Single-male paternity in coelacanths.

Lampert, Kathrin P., Blassmann, Katrin, Hissmann, Karen, Schauer, Jürgen, Shunula, Peter, Kharousy, Zahor el, Ngatunga, Benjamin P., Fricke, Hans and Schartl, Manfred (2013) Single-male paternity in coelacanths. Open Access Nature Communications, 4 (2488). DOI 10.1038/ncomms3488.

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Abstract

Latimeria chalumnae, a ‘living fossil,’ is of great scientific interest, as it is closely related to the aquatic ancestors of land-living tetrapods. Latimeria show internal fertilization and bear live young, but their reproductive behaviour is poorly known. Here we present for the first time a paternity analysis of the only available material from gravid females and their offspring. We genotype two L. chalumnae females and their unborn brood for 14 microsatellite loci. We find that the embryos are closely related to each other and never show more than three different alleles per locus, providing evidence for a single father siring all of the offspring. We reconstruct the father’s genotype but cannot identify it in the population. These data suggest that coelacanths have a monogamous mating system and that individual relatedness is not important for mate choice.

Document Type: Article
Additional Information: WOS:000325534100002
Keywords: Latimeria chalumnae, microsatellites, paternity, internal fertilization, viviparity, seasonal monogamy, kin recognition, mate choice, living fossil, JAGO
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB1 Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics > FB1-P-OZ Paleo-Oceanography
OceanRep > GEOMAR > ZE Central Facilities > ZE-TLZ Technical and Logistics
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: Yes
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Expeditions/Models/Experiments:
Date Deposited: 01 Oct 2013 06:52
Last Modified: 20 Jun 2017 03:46
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/22046

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