Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Behrooz Atashbar Kangarloei ¹
• Ahmad Mahmoudi ²

¹ Department of Ecology and Resource Assessment, Artemia and Aquatic Research Institute, Urmia University, Iran

² Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

This research investigated the reproductive isolation of Branchinecta orientalis populations from three different geographical locations in Azerbaijan, Iran. The collected eggs of Anostraca were tested for biometry and hybridization studies. Based on the obtained results, the diameter of hydrated cysts, the diameter of decapsulated cysts and the chorion thickness of eggs in the Aigher Goli (AIG) habitat were observed to be larger than other groups. The percentage of hatching in the eggs obtained from crossbreed populations showed a significant decrease compared to pure populations (p<0.05). The lowest hatching rate was observed in the eggs produced by the AIG population (8.99±1.70). Also, the mortality rate of newly hatched nauplius from crossbreed populations was significantly higher than other studied samples (p>0.05). Thus, the highest early mortality was observed in AIG-KAS(L) (8.27±2.87%) and the lowest in KHS(F). The growth rates of different populations were almost the same and no significant difference was observed between them at the end of the breeding period (p>0.05). In general, it can be concluded that the difference in reproductive performance among B. orientalis populations is due to relative reproductive isolation due to geographic isolation and environmental adaptation.

Keywords

• Crossbreeding
• Reproductive isolation
• Geographic isolation
• Adaptation