Application of palaeogenetic techniques to historic mollusc shells reveals phylogeographic structure in a New Zealand abalone.

ABSTRACT: Natural history collections worldwide contain a plethora of mollusc shells. Recent studies have detailed the sequencing of DNA extracted from shells up to thousands of years old and from various taphonomic and preservational contexts. However, previous approaches have largely addressed methodological rather than evolutionary research questions. Here, we report the generation of DNA sequence data from mollusc shells using such techniques, applied to Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791, a New Zealand abalone, in which morphological variation has led to the recognition of several forms and subspecies. We successfully recovered near-complete mitogenomes from 22 specimens including 12 dry-preserved shells up to 60 years old. We used a combination of palaeogenetic techniques that have not previously

SUBMITTER: Walton K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10087340 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature