Questioning the use of repeated nuclear DNA markers for assessing hybrids in marine bivalves: a case-study in Ruditapes spp. clams

Le résumé fourni par la source

Reliable inferences of interspecific hybridization require the use of diagnostic Mendelian markers and, preferably, multilocus approaches in order to distinguish true hybrids and backcrosses from artifacts that may be generated by other types of markers, e.g., multigene families, such as nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). We re-examine evidence for hybridization between the clams Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850) by analyzing samples from 11 French populations, assessing the performance and limitations of nrDNA markers and comparing them with alternative molecular markers. Our results indicate that PCR patterns previously reported in the literature, while compatible with hybridization events, may also be explained by methodological artifacts associated with nrDNA markers. Consequently, natural hybridization between these two species remains unconfirmed and requires further investigation using more robust Mendelian markers. Overall, our study highlights the critical importance of marker choice in hybridization studies.

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