Dominant gingers – Discovery and inheritance of a new shell polymorphism in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis

Matthijs Ledder, Yumi Nakadera, Alexandra Staikou, Joris M. Koene*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Color polymorphism is a classic study system for evolutionary genetics. One of the most color-polymorphic animal taxa is mollusks, but the investigation of the genetic basis of color determination is often hindered by their life history and the limited availability of genetic resources. Here, we report on the discovery of shell color polymorphism in a much-used model species, the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. While their shell is usually beige, some individuals from a Greek population show a distinct red shell color, which we nicknamed Ginger. Moreover, we found that the inheritance fits simple, single-locus Mendelian inheritance with dominance of the Ginger allele. We also compared crucial life-history traits between Ginger and wild-type individuals, and found no differences between morphs. We conclude that the relative simplicity of this polymorphism will provide new opportunities for a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of shell color polymorphism and its evolutionary origin.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere10678
JournalEcology and Evolution
Volume13
Issue number12
Early online date6 Dec 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Funding

We appreciate Dr. Marianthi Hatziioannou and Dr. Theodoros Naziridis for helping with collection of snails, Omar Bellaoui and Xaver Bartels for taking care of the snails, Cathy Levesque for the picture, and an anonymous reviewer for constructive comments. This research was supported by Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO) Open Competition Klein to JMK and YN.

FundersFunder number
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

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