This study investigates the hybridization of two species of cattails, Typha latifolia (Common Cattail) and T. angustifolia (Narrow-leaved Cattail) in the Czech Republic. The aim of this study was to determine, how often T. latifolia and T. angustifolia hybridize, whether hybridization is allowed by overlapping flowering time of these species and whether it is possible these species controlled cross in a culture. For detection of hybrid individuals were used microsatellite DNA markers, which allow to detect hybridization events and differentiate hybrids from the parental species. Molecular analysis revealed that hybridization of T. latifolia and T. angustifolia occurs in the Czech Republic, but it is not frequent. Of the 267 analyzed individuals, 130 individuals were pure species T. latifolia, 108 individuals pure species T. angustifolia and 29 individuals were hybrids. Of the hybrids, 23 were advanced hybrids, 5 were backcrosses and only one individual was F1 hybrid. Flowering time of T. latifolia and T. angustifolia overlaps, which allows hybridization, and flowering time to not act as a prezygotic reproductive isolation barrier and gametes T. latifolia and T. angustifolia can blend together. In controlled crosses the female spikes T. latifolia and T. angustifolia created seeds, but these were...

Hybridization is an important phenomenon in plant evolution because it is one of the sources of new genetic variability. Hybridization is the merging of genomes of formerly isolated evolutionary lineages. In many taxonomic groups, the detection of plants of hybrid origin is challenging. A wide spectrum of methods for their detection has been employed since the beginning of botanical research. The introduction of genomic in situ hybridization has had a great impact on the study plants of hybrid origin. This molecular cytogenetic approach allows to reveal the genomic contributions of particular parental species to hybrid taxa. The tribe Triticeae is a prime example of a group whose present-day diversity has been strongly influenced by hybridization (together with polyploidy). The majority of its species are allopolyploids resulting from frequent interspecific and intergeneric hybridization. The structure of relationships within the tribe is therefore highly reticulate. This thesis includes three papers dealing with the hybrid complex of Elytrigia repens - E. ×mucronata - E. intermedia: (1) The representatives of this hybrid complex are morphologically poorly differentiated, and only two morphological characters are used to their distinguishing. Among anatomical characters on the leaf blade, some...

Hybrid sterility is one of the reproductive isolation mechanisms restricting gene flow between the related species and leading to speciation. PR domain containing 9 (Prdm9), the only known vertebrate hybrid sterility gene, determines the sites of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and thus specifies hotspots of meiotic recombination but in hybrids between two mouse subspecies causes failure of meiotic chromosome synapsis and hybrid male sterility. In the present study on sterile hybrids, the five smallest autosomes were more prone to asynapsis. To manipulate with the synapsis rate, random stretches of consubspecific homology were inserted into several autosomal pairs. Twenty seven or more megabases of consubspecific sequence fully restore synapsis in a given autosome. Further, at least two symetric DN double-strand breaks per chromosome were necessary for successful synapsis. Moreover, F1 hybrids had sperm when synapsis was rescued in at least three of four segregating chromosomes. To verify the assumption of a lack of symmetric DSBs in meiotic chromosomes of sterile males the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin was used to induce exogenous DNA DSBs. Cells treated with 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg of cisplatin showed increased number of DSBs monitored by immunostaining of RPA and DMC1 sites and...

Interspecific and intraspecific size variability of the skull, mandibles and teeth of the lesser white- toothed shrew Crocidura suaveolens and the bicolored white-toothed shrew C. leucodon was studied on material of 350 skulls and 465 mandibles of white-toothed shrews obtained by analysis of the barn owl pellets originating from four regions in the Czech Republic and one region in the southern Slovakia. C. suaveolens was present in all regions under study, while sympatric C. leucodon occurred in three regions only. In total, 21cranial and dental measurements and 4 mandibular measurements were investigated. It was found that the most reliable measurement enabling discrimination between skulls of both species in the whole studied material is the lenght of the lower dental row. If skulls of both species were evaluated separately for each area of their sympatry it was possible to use also the distance between second molars M2 and the width of premolar P4 . Skulls of these two species can also be distinguished by bivariate graphs using the length and width of premolar P4 and the palatal length. We studied relationships between cranial measurements of both species and geoclimatic factors such as longitude, latitude, mean annual temperature and mean annual percipitation. It was found that variability of...

The requirements of true frogs on breeding sites were monitored at 19 locations in the Hradec Králové Region and the Central Bohemia Region and Vysočina Region. Specific sites were selected according to the high variability. Breeding sites are mutually different representation of true frogs, water volume, depth, water and surrounding vegetation. The data of oviposition three different species of czech frogs - moor frog (Rana arvalis), agile frog (Rana dalmatina) and common frog (Rana temporaria) - were collected in the spring months, from the end of March until the end of April, from 2012 to 2015. During this period were collected data from 927 egg clutches of these species. The data were obtained by non-invasive way - measuring of inividual clutches directly on the reproductive site. At each breeding site was also recorded the required parameters of the breeding pond and the surrounding environment (presence of true frogs, the water volume and depth of the pond, the presence and density of aquatic vegetation, surrounding vegetation, air and water temperature, pH value of water, etc.). The results presented in this work confirm that the three species of true frogs have, in some parameters, different standards to select of breeding sites. This clarification of species- specific claims is also...

Acrocephalus warblers have gone through the adaptive radiation during last severalmillion years, which gave rise to thirty one species occupying mainly Eurasia,Africa and Australia. The majority of species are morphologically very similar,however, they differ in ecological requirements, migration strategy, and song.Interspecific hybridization seems to be quite common among Acrocephaluswarblers, not only between sister species, but also between more distantly relatedtaxa. The main goal of this study was to determine whether this hybridization leadsto gene flow between species and which factors affect the rate of interspecific geneflow. For this purpose we conducted population-genetic analysis in three Europeanspecies of the Acrocephalus warblers of the subgenus Notiocichla: reed warbler (A.scirpaceus), marsh warbler (A. palustris), and blyth's reed warbler (A. dumetorum).Our results based on the analysis of sequence data from eight nuclear loci indicate,that gene flow between the studied species occurs, but only in one direction. Thegene flow is higher between genetically more related species than betweenecologically more similar species. We also estimated that the reed warbler and themarsh warbler diverged approximately 1,1 million years ago. The blyth's warblerand ancestor of the reed and marsh warbler...

Neophobia and exploratory behaviour are two processes applied in great measure in birds' reactions towards novel stimuli. The specific demonstration of these two processes may differ between different species of birds as well as within them. We compared neophobia and exploratory behaviour in two species of tits (Paridae). Adult Great tits (Parus major) and Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) did not differ neither in exploring novel environment and novel object nor in neophobia towards novel object near food. We have found great differences between juveniles of these two species. Juvenile Blue tits were more neophobic towards both novel objects. Age, sex and personality affected some differences within tested species. We tested whether there exist any differences in reactions towards novel food between and within species. We used red painted mealworm (larvae of Tenebrio molitor), house cricket (Acheta domestica) and aposematic bug (Pyrrhocoris apterus) as novel food. Adult wild-caught tits with plentiful experience with various feeds did not differ in reaction towards these types of novel food. In contrast hand-reared juvenile tits differed quite a lot. Juvenile Blue tits were more neophobic than juvenile Great tits towards all three types of novel food. We found dieraty conservatism, phenomenon...

Sturgeon species (order Acipenseriformes) are prone for interspecific hybridization. Anthropogenic activities in river basins influence sturgeon reproduction by destruction of their natural spawning grounds. Consequently, spawning areas, as well as the time of spawning of sturgeon species overlap and different sturgeon species reproduce concurrently. This increases the probability of meeting of heterospecific gametes and pre-zygotic postcopulatory reproductive barriers, comprising of sperm competition and cryptic female choice, may play an important role in preventing undesirable interspecific hybridization. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of interspecific sperm competition and cryptic female choice during interspecific hybridization of sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) and Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Reproductive characteristics (fertilization rate and hatching rate) were described in each of experimental and control groups showing similar values for competitive and non-competitive trials. Parentage assignment was performed in hatched larvae using combination of mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite DNA markers. Obtained results revealed higher fertilization success of sterlet spermatozoa, when these competed for fertilization with spermatozoa of Siberian sturgeon. Total reproductive success of starlet spermatozoa was 78.9 % and Siberian sturgeon 21.1 %. Contrary, when spermatozoa did not compete for fertilization, males of analysed species showed equal fertilization success. In the trials, where eggs of both studied species were mixed and fertilized by sperm from each species separately, eggs of any species did not show a tendency to bias fertilization by spermatozoa of conspecific males. Probably, there are no pre-zygotic postcopulatory reproductive barriers that prevent interspecific hybridization of sterlet and Siberian sturgeon at the gametic level.

Plants and herbivores influence each other for more than million years. Most studies are focused on interspecific variability in herbivory intensity, but little i known about intraspecific variability and what controls it. Environmental conditions can determine intraspecific variation. Goal of this thesis is to examine importance of environmental conditions and interspecific variation for invertebrate herbivory preferences. Plant material that was used in experiments comes from several species from subfamily Carduoideae. Preferences of invertebrate herbivores are tested in food-choice experiments. Plastic arenas are made for these experiments, in which leaves are put in small tubes that are placed along the periphery. After herbivores are placed in to arena, arena is covered by net to ensure that herbivores can't escape. Plant material for experiments was grown in experimental garden and was also brought from field. Plants from garden differ in productivity of soil and water regime. In experiments with field material, plant leaves were collected from eight localities, four fields and four grasslands. Leaves were scanted before and after each experiment. Scans were processed and the amount of consumed leaf tissue was determined. For plant characteristics I measured plant functional traits, specific...

Presented thesis evaluates the risk of ongoing hybridization (antropohybridization) in highly endangered Prunus fruticosa in the Czech Republic and selected adjacent countries. Absolute genome size analysis (estimated by flow cytometry) combined with both numeric and geometric morphometrics were used for evaluation of hybridization. Prunus fruticosa frequently hybridize with naturalized Prunus cerasus (emerging tetraploid hybrid Prunus ×eminens) and native Prunus avium (forming triploid hybrid Prunus ×mohacsyana). Discrimination between P. ×eminens and P. ×mohacsyana is difficult, when using leaf morphology characters only, so the occurrence of triploid hybrids was strongly underestimated in the Czech Republic (only tetraploid hybrids were reported). Both hybrids are surely differentiated using flow cytometry analysis (based on different ploidy level). The majority of analyzed populations is formed by either individuals of pure P. fruticosa or one of the mentioned hybrids. Only four populations were mixed. Continuous variability in absolute genome size was found in two of them, which may indicate hybrid swarm forming (incl. primary hybrids and backcrosses). Our findings can be considered only as indirect evidence for introgression, which needs to be confirmed by molecular markers (for example...