Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on June 18, 2005.

Genetics, Vol. 171, 855-859, October 2005, Copyright © 2005
doi:10.1534/genetics.105.043042

Estimation of Preferential Pairing Rates in Second-Generation Autotetraploid Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Department of Marine Environmental Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089

1 Corresponding author: Department of Biology, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Pkwy., AHF, Los Angeles, CA 90029.
E-mail: jcurole{at}usc.edu

Although previously disregarded, polyploidy, and in particular autopolyploidy, is now believed to have played a prominent role in the evolution of plants and animals. We estimated the rate of preferential pairing in second-generation autotetraploid Pacific oysters from gametic frequencies. We found significant levels of preferential pairing in these recently generated autopolyploids, suggesting that genetic variation in standing populations may play a role in meiotic mechanisms of polyploids derived from these populations.