GENETIC DIVERSITY IN EUROPEAN POPULATIONS OF MUSSELS MYTILUS

摘要

Marine mussels Mytilus belong to a group of benthic species crucial to the coastal ecosystems in Europe. Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovincialis are important for the cultivation industry and their annual production exceeds 800 000 tonnes in Europe (Smaall 2002). Collection of spat and subsequent translocations for culture leads to introductions of populations to new sites. This can be a cause of introgression (Smietanka et al. 2004). Identification of mussel populations and stocks, and their geneticcharacteristics is important for management and biodiversity protection in Europe.