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P.ulyssiponensis s.i. (Table II).
It should be noted also that ML (Figure 3) was able to distinguish between continental and
Macaronesian "forms" of P. uiyssiponensis. On the other hand, the enzymatic digestion
performed by Taql did not previde differential fragments for the two "forms". However,
this fact does not represent an impediment for the application of the proposed method, as
this study was aimed at the distinction of P. ulyssiponensis s.i. from other similar sympatric
species, and the ranges of distribution of continental and Macaronesian "forms" retlect a
disjunct pattem).
In conclusion, the possibility of identifying large numbers of individuals using a non-lethal
protocol, such as that adopted for the endangered P. f erruginea (Casu et al. 2006), opens a
new perspective for ecologica! surveys, which may take into account specimens of P.
uiyssiponensis s.i. separately from individuals of P. caeruiea, P. vulgata and P. candei.
Indeed, it should be evidenced that insufficient and/or wrong taxonomic analysis may
negatively affect the statistic used and, consequently, may lead to misleading ecologica]
conclusions. Thus, as suggested by Valentini et al. (2008), molecular techniques should
progressively be more used as additional tools by ecologists, who have the need to "not
only identify a single species from a specimen or an organism ' s remains, but also
determine the species composition of environmental samples".
Finally, the increasing decline evidenced for different Patella species, in particular for the
Macaronesian P. ulyssiponensis, which underwent a severe decline due to overexploitation
(Cardigos et al. 2004), reinforces the importance of reliable identifications, and promotes
the use ofnon-lethal sampling methods, which avoid the sacrifice ofthe animals.

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Gìan Luca Dedola: ANALISI DELLA VARIABILITÀ GENETICA DI PATELLA FéRRUGINEA, PATEL.LA UL l'SSIPONENSIS (MOLLUSCA: GASTROPODA) E PINNA
NOBILIS (MOLLUSCA: BIVALVIA): lLCONTRJBUTO DEl DATI MOLECOLARl ALLA CONSERVAZIONE DI SPECIE MINACCIATE- Tesi di douorato in Scienze
della natura e delle sue risorse · indiri7.zo BK>logi.a Ambientale, Università degli Studi di Sassarl