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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Out-Crossing Among Commercial Strains Of The Northern Quahog, Mercenaria Mercenaria: Survival, Growth And Implications For Selective Breeding, Md Camara, Standish K. Allen Jr., Ryan Carnegie, Kimberly S. Reece
Out-Crossing Among Commercial Strains Of The Northern Quahog, Mercenaria Mercenaria: Survival, Growth And Implications For Selective Breeding, Md Camara, Standish K. Allen Jr., Ryan Carnegie, Kimberly S. Reece
VIMS Articles
Because the accumulation of inbreeding within hatchery-propagated stocks of the hard clam, Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758), could result in reduced growth and survival, we studied the potential for improving performance through out-crossing among existing hatchery strains. We produced all 10 possible out-crossed combinations among 5 strains of clams as well as all 5 pure parental strains simultaneously in the hatchery and measured their size at the time of metamorphosis (the spat stage) and at the end of a nursery period in mesh bags at a single field site (the seed stage). We then planted replicate plots of all fifteen strains …