Data from: Genotype reconstruction of paternity in European lobsters (Homarus gammarus)

Decapod crustaceans exhibit considerable variation in fertilisation
strategies, ranging from pervasive single paternity to the near-ubiquitous
presence of multiple paternity, and such knowledge of mating systems and
behaviour are required for the informed management of
commercially-exploited marine fisheries. We used genetic markers to assess
the paternity of individual broods in the European lobster, Homarus
gammarus, a species for which paternity structure is unknown. Using 13
multiplexed microsatellite loci, three of which are newly described in
this study, we genotyped 10 eggs from each of 34 females collected from an
Atlantic peninsula in the south-western United Kingdom. Single
reconstructed paternal genotypes explained all observed progeny genotypes
in each of the 34 egg clutches, and each clutch was fertilised by a
different male. Simulations indicated that the probability of detecting
multiple paternity was in excess of 95% if secondary sires account for at
least a quarter of the brood, and in excess of 99% where additional sire
success was approximately equal. Our results show that multiple paternal
fertilisations are either absent, unusual, or highly skewed in favour of a
single male among H. gammarus in this area. Potential mechanisms upholding
single paternal fertilisation are discussed, along with the prospective
utility of parentage assignments in evaluations of hatchery stocking and
other fishery conservation approaches in light of this finding.