Genetics of settling cohorts of Mytilus edulis (L.): Preliminary observations

Starch gel electrophoresis was used to analyse genetic variability at the Pgi, Lap-1, Lap-2 and Est-D loci in different cohorts of Mytilus edulis (L.) settling at different times during a single settlement season. Samples were collected on ropes, which were placed in the sea for very short periods between May and August 1981 and which were then removed to a hatchery for a period of growth prior to electrophoretic analysis. The results indicate that cohorts settling at different times are genetically different at the Lap-1 and Est-D loci and that heterozygote deficits occur even within individual cohorts before, or very shortly after, the time of settlement.