Heritability estimates for growth-related traits in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) using a molecular pedigree

Abstract

Pacific oyster is one of the leading species in world aquaculture, but heritability estimation applying mixed‐family approach has not been actively pursued. In this study, heritability for growth‐related traits in the Pacific oyster was first estimated by creating a single cohort of 45 families in a full‐factorial mating design consisting of nine sires and five dams. A total of 270 offspring were analysed and parentage assignment inferred by six microsatellite markers achieved 100% success. All parents contributed to the spawn and a total of 42 full‐sib families were represented. Using an animal model, heritability estimates at 12 months of age were 0.49 ± 0.25 for shell height, 0.36 ± 0.19 for shell length, 0.45 ± 0.23 for shell width and 0.35 ± 0.17 for wet weight. Genetic correlation between shell height and wet weight was quite high (0.79 ± 0.25), suggesting that direct selection of shell height, which is an easily measurable trait, also improves wet weight. The results obtained in this study indicate that growth‐related traits could be improved by exploiting additive genetic effects through selective breeding.

Heritability estimates for nutritional quality‐related traits of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

“…Moderate-to-high heritabilities of growth-related traits were obtained as these combined h 2 values were 0.56, 0.60, 0.22, and 0.39 for shell height, shell length, shell width, and soft tissue, respectively (Table 3). This result is consistent with previous reports in which the narrow-sense heritabilities of shell height, length, width, and wet weight in Pacific oysters were 0.49, 0.36, 0.45, and 0.35, respectively (Kong et al, 2015). The narrow-sense heritability of pearl oysters was 0.64 ± 0.10 for shell length, 0.49 ± 0.06 for shell height, 0.38 ± 0.14 for shell width, and 0.53 ± 0.11 for body weight (Wang et al, 2010), indicating that morphological traits have high heritability, and the heritabilities estimated in this study are similar.…”

“…The heritabilities of growth, disease resistance, and shell color in aquaculture animals has been well studied (Alcapan, Nespolo, & Toro, 2007;Azema et al, 2017;Evans et al, 2009;Guinez et al, 2017;He et al, 2008;Kong et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2010), but information on nutritional quality traits in bivalves is scarce. Heritability estimates for lipid percentage range from 0.19 to 0.28 in Atlantic salmon and from 0.17 to 0.26 in Coho salmon (Sodeland et al, 2013).…”

“…Genetic and phenotypical correlations between two traits include specific quantitative trait parameters that can be applied to predict the potentiality of traits to be improved together by selective breeding and be beneficial for determining proper breeding strategies (Falconer & Mackay, 1996). The most recent heritability studies on bivalves focused on traits related to growth (Frank-Lawale & Allen, 2008;Guinez, Toro, Krapivka, Alcapan, & Oyarzun, 2017;He, Guan, Yuan, & Zhang, 2008;Kong, Li, Yu, & Kong, 2015;Li, Wang, Liu, & Kong, 2011;Wang, Du, Lu, & Liu, 2010) and resistance to bacteria and viruses (i.e., to mortality) (Azema et al, 2017;Degremont, Lamy, Pepin, Travers, & Renault, 2015). The heritabilities of lipid percentage in Atlantic salmon and Coho salmon have also been estimated (Sodeland et al, 2013).…”

Discovery and validation of genic single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

“…The sustainable development of the oyster industry calls for the production of high-quality oysters with rapid growth and high disease and stress resistance. Genetic and genomic studies in the oyster industry have mainly focused on growth and yield (Rico-Villa et al 2009;Meyer & Manahan 2010;Alunno-Bruscia et al 2011;Guo et al 2012;Kong et al 2013;Olivier et al 2013), summer mortality (Cotter et al 2010;D egremont et al 2010;Fleury et al 2010;Sauvage et al 2010;Fleury & Huvet 2012), germplasm diversity (Plough & Hedgecock 2011;Miller et al 2012), and viral infection (Sauvage et al 2010;Dundon et al 2011;Pepin et al 2011;Roque et al 2012;D egremont et al 2013). Genetic mapping of important traits, gene characterization and molecular breeding require genetic markers (Davey et al 2011).…”

Biological performance ofCrassostrea gigasstocks produced at different hatcheries and cultivated under same environmental conditions

“…There are other factors that appear to have a greater influence on the biological performance of organisms, as the genetic attributes of the spat, the type of cultivation system, the densities used, etc. (Chávez‐Villalba, ; Dégremont et al, ; Kong, Li, Yu, & Kong, ).…”