Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis
Abstract Color polymorphism is a classic study system for evolutionary genetics. One of the most color‐polymorphic animal taxa is mollusks, but the investigation of the genetic basis of color determination is often hindered by their life history and the limited availability of genetic resources. Her...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10678 |
| _version_ | 1827396114728353792 |
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| author | Matthijs Ledder Yumi Nakadera Alexandra Staikou Joris M. Koene |
| author_facet | Matthijs Ledder Yumi Nakadera Alexandra Staikou Joris M. Koene |
| author_sort | Matthijs Ledder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Color polymorphism is a classic study system for evolutionary genetics. One of the most color‐polymorphic animal taxa is mollusks, but the investigation of the genetic basis of color determination is often hindered by their life history and the limited availability of genetic resources. Here, we report on the discovery of shell color polymorphism in a much‐used model species, the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. While their shell is usually beige, some individuals from a Greek population show a distinct red shell color, which we nicknamed Ginger. Moreover, we found that the inheritance fits simple, single‐locus Mendelian inheritance with dominance of the Ginger allele. We also compared crucial life‐history traits between Ginger and wild‐type individuals, and found no differences between morphs. We conclude that the relative simplicity of this polymorphism will provide new opportunities for a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of shell color polymorphism and its evolutionary origin. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:45:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6e9d8da7fc4744a083f13ce500a3d709 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T18:45:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-6e9d8da7fc4744a083f13ce500a3d7092023-12-29T00:26:15ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-12-011312n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10678Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalisMatthijs Ledder0Yumi Nakadera1Alexandra Staikou2Joris M. Koene3Ecology and Evolution A‐LIFE, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the NetherlandsEcology and Evolution A‐LIFE, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the NetherlandsDepartment of Zoology, School of Biology Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki GreeceEcology and Evolution A‐LIFE, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the NetherlandsAbstract Color polymorphism is a classic study system for evolutionary genetics. One of the most color‐polymorphic animal taxa is mollusks, but the investigation of the genetic basis of color determination is often hindered by their life history and the limited availability of genetic resources. Here, we report on the discovery of shell color polymorphism in a much‐used model species, the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. While their shell is usually beige, some individuals from a Greek population show a distinct red shell color, which we nicknamed Ginger. Moreover, we found that the inheritance fits simple, single‐locus Mendelian inheritance with dominance of the Ginger allele. We also compared crucial life‐history traits between Ginger and wild‐type individuals, and found no differences between morphs. We conclude that the relative simplicity of this polymorphism will provide new opportunities for a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of shell color polymorphism and its evolutionary origin.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10678evolutiongeneticslife historyMendelian inheritancesimultaneous hermaphrodites |
| spellingShingle | Matthijs Ledder Yumi Nakadera Alexandra Staikou Joris M. Koene Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis Ecology and Evolution evolution genetics life history Mendelian inheritance simultaneous hermaphrodites |
| title | Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis |
| title_full | Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis |
| title_fullStr | Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis |
| title_short | Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis |
| title_sort | dominant gingers discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail lymnaea stagnalis |
| topic | evolution genetics life history Mendelian inheritance simultaneous hermaphrodites |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10678 |
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