Genetic Structure of the Limecola Balthica Population in the Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea

Abstract Samples of Limecola balthica with normal and deformed shells were collected from ten sites throughout the Gulf of Riga. Genetic diversity was evaluated by the retrotransposon-based iPBS method. Samples had close mutual genetic distances, which showed that all of them belong to one wider population of the Gulf of Rīga. No direct relationship between the activity of retrotransposons and deformation of shells was found.