Allozyme Diversity among Different Size Cohorts of Spat of Mytilus trossulus (Bivalvia, Mytilidae) Dwelling together in Amursky Bay, Sea of Japan

Abstract

Allozyme variability in 16 polymorphic loci in two size cohorts of large (30.0 ± 6.3 mm) and small (9.8 ± 2.3 mm) spat of the mussel Mytilus trossulus (Gould) coinhabiting the intertidal zone in Brazhnikov Bay (Amursky Bay, Sea of Japan) was studied 1988–1989. It was determined that the size cohorts compared were highly similar genetically; Nei's minimum distances were 0.014 and 0.016 in 1988 and in 1989. However, statistically significant differences in allele frequencies were found at 2 loci, both in 1988 and in 1989. The loci differing by allele frequencies in 1988 did not coincide with those in 1989. Significant differences by heterozygosity between the cohorts were found only at the Idg-1 and Est-3 loci, 1988; and at the Aat-1, 6-Fgd, Est-3 loci, 1989; but the average heterozygosity was not significantly different in the cohorts for both years. A deficiency of heterozygotes (Dg) was observed almost at all loci in both cohorts. The mean Dg values were significantly higher in the cohort of small size individuals. Since the environmental conditions for both cohorts were similar, the allozyme differences between them were not a result of natural selection. A possible cause of the allozyme and size differences among the mussel cohorts is the gap in the settling time of larvae, which entails the formation of two size cohorts of mussels. Such a gap was caused by protraction of spawning period of M. trossulus and by the formation of segregate larval pools from various mussel populations differing in allele frequencies.