دکتر پرگل قوام مصطفوی

The Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) is one of the most abundant and widely distributed species in the world, among ducks. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure and genetic diversity of Aythya ferina in Iran using cytochrome b gene.

For this study, samples were taken from 10 pieces of Aythya ferina that were taken from the north and south of the country. Haplotypic and nucleotide analyzes were performed using MEGA, Papart, DNAsp and Network software.

In general, 7 different haplotypes were identified by examining 8 fragments of 929 pairs of cytochrome b gene of Aythya ferina. Haplotype diversity was calculated 0.818, nucleotide diversity was calculated 0.00149. The value of Nm or the amount of gene flow between the sampling logic was 1.383, which indicates a high gene flow and in other words, a very small gene distance between the populations of this species and its European and Asian populations. Rogers-Harping index, Tajima index and Fu Fs were calculated 0.112, -0.028 and -1.288, respectively. The mismatch distribution diagram is also plotted as a single view, all of which show an indeterminate population history similar to the model of sudden expansion.

According to the results obtained from the haplotype network and the cognitive tree, as well as a slight genetic difference between the studied populations, there is a possibility of migration of this bird from both Europe and East Asia to Iran. Considering the results of the present study, Iranian wetlands should be recognized as important and key areas and the necessary management and protection measures should be taken in these areas.

Genetic analysis of fish populations is essential for conserving biodiversity and increasing knowledge about the survival of species, and finding the factors threatening or contributing to the survival of these populations. The present study is aimed at investigating phylogenetic relationship of Yellowtail Scad in the northern Persian Gulf and Oman Sea by sequencing mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I gene. Ninety yellow tail Scad have been collected from Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and Chabahar port. Genomic DNA was extracted using Ammonium acetate method. After electrophoresis on 1% agarose gel, Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), using pair of primers. After sequencing of PCR product, the phylogenetic tree was drawn by MEGA7 software with different methods (Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony, and Bayesian) using (Esox lucius) as an extraspecific group. All samples from Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and three samples from Chabahar port were located in the same clade. Chabahar sample with a little more distance was located in separate clade and due to high supportive degree (bootstrap) showed sister group relationship. Moreover, these two clades were located with more evolutionary distance from extraspecific group. Consequently, COI gene sequencing was an appropriate and reliable method for phylogenetic relationship of Yellowtail Scad, providing useful information about protection and management of this valuable species.

Asteroidae, or starfish, have about 1900 extant species as one of the classes of phylum Echinodermata. Thirty specimens of starfishes were collected from the northern islands of the Persian Gulf for morphological identification, molecular analysis and phylogeny. The first starfish samples were distinguished morphologically then they were identified after DNA extraction by CTAB and Chelex 5% and its amplification based on 16S rRNA gene in molecular analysis. The phylogenetic relationships of asteroids were analyzed using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. The morphological and molecular identifications displayed 6 species of Luidia hardwicki, Astropecten indicus, Aquilonastra watersi, Aquilonastra iranica, Linckia laevigata and Pentaceraster mammillatus belonging to 5 genera and 2 families. Our results showed Luidia hardwicki and Astropecten indicus species were grouped with sequences of the same species from GenBank in separate clades. As Aquilonastra watersi and Pentaceraster mammillatus in 16S rRNA gene are reported for the first time so their sequences were placed in sister groups with Aquilonastra yairi and Pentaceraster cumingi, respectively. Since the species of Linckia laevigata species (orange-green morph) have been identified based on molecular analysis, this technique along with morphological studies can provide more complete results for Asteroids. The results of Asteroidae classifications at the genus and family levels indicated phylogenetic tree of mt 16S rRNA gene based on Bayesian method is consistent with previous phylogenetic results.

King soldier bream is one of the species of family Sparidae, which is commercially and ecologically very important in the Iranian waters of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. The species of this family are morphologically very similar to each other and they may be mistakenly known as another species. Therefore, molecular identification of them has to be considered.

In this study, the phylogenetic relationship of king soldier bream fish based on mitochondrial region(CO1) was investigated using DNA sequencing method. For this purpose, 90 samples were collected from the soft tissue of the caudal fin using Ammonium acetate, and its quantity and quality were determined by Spectrophotometry and Electrophoresis. Optimal DNA samples for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing were examined. After gene amplification and sequencing, Bio Edit version 7.0.1, BLAST, MEGA 7.0.2 and DnaSP 5.10.01 software were used to draw phylogenetic trees.

Based on the phylogenetic tree obtained from the sequences, king soldier bream was divided into two main branches in Bandar Abbas, Bandar Bushehr and Bandar Chabahar areas. All samples of the first branch showed a sister relationship with the second branch and all the samples of branches one and two showed sisterhood with samples KJ012292 and kJ012291 from the Gene Bank in Italy with 82, 67 and 86% accuracy.

The results can provide useful information on the conservation and management programs, for the preservation, revitalization, and resource of the population this valuable species.

In this study, to investigate the seasonal changes in some biological parameters of the Persian Gulf, a coupled physical-biological ROMS model is used. The biological model coupled with the physical model has seven state variables includes two nutrients, phytoplankton, chlorophyll, zooplankton and small and large detritus (N2PChlZD2). The results show that the pattern of seasonal changes in chlorophyll-a in the Persian Gulf can be divided into two regions. The first region is the northwestern part, where the growth of chlorophyll begins in spring and extends eastwards along the southern coasts until late summer and early autumn. The amount of chlorophyll-a in this region throughout the year is higher than the other parts of the Gulf and also peaks in early spring. The second region, which includes the middle and east parts of the Persian Gulf blooms in summer and peaks from late summer until early autumn. Moreover the results also show that the pattern of growth and expansion of chlorophyll-a in the Persian Gulf are independent of the Sea of Oman pattern, and its changes follow the pattern of Persian Gulf currents. In addition, the results show that there is a high concentration of nitrate in the northwest of the Persian Gulf, that it is a good reason for beginning of the phytoplankton blooms from the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf and its extension to the other parts along with the regional currents.

In addition to introducing foraminiferal communities, this study aims to investigate the relationships of these communities with the environmental parameters of water and sediment. Nine sediment samples were collected in 2019, from three stations in Qeshm Island. Environmental conditions including temperature, DO, salinity, pH, grain size, TOM, and CaCO3 were measured. Our results revealed that grain size, TOM, and DO factors controlling the diversity and distribution of benthic foraminifera. Thirty-five species from 26 genera and 21 families of foraminiferchr('39')s assemblages were identified where Quinqueloculina was the most abundant genus in all stations.

In the past, morphological traits were used to classify organisms, but because of the problems encountered in classification using this method, the use of molecular markers was due to its advantages. Mitochondrial markers are one of the best options for the study of phylogenetic relationships. In this study, 10 specimens of green sea turtle were collected from three areas of Chabahar, Govater and Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan province. After DNA extraction, the samples were sequenced. Sequences were studied using MEGA, BioEdit and Arlequin software. The results showed that based on the phylogenetic analysis of the studied population, all of the samples were placed in three populations. The average distance of the population with the help of P-distance was 0.18. The results of the Clustal W show that the greatest difference between the sequences is at the beginning and the end of the sequence. The amount of haploid variety was zero, and the number of polymorphic sites was zero, which indicates that the difference was not such as to make the species derivative. No recombination has taken place in sequences that are consistent with the nature of the area under study. The results of this study, can be used to study the genetic diversity of marine turtles in different geographical conditions. It can also help to manage this population and prevent extinction. It can also be a good solution to provide a suitable Gene bank for the identification of this species through molecular techniques, especially in cases where only the eggs or meat of this animal is present.

Bryozoans are known as one of the coral-associated and cryptic fauna that plays an important role in sediment stabilization and contributes to framework-building species same as corals. However, little is known about bryozoan species occurring in the coral communities of Iranian islands. During a coral survey in Abu-Musa and Sirri Islands, Celleporaria pigmentaria was observed on some dead parts of Porites harrisoni and coralline red algae at depth of 3-8m. After sampling, specimens were bleached and were examined under a stereomicroscope and SEM. Specimens were identified to the species level based on skeleton and morphological traits according to available taxonomic guide. This species is one of the common and successful coral-associated bryozoan that belongs to Cheilostomatida. The C. pigmentaria easily recognized with black encrusting colonies, white blotches scattered over the colony surface as well as the non-uniform arrangement of its zooecia. This case study is the first report of C. pigmentaria in coral communities of Iran.

