Genetic heterozygosity and reproductive success in the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea

Abstract

The relationship between genetic variation and fitness characteristics is important because reduced variation at the population level is usually associated with reduced viability of individuals. Adult green treefrogs from a single population were examined at eight polymorphic allozyme loci to test the prediction that a positive correlation exists between reproductive success and number of heterozygous loci. In females, clutch size, corrected for snout-vent length, and total number of surviving offspring were significantly correlated with number of heterozygous loci. The relationship with percentage hatched showed the same correlation, but it was not significant. Body size as measured by snout-vent length was not associated with number of heterozygous loci, although larger females had significantly more hatched offspring. In males, heterozygosity was not associated with body size or hatching success of the clutch. Total reproductive success in females was positively correlated with number of heterozygous loci, while factors such as body size, which may affect fitness, were not.