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Earlier evolutionary dead-ends, now the creators of a reproductive strategy: the origin and reproduction of the all-male water frog lineage Pelophylax esculentus
Kaštánková, Marie
Asexual modes of reproduction are usually based on the principle of copying (cloning) DNA from the female and passing it on to the offspring. For most asexually reproducing vertebrates the progeny develop from an unreduced and often unfertilised egg. This is driven by the mechanisms of parthenogenetic and gynogenetic reproduction. While in the former the clonal germ cell develops spontaneously and separately, in the latter a sexual partner is needed to activate the cleavage of the ovum, although without the fusion of the sperm and egg. Therefore in both cases there is no fertilization and the clonal progeny consist solely of daughters, hence the majority of previous studies have only focused on asexual female lineages. However, on rare occasions asexual clonal males can arise when the right fertilization occurs. Whilst these offspring are usually infertile, fertile diploid asexual males have been discovered in just three genera of hybrid origin in vertebrates. One of these unique cases is the European water frog complex of the genus Pelophylax, whose distribution includes the Czech Republic. In areas around the upper Odra River populations of hybrid males were recently discovered who form stable all-male lineages, similar to those formed by asexual females. The results of this study show that males produce...
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Genetic diversity and evolutionary history of Czech endemic taxa from the genus Dianthus
Vítová, Jana
This MSc. thesis deals with karyological, genetic and phenotypic variation of selected taxa from the genus Dianthus L. in the Czech Republic and adjacent countries. The evolutionary history of the genus has been shaped by several microevolutionary processes, including interspecific hybridization, genome duplication, and edaphic speciation. These processes led to the origin of a number of phenotypically similar taxa, which are often restricted to a narrow geographic area. One subendemic and three endemic taxa occur in the Czech Republic. These (sub)species were used as model groups to gain insight into microevolutionary processes in small populations and the postglacial development of the genus in Central Europe. The thesis consists of three parts, each addressing different evolutionary phenomenon: Dianthus arenarius subsp. bohemicus is a critically endangered endemic psammophyte currently known from a single population in Central Bohemia. The site is also inhabited by widespread D. carthusianorum. Interspecific hybridization has been suspected on the basis of morphological characters, but this has never been confirmed by any other technique. I exploited differences in the number of chromosomes between both species and, with the aid of DAPI flow cytometry, estimated relative DNA contents of most...
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Conservation genetics of the grey wolf in Central Europe
Valentová, Kamila Anna ; Hulva, Pavel (advisor) ; Galov, Ana (referee)
Conservation genetics of the grey wolf in Czech Republic and adjacent regions is studied in the present thesis. Analyses of twenty-one microsatellite loci, one sex-determining amelogenin gene and mitochodrial control region were used to verify species determination, identify individuals and estimate relationships between them, analyse population structure and estimate demographic trends based on samples collected between 2014 and 2021. Genetic detection of red fox and dog samples incorrectly assigned to wolves illustrates the hurdles of field monitoring of grey wolf. Direct evidence for the occurrence of F1 hybrids was not found. Wolves from Bohemia showed lower values of allelic richness in comparison to the ones from Western Carpathians, probably as a consequence of recent expansion. Geographic distances between detection sites of identical individuals were relatively small or moderate in this study, suggesting regular movements of animals within their home ranges. Only two long-distance dispersal events exceeding 300 km were detected. Results of parental analysis provided evidence of pack distribution within the studied area. Most relationships were detected between wolves in the northern region of Czech Republic where the first recolonizing wolf pack in 2014 was registered. Within the studied...
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Genetic diversity and structure of populations of Campanula glomerata on regional scale in White Carpathians
Černá, Mariana ; Münzbergová, Zuzana (advisor) ; Kotilínek, Milan (referee)
Habitat fragmentation can adversely affect species populations due to reduced genetic diversity and increased population differentiation due to habitat isolation, reduced population size, and disruption of gene flow. Many species suffer from habitat fragmentation and isolation, and Campanula glomerata is a good example of a species that is noticeably declining in many places due to changes in landscape management. The question is how the model species responds to these changes and whether is the change are reflected in genetic diversity and population structure. The aim of this work is to determine the degree of genetic diversity and to reveal the genetic structure of populations of the model species C. glomerata on a small regional scale in the White Carpathians. This system will allow us to compare populations from two different regions that have been affected to varying degrees by agricultural intensification and fragmentation in the last century. It is a southwestern and northeastern part of the region, which differs from each other in the history of management in the landscape, but also in the continuity of meadows, species composition and environmental conditions. For this purpose, I developed and optimized a total of 16 usable microsatellite markers, 4 of which come from related species of...
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Population genetics of Pipistrellus pipistrellus species complex hibernacula
Habalová, Kateřina ; Hulva, Pavel (advisor) ; Kaňuch, Peter (referee)
This thesis deals with two cryptic pipistrelle bat species, common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) living in sympatry in continental Europe. Although both species are abundant during summer in Europe, they spent winter in mass hibernacula and there is only limited knowledge about this period. In total, 233 individuals from four mass hibernacula were sampled in Central Europe and Romania. The species composition and population variability in winter hibernacula was examined by using the tools of population genetics (analysis of mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites). Two hibernacula with exclusive or partial mass representation of soprano pipistrelle were genetically confirmed for the first time. No cytonuclear conflict neither admixed nuclear genotype was detected, that means that early stage of hybridization between both species was not revealed. Similar genetic structure in both genetic markers indicate, that swarming and hibernating populations are substantially overlapping. Compared to the P. pygmaeus, higher genetic variability was found in P. pipistrellus populations, even though genetic variability is relatively low compared to other species. It can be caused by strong gene flow, in the case of P. pygmaeus it may be caused...
