High levels of multiple paternity in a spermcast mating freshwater mussel.

ABSTRACT: Multiple paternity is an important characteristic of the genetic mating system and common across a wide range of taxa. Multiple paternity can increase within-population genotypic diversity, allowing selection to act on a wider spectre of genotypes, and potentially increasing effective population size. While the genetic mating system has been studied in many species with active mating behavior, little is known about multiple paternity in sessile species releasing gametes into the water. In freshwater mussels, males release sperm into the water, while eggs are retained and fertilized inside the female (spermcast mating). Mature parasitic glochidia are released into the water and attach to the gills of fish where they are encapsulated until settling in the bottom substrate. We used 15 microsa

SUBMITTER: Wacker S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145300 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature