Meeting Abstract

11.9  Sunday, Jan. 4  Breakdown in mitochondrial inheritance within the Mytilus edulis complex around Hokkaido, Japan BRANNOCK, P. M.*; HILBISH , T. J. ; Univeristy of South Carolina, Columbia; University of South Carolina, Columbia brannockp@biol.sc.edu

Hybridization between species within the Mytilus edulis complex (M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, and M. trossulus) is prevalent in sympatric locations. In addition to advanced hybridization and introgression, previous research has reported breakdown in the mitochondrial inheritance in some of these species hybrid zones. This species complex has an unusual inheritance of mitochondria, commonly referred to as double uniparental inheritance (DUI). Under this mode of inheritance mothers pass their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to all offspring, while sons obtain an additional copy of mtDNA from their fathers through the sperm. This unusual mode of inheritance adds another element that can be potentially affected by hybridization. Two of the species, M. galloprovincialis and M. trossulus, are sympatric and hybridize only in the North Pacific. The hybrid zone on the northwest Pacific coast has been less extensively examined in comparision to the northeast Pacific coast. Samples collected in 2006 have revealed a potential mitochondrial inheritance breakdown within individuals around Hokkaido, Japan. Mitochondrial results illustrate a high proportion of amplification at the male 16s mtDNA region for some locations surveyed. In addition, some individuals express multiple (two or all three) male 16s mtDNA haplotypes while maintaining a female 16s mtDNA haplotype. To further explore this potential DUI breakdown and to determine the extent to which it is occurring, some locations around Hokkaido were re-surveyed in 2008. Gender of all individuals collected was recorded to explore the potential relationship between individuals illustrating this breakdown and their gender or nuclear genotype.