Skip to main content
Log in

Polygamous Mating and High Levels of Genetic Variation in Lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, is a nest-guarding marine fish of western North America. Breeding occurs in late winter and early spring after males establish territories and guard nest sites therein. Eggs deposited as clutches in the nest site hatch ∼7 weeks after fertilization. We evaluated the level of genetic variation in lingcod spawning in the central Strait of Georgia through analysis of microsatellite and mitochondrial D-loop variability in fertilized egg samples collected from guarded clutches. Reconstructed parental genotypes displayed a high level of allelic diversity and observed heterozygosity (83–91%) over five microsatellite loci. Progeny of a single clutch were invariably derived from a single mother and between one and five fathers. Multiple egg samples were collected from inside and outside positions on 13 lingcod egg clutches in February 2002. Fin clip samples provided microsatellite genotypes for six of the nine guardian males. Analysis of between 33 and 306 eggs from each clutch indicated that each of the 13 clutches was produced by a different mother and five of them were sired entirely by the attendant male guardian. Eight clutches were sired by multiple males, with neighboring male guardians frequently involved in clutch fertilization. Known guardian males accounted for at least 78% of observed egg fertilization, although non-territorial males were observed and may have participated in spawning. Egg fertilization by individual males was spatially heterogeneous throughout egg clutches. One male guardian failed to fertilize detectable numbers of eggs in his own or any other clutch within the study area and may have been an adoptive father. The polygynous mating structure of lingcod may help maintain genetic variation in the species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Blumer, L.S. 1979. Male parental care in the bony fishes. Quart. Rev. Biol. 54: 149–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cass, A.J., R.J. Beamish & G.A. McFarlane. 1990. Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus). Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 109: 40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T.H. 1989. Mammalian mating systems. Proc. R. Soc. Lond (B) 236: 339–372.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T.H. 1991. The Evolution of Parental Care, University of Princeton Press, Princeton, NJ, 368 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Constantz, G.G. 1985. Allopaternal care in the tessellated darter, Etheostoma olmstedi. Env. Biol. Fish. 14: 175–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crow, K.D., D.A. Powers & G. Bernardi. 1997. Evidence for multiple maternal contributors in nests of kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus, Hexagrammidae). Copeia 1997: 9–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeWoody, J.A. & J.C. Avise. 2001. Genetic perspectives on the natural history of fish mating systems. J. Hered. 92: 167–172.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • DeWoody, J.A., D.E. Fletcher, S.D. Wilkins, W.S. Nelson & J.C. Avise. 1998. Molecular genetic dissection of spawning, parentage and reproductive tactics in a population of redbreast sunfish, Lepomis auritus. Evolution 52: 1802–1810.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garant, D., J.J. Dodson & L. Bernatchez. 2001. A genetic evaluation of mating system and determinants of individual reproductive success in Atlantic salmon. J. Hered. 92: 137–145.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Vazquez, E., P. Moran, J.L. Martinez, J. Perez, B. de Gaudemar & E. Beall. 2001. Alternative mating strategies in Atlantic salmon and brown trout. J. Hered. 92: 146–149.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giorgi, A.L. & J.L. Congleton. 1984. Effects of current velocity on development and survival of lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, embryos. Env. Biol. Fish. 10: 15–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goto, A. 1993. Male mating success and female mate choice in the river sculpin, Cottus nozawae (Cottidae). Env. Biol. Fish. 3: 347–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedrick, P.W. 2000. Genetics of Populations. 2nd edition, Jones and Bartlett, Portola Valley, CA, 576 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennions, M.D. & M. Petrie. 2000. Why do females mate multiply? Biol. Rev. 75: 21–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jewell, E.D. 1968. SCUBA diving observations on lingcod spawning at a Seattle breakwater. Washington Department of Fisheries Research Paper 3: 27–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, J.R. & B.W. Beaith. 2001. Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) nest density SCUBA survey in the Strait of Georgia, January 16-April 26, 2001. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2374: 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRiviere, M.G., D.D. Jessup & S.B. Mathews. 1981. Lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, spawning and nesting in San Juan channel, Washington. Calif. Fish. Game 67: 231–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Low, C.J. & R.J. Beamish. 1978. A study of the nesting behaviour of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Fish. Mar. Sci. Tech. Rep. No. 843, 27 p.

  • Martell, S.J.D., C.J. Walters & S.S. Wallace. 2000. The use of marine protected areas for conservation of lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus). Bull. Mar. Sci. 66: 729–743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K.R. 1992. A telemetric study of the home ranges and homing routes of lingcod Ophiodon elongatus on shallowrocky reefs off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Fish. Bull. 90: 784–790.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, K.M., T.J. Ming, A.D. Schulze & R.E. Withler. 1999. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE): A rapid and sensitive technique to screen nucleotide sequence variation in populations. Biotechniques 27: 1016–1030.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Natsumeda, T. 1998. Size-assortative nest choice by the Japanese fluvial sculpin in the presence of male-male competition. J. Fish Biol. 53: 33–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neff, B.D. 2001. Genetic paternity analysis and breeding success in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). J. Hered. 92: 111–119.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sargent, R.C. 1989. Allopaternal care in the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas: Stepfathers discriminate against their adopted eggs. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 25: 379–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, B.D., G.A. McFarlane & A.J. Cass. 1990. Movements and mortality of tagged male and female lingcod in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 119: 813–824.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snedecor, G.W. & W.G. Cochran. 1967. Statistical Methods. 6th edition, Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 593 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Storz, J.F., H.R. Bhat & T.H. Kunz. 2001. Genetic consequences of polygyny and social structure in an Indian fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. II. Variance in male mating success and effective population size. Evolution 55: 1224–1232.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taborsky, M. 2001. The evolution of bourgeois, parasitic and cooperative reproductive behaviors in fishes. J. Hered. 92: 100–110.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, J.D., T.J. Gibson, F. Plewniak, F. Jeanmougin & D.G. Higgins. 1997. The ClustalX windows interface: Flexible strategies for multiple sequence alignment aided by quality analysis tools. Nucl.s Acids Res. 24: 4876–4882.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Withler, R.E., King, J.R., Marliave, J.B. et al. Polygamous Mating and High Levels of Genetic Variation in Lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Environmental Biology of Fishes 69, 345–357 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EBFI.0000022898.49007.bc

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EBFI.0000022898.49007.bc

Navigation