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Candidate genes for behavioural adaptations in tropical and temperate birds
Křístková, Barbora ; Munclinger, Pavel (advisor) ; Macholán, Miloš (referee)
The use of candidate genes has become a widespread approach in the study of behavioral adaptations. Gene function is often maintained in very distant evolutionary lines. This approach allows us to extend knowledge about non-model species. I studied the influence of selection on candidate behavioral adaptation genes associated mainly with biorhythms. I was interested in comparing genetic variability between closely related species of songbirds from tropical and temperate zones. These environments differ mainly in the conditions stability. Tropical species live in very stable conditions with generally low seasonality, unlike temperate species. Timing of events of cirkanual cycle of temperate birds is essential because of the alternating of conditions of the environment. I therefore assumed a reduction in genetic variability in migrating temperate zone species compared to tropical species due to stabilizing selection. The study is based on analyzes of microsatellite loci in the exon region. I involved analysis of neutral microsatellites as a control for possible genetic variability reduction coming from different reasons than selection. Neutral microsatellites are expected to not be influenced by selection. In tropical species I found reduced genetic variability of neutral microsatellites. That might...
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Searching for the origin of high-altitude endemic harebells from Campanula rotundifolia agg. in central Europe.
Folbrová, Magdaléna ; Šemberová, Kristýna (advisor) ; Trávníček, Pavel (referee)
Complex Campanula rotundifolia agg. is rich in endemic species, especially in the high- elevated mountain ranges. Extreme climatic conditions in the subalpine habitats can lead to a convergence in plant's morphology between plants isolated in different mountain ranges. Because of the lack of morphological differentiation, it is very difficult to reconstruct the evolutionary history of bellflowers C. scheuchzeri from the Alps, C. bohemica from the Krkonoše Mountains and C. tatrae from the Western Carpathians. A similarity in morphology and the same ploidy level can suggest vicariance from a large area of an ancestor species. However, regarding the continuous morphological variation, the high-altitudinal endemics could have originated by local adaptation from originally low-land species. DNA-ploidy level and genome size were detected by flow cytometry. Taxonomically important characters were found using multivariate morphometric analysis. The phenotypic plasticity of the taxon C. tatrae was tested by a cultivation experiment. Genetic structure of the studied species was revealed using molecular marker - microsatellites (7 variable primers). Studied taxa were tetraploids, but some possessed different genome size. The morphological differentiation was mainly due to characters like calyx lobes length...
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Telestes perspective on the karstic poljes of eastern Herzegovina
Doulíková, Tereza ; Vukićová, Jasna (advisor) ; Choleva, Lukáš (referee)
The Dinaric karst region in the Balkans is one of the hot spots of biodiversity with a high number of endemic freshwater fish. The major cause of the high degree of endemism are numerous paleoclimatic and geological events that have affected the formation of the entire area. Flows of karst poljes represent a specific ecosystem to which some fishes have adapted. The poljes have been periodically flooded and these floods may activate different underground channels, which lead to interconnection of poljes. These fish species spend a part of the year in surface water and a part in groundwater and they may use the underground flows between poljes for migration. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the genetic variability of two endemic fish species of the genus Telestes living in karst poljes in the region of eastern Herzegovina, and to detect a possible current gene flow between populations of these species due to the connection of underground flows. For this purpose, the DNA from 102 individuals from five different localities was isolated. The mitochondrial marker cytochrom b and 16 microsatellite loci were used for the analyses. The results point to very low variability between species and populations. Based on mitochondrial marker analysis, no link between populations of the species was detected,...
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Molecular characterization and evaluation of genetic diversity of genetic resources of poppy seeds
STARÁ, Martina
The thesis deals with the study genetic diversity of poppies (Papaver somniferum L.) by SSR analysis. Altogether, 85 samples of poppies were evaluated. DNA was isolated from dried, mixed samples grown from seed using a modified CTAB method by Doyle and Doyle (1990). The seeds were provided by VÚO Opava. Six SSR primers were selected for the analysis and visualization was performed using chip electrophoresis. The PCR reaction was optimized with fluorescently labeled primer for fragmentation analysis. Chip electrophoresis was evaluated in MVSP using PCO analysis. The similarity matrix was further calculated and the samples showed hight genetic variability. The results of similarity matrix were provided to breeders as a basis for further breeding.
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Earlier evolutionary dead-ends, now the creators of a reproductive strategy: the origin and reproduction of the all-male water frog lineage Pelophylax esculentus
Kaštánková, Marie
Asexual modes of reproduction are usually based on the principle of copying (cloning) DNA from the female and passing it on to the offspring. For most asexually reproducing vertebrates the progeny develop from an unreduced and often unfertilised egg. This is driven by the mechanisms of parthenogenetic and gynogenetic reproduction. While in the former the clonal germ cell develops spontaneously and separately, in the latter a sexual partner is needed to activate the cleavage of the ovum, although without the fusion of the sperm and egg. Therefore in both cases there is no fertilization and the clonal progeny consist solely of daughters, hence the majority of previous studies have only focused on asexual female lineages. However, on rare occasions asexual clonal males can arise when the right fertilization occurs. Whilst these offspring are usually infertile, fertile diploid asexual males have been discovered in just three genera of hybrid origin in vertebrates. One of these unique cases is the European water frog complex of the genus Pelophylax, whose distribution includes the Czech Republic. In areas around the upper Odra River populations of hybrid males were recently discovered who form stable all-male lineages, similar to those formed by asexual females. The results of this study show that males produce...
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