| Underlying consequences of domestication and artificial selection still remain largely unexplored in most aquacultured species. For species with a two phase life cycle, including the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, most genetic studies have focused on the post-metamorphosis juvenile and adult stages, but relatively few considered the larval stage. To assess the consequence of hatchery practices on larval characters, especially growth, we performed a phenotypic study on larval progenies derived from crosses between Pacific oysters from natural beds and farmed Pacific oysters selected for desirable production traits such as rapid growth, for over seven generations. A set of three microsatellite loci was used to compare the genetic variability between the... |
