Publication details
Prameny jako modelové habitaty pro výzkum komunikace mezi populacemi v rámci říční sítě
| Title in English | Springs as model habitats for investigation of communication among populations within stream network |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Springs are considered as relatively isolated habitats due to specific physico-chemical conditions. We hypothesize that terrestrial environment represents for aquatic macroinvertebrates (permanent fauna) impassable barrier. Constricted migration among habitats limits gene flow and can be expressed in decreasing polymorphism, which can results in lower adaptability to environmental changes. Genetic differentiation of respective populations was evaluated by molecular most suitable markers usually called microsatellites, short tandem repeats of 1-6 nucleotides (STRs). The STRs enable due to relatively high mutation rate evaluation of a recent gene flow among springs. As a model organism was selected Gammarus fossarum, freshwater shrimp preferring springbrooks and cold streams, which populations are consider as fragmented within river network. Five pairs of populations within 130 km gradient from SW to NE was sampled (each for 20 specimens) on Czech-Slovak border mountain ridge in 2010. The distance between sites in each pair was 0.5-2 km, while the distance between distinctive pairs was 20-50 km. Analysis of five microsatellite loci shows remarkably different genetic structure of populations in northernmost pair of sites where one of sites was drained to the Odra basin. Preliminary results also suggesting smaller genetic distance of populations in respective pairs, however populations were separated by mountain ridge and their catchments were drained to the different river basins (Morava or Váh). Single exception of this rule was found in one of pairs which was unique in genetic characteristics (high polymorphism, heterozygosity, number of rare alleles and alleles in linkage disequilibrium). Aside from this exception, our results suggest relatively high gene flow between nearest populations (pairs), which can be enabled probably by zoochory. These preliminary results must be proven by an extensive analysis using a higher number of markers, specimens and sites. |
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