Meeting Abstract
Multiple paternity, the fertilization of one clutch of eggs by sperm from multiple partners, can have substantial effects on population structure and genetic diversity. High levels of genetic diversity are thought to be important for the success of small, founding populations, such as those of Pomacea canaliculata, which have become major invasive pests outside of their native range. To better understand the role that multiple paternity may play in population dynamics of P. canaliculata, ten egg clutches were collected from their native range in Maldonado, Uruguay. Species identification based on mitochondrial COI sequences revealed 9 of the clutches to be P. canaliculata and the remaining clutch to be an undescribed Pomacea species. Initial analysis of four microsatellite loci from >60 individuals in each of two P. canaliculata clutches revealed possible null alleles and/or genotyping errors with some individuals. Removal of these individuals resulted in a dataset with 47 and 53 individuals for the two clutches, with 2-7 alleles at each of the four loci. Paternity analyses indicated the presence of at least two fathers for one clutch, and three in the other. These data confirm early accounts of multiple paternity in P. canaliculata, and highlight the reproductive strategies that this species employs as one of the most successful invasive species globally. Microsatellite analysis of all ten clutches will add further insights into how P. canaliculata overcomes the genetic bottlenecks associated with introduction to non-native habitats, and the role that multiple paternity may play in evolution of ampullariids within their native ranges.
