engleski

GENETIC ARCHITECTURE OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN MUSSEL Mytilus galloprovincialis

The genetic architecture of phenotypic traits, including their heritability, numbers of loci involved, and effect sizes, are not well understood in bivalves. Anthropogenic pollution may create environmental differences that can alter mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) morphology through either genotypic or induced environmental effects. To assess the genetic architecture of morphology we measured 15 morphometric traits in 1700 mussels from two populations inhabiting sites differing in pollution pressure. We used a genotype by sequencing approach to generate genomic data that allowed us to then describe the genetic architecture of these traits in a genome wide association study. Additionally, we estimated the genetic architecture of the same traits as well as proxies for fitness in an additional sample of 15 populations distributed across a pollution gradient using 20 mussels per population. The results thus characterise variation within and among populations in mussel morphology and assess the association between genotype, phenotype and environment.

GWAS; phenotypic traits; fitness; pollution

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