Study of genetic diversity of colonies Pectinatella magnifica

Pectinatella magnifica is a colony of freshwater organisms, which are most often found on the submerged parts/branches of coastal plants, but also fixed to stones, growing at the bottom of ponds, or free - floating. These organisms can be found mostly in oligotrophic to mesotrophic waters, and appear to thrive in temperatures that reach 20°C during colonisation. They were first found and described in Philadelphia in 1851, by Joseph Leidy. Although Pectinatella magnifica originates from North America, it has now become an invasive species on the other continents. The first recorded occurrence in Europe was during the 1980s in Hamburg, where it was probably transported on ships' hulls. In the Czech Republic it was recorded for the first time in rivers Vltava and Labe in the first half of the 20 th century. The most common method of its propagation is through internal buds, called statoblasts, fitted with hooks that make it able to cling to any surface, and allow easy distribution over long distances and otherwise impossible terrain. This study uses AFLP analysis of statoblast DNA to analyse the genetic diversity within P. magnifica colonies themselves, changes over time, and between different sites within the Protected Landscape Area (PLA) and a Biosphere Reserve (BR) of Třeboňsko, namely ponds Veseli I, Staňkovský, Nový Kanclíř, Cep, Vlkov and Nový Lipnický