Abstract
Studies on the evolution of self-fertilization and sexual polymorphisms (the co-occurrence of several sexual morphs in a species) have focused on plants. Aphally, a sexual polymorphism occurring in gastropods, offers the opportunity to extend study of these issues to animals. We present progeny-array analyses of the selfing rate and correlated matings in the tropical freshwater snail Bulinus truncatus. This study is based on 447 offspring originating from 57 families and five natural populations. To overcome the lack of allozyme polymorphism, four polymorphic microsatellite markers were used. Selfing rates higher than 78 per cent were detected in all populations, and no correlation with the aphally ratio (the proportion of individuals lacking the male copulatory organ per population) was evident. Outcrossing was detected in 17 families only, and individual outcrossing rates were variable and did not depend on the sexual morph of the mother. These results illustrate the power of microsatellites for detailed genetic studies, indicate that high selfing rates may have a strong genetic basis, and unexpectedly suggest that phally polymorphism may be neutral with respect to selfing.
Keywords: Selfing Hermaphroditism Microsatellites Correlated-Mating Gastropods
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Selected References
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