Paternal inheritance of the primary sex ratio in a copepod

Uniparentally inherited genetic elements are under strong selection to manipulate sex determination in their host and shift the host sex ratio towards the transmitting sex. For any sex‐ratio trait, lineage analysis and quantitative genetics are important tools for characterizing the mode of inherita...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2005-09, Vol.18 (5), p.1304-1314
Main Authors: VOORDOUW, M. J., ROBINSON, H. E., ANHOLT, B. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal reproduction
Animals
copepod
Copepoda
Copepoda - genetics
Crosses, Genetic
Crustaceans
Gender
Genetics, Population
Heredity
heritability
Hymenoptera
Inheritance Patterns - genetics
Male
maternal transmission
paternal transmission
primary sex ratio
Sample Size
Selection
Sex Ratio
Tigriopus californicus
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Summary:Uniparentally inherited genetic elements are under strong selection to manipulate sex determination in their host and shift the host sex ratio towards the transmitting sex. For any sex‐ratio trait, lineage analysis and quantitative genetics are important tools for characterizing the mode of inheritance (biparental vs. maternal vs. paternal) thereby narrowing the field of possible sex‐determining mechanisms (e.g. polygenic, sex chromosomes with meiotic drive, cytoplasmic microorganisms). The primary sex ratio of the harpacticoid copepod, Tigriopus californicus is often male‐biased and is highly variable among full sib families. We found that this extra‐binomial variation for the primary sex ratio is paternally but not maternally transmitted in T. californicus. Paternal transmission of the primary sex ratio has been well documented in the haplo–diploid hymenoptera but is relatively rare in diplo–diploid organisms. If the sex‐ratio trait is paternally transmitted in other closely related harpacticoid copepods it would explain why male biased primary sex ratios are so common in this group.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2005.00922.x