00078 respectively), with only a single haplotype shared between the two regions. Network analysis for the 107 COI haplotypes displayed two major clades separated by nine mutations, and Bayesian analyses of population structures revealed two clusters highly correlated with the collecting region. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 73% of the molecular variance for all Drupella populations is based on differences among regions. Within regions, most of the molecular variance is based on within population differences, north vs south in Tanzania (89%) and Israel vs Jordan in GOE (98%). Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D values for all populations were negative, suggesting that the Drupella populations in both regions underwent population expansion or purifying selection. Based on the differences in genetic structuring within populations, the study strongly recommends application of conservation approaches that suit the description of the population in each region.