Frequency of Multiple Paternity in the Spiny Dogfish Squalus acanthias in the Western North Atlantic
Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
2011
Journal
Journal Of Heredity
Volume
102
Issue
1
First Page
88
Last Page
93
Abstract
Multiple paternity (MP) has been shown to be widespread in elasmobranch fishes although its prevalence and the number of sires per litter vary considerably among species. In the squaloid shark Squalus acanthias, MP has been reported, but whether it is a common feature of the species' reproductive strategy is unknown. In this study, we determined the frequency of MP in 29 litters of S. acanthias sampled from the lower Chesapeake Bay and coastal Virginia waters, using 7 highly polymorphic nuclear DNA microsatellite loci. Only 5 litters (17% of the total) were genetically polyandrous, with at least 2 sires per litter. Litter size increased with female size but was similar between polyandrous and monandrous females.
DOI
10.1093/jhered/esq084
Keywords
Sphyrna-Tiburo; Lemon Sharks; Carcharhinus-Plumbeus; Bonnethead Shark; Genetic Benefits; Sperm Precedence; Population; Polyandry; Biology; Reconstruction
Recommended Citation
Verissimo, A; Grubbs, D; McDowell, Jan; Musick, J; and Portnoy, D, Frequency of Multiple Paternity in the Spiny Dogfish Squalus acanthias in the Western North Atlantic (2011). Journal Of Heredity, 102(1), 88-93.
10.1093/jhered/esq084