Polychaetes are ecologically important in the food chain, and also vital in ecosystem monitoring and environmental stress assessment. In the current study, sequence variation in a segment of COI gene sequencing by mitochondrial DNA barcoding and comparing nucleotide divergence was employed for molecular analysis of Perinereis polychaetes (Nereididae). Analysis of 50 sequenced specimens, representing 39 new sequences, and 11 sequences with 100 percent similarity with GenBank records, which revealed 1.8 times more sequence divergence between than within species (1.96 versus 3.52%). Phylogenetic analysis data indicated that maximum divergence within barcode clusters increased by the number of specimens. The phylogeny also suggests that most of the identified Perinereis species in this research showed low genetic relationship towards similar species from other world regions. Assessment of genetic similarity rate showed that Perinereis polychaetes in Bushehr province were highly similar, while Perinereis polychaetes in Bandar Abbas were less similar to Bushehr Perinereis polychaetes, the observed divergence was mostly at subspecies level and it can be concluded that in terms of species structure, Perinereis polychaetes of Deylam, Bushehr, Dayyer and Bandar Abbas, showed low genetic divergence.

Ibuprofen, as a drug contaminant, has deleterious and in some cases irreversible effects on aquatic organisms and in general on living things, which in many cases can result in genetic damage and damage to the DNA structure. The effects of different concentrations of ibuprofen on DNA damage and damage to zebrafish are investigated. In this study, genetic changes of p53 gene and its expression in zebrafish after two weeks of exposure to 0.1, 1 and 10 mg / l ibuprofen in vitro were investigated.

In this study zebrafish were exposed to the above mentioned concentrations for two weeks and then RNA extracted from them. The results were analyzed using QPCR method.

The low drug, 0.1 mg / l had no effect on p53 gene expression, while the other two concentrations, which were 1 and 10 mg / l ibuprofen, respectively, showed a significant difference between the control and the drug containing sample. As a result, the p53 gene was highly expressed. Also for the internal control gene that was GAPDH, there was no significant difference at the lowest drug concentration. Ray did not show a significant difference between the treatment and control samples, while in the subsequent treatments there was a significant difference between control and treatment samples.The final result of this study was that p53 gene expression increased 1.09, 0.57 and 2.2 fold in sample with lowest drug concentration, mean concentration and highest drug concentration, respectively.

Coral reefs are one of the most important marine ecosystems and their health and resilience have been threatened by several biotic and abiotic factors. The presence of organisms that are capable of overgrowth on living corals is known as one of the destructive biotic factor. Clathria sp. is an encrusting sponge that can overgrow on living coral colonies and it has been suggested that Clathria sp. can lead to death of corals by producing toxin substances. However, there is a lack of information about the occurrence of this sponge in the Persian Gulf. The purpose of this study is to investigate its presence in the coral communities of Kish Island. Regarding the aim, four sites were selected in the eastern and southeastern parts of the Kish Island and at each site, 20 meters long transect was laid down and coral colonies were examined directly along the transect. Based on the result, Clathria sp. was observed on 18% (9 ±) of the colonies of Porites sp. in the coral carpet of Kish Island.

Black Mouth Croaker (Atrobucca nibe) is highly valued economically and There are very few published studies on genetic of this species. In the following study, the genetic diversity of Atrobucca nibe has been investigated using the PCR-sequencing method from two different regions of the Oman Sea, namely Chabahar in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran and Fujairah in the Fujairah Emirate of the United Arab of Emirates. 34 fish have been collected from the aforementioned regions. The DNA of the fish had been extracted through the Ammonium Acetate method and the quality of the DNAs were analyzed via the spectrophotometry and furthermore the quantity of the extracted DNA were assessed via electrophoresis. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was conducted on the targeted DNAs and later DNA sequencing was carried out. Subsequently, through sequencing it was discovered that the D-loop region in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Black Mouth Croaker,contained 270 base pairs (bp). The nucleotide diversity discovered in the conduct of the following study was varied from 0.08 (Chabahar) to 0.1 (Fujairah), and the Haplotype diversity was estimated to be at 0.83 in Chabahar and 0.93 in Fujairah. Observed and expected heterozygosity averages were 0.47 and 0.69, respectively. So the observed heterozygosity had constantly been lower than that of the expected heterosygosity, reflecting the reduction in genetic diversity. Through observations of average levels of FST between the regions, it can be summed up that genetic differences do exist among the present populations. This study was showed there currently are two different populations of Atrobucca nibe residing in the waters of Sistan & Baluchestan and Fujairah.