SMBE 2015 and Seita Miyazawa's visit

From 12^th-16^th July I had the opportunity to attend the 23nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution, where I also presented our poster with some preview of the transcriptome data from the skin of marble and brown trout. With several interesting talks and posters placed in a fascinating venue of Hobfburg palace it was a unique experience.

Among more than 1300 attendants from all over the world there was also our Japanese co-worker Seita Miyazawa. After the SMBE meeting he came to visit Slovenia and our lab for the first time. We had the opportunity to exchange our NGS data, some new ideas but also to show him some of our beautiful natural sights. 

SMBE meeting in Hofburg palace:

Seita in Slovenia:

Visiting Bled...

and Gorge Vintgar (in the photo: Simona and Seita)

Škocjan caves were quite a refreshing change during these extreme hot days in Slovenia

Piran

Seita had the opportunity to see the hatchery in Tolmin, but also to try fly-fishing in the beautiful Soča river

Seita with his fly–fishing “instructor” – Nejc

Seita, Simona and Aleš

A new publication: genetic analysis of the Balkan minnow

A new paper has been recently published in MPE, in which we studied phylogeography of minnow (genus Phoxinus) populations in the Balkan Peninsula - not in the Western Europe, but in the Balkan Peninsula, using molecular methods.

Some highlights of the paper:

• Highly divergent genetic clades of Phoxinus were detected in the western Balkans.
• The two species view (Danubian P. phoxinus and Adriatic P. lumaireul), proposed by morphologists, was not supported.
• Revision of Phoxinus classification in the studied area is suggested.
• The clades extend along the Adriatic area crossing the main watershed boundaries.
• Specific genetic signatures point to the possibility of underground fish dispersion.

>Minnow from the Skadar drainage (Rijeka Crnojevića, Montenegro)