Genetic population structure of Scallops going through a rapid population decline in the Eastern Mediterranean

Genetic structure of the endemic Pecten jacobaeus of Aegean inferred from mitochondrial 16s DNA sequence analysis was performed. This genetic marker is a powerful tool for measuring genetic variation and gene flow among populations. Valuable scallop stocks were abundant in the past in Euboikos gulf and Aegean but now are severely depleted due to overfishing, pollution and ocean warming. To restock and conserve this bivalve, a better understanding of its genetic variability is essential. DNA was isolated using the nucleospin tissue kit after homogenization of ligament and PCR using genus specific primers. The PCR products were analyzed by sequencing. The genomic comparison was performed by Blast analysis. We studied two hypotheses: 1. Scallops (P. maximus & P. jacobeus) which can be easily distinguished by the shell morphology belong to the same species without a significant genetic variation or not 2. The possibility to extract DNA from dead shells, a good practice for protected or endangered species. We showed that it is possible to extract DNA from ligaments of dead shells exposed for longtime on the seabed. A high similarity (99%) between our results for P. jacobeus (16s rRNA genome) and P. Jacobeus / P. maximus nucleotide collections was revealed.