Why I love my job:The enabling influence of breeding

Stan Allen

ABC, VIMS

We are here

Biomass pyramid

Hatchery production

Commercial grow out

Multiplier population

Breeding Genetic services

Brood stock services

Biomass pyramid

Hatchery production

Commercial grow out

Multiplier population

Breeding Genetic services

Brood stock services

Economic multiplier

Breeding Genetic services: MASS SELECTION0

0

MASS SELECTION: Lines to Superlines in 2008

LINE ORIGIN GENES

DDBY DEBY D

FBST DEBY D,X

ADMO DEBY D,W

ADMOW DEBY D,W

ADXB DEBY,XB D,X

ADXBW DEBY,XB D,X

BXB XB X

BXBW XB X

CAMX XB,CAM X,L

ZOBOY OBOY L

ZOBOYX OBOY L

ZLGT LGT L

ZLGTK LGT L

ZLGTW LGT L

YDBLA DEBY,LGT D,L

LA

XB

DBY

MASS SELECTION: DR + growth rate

X

X

X

York

Kinsale

Lynnhaven

Low

High

High

Lola

hANA

DBY

LA

XB

Breeding Genetic services: FAMILY SELECTION0

0

FAMILY SELECTION: Since 2010

♂

♀

x

brothers and sisters

FAMILY SELECTION: Test sights

X

X

X

X

Lynnhaven

Yorkhigh

Lewisetta

Cambridge

low

~ 150 families• ~150,000 oysters• ~750 reps deployed

FAMILY SELECTION: Correlation low (HPL) vs. high (VIMS) salinity

TOTAL WEIGHT HIGH SALINITYTOTA

L W

EIG

HT

LOW

SAL

INIT

Y

Genetic correlation rg = 0.7

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1

Surv

ival

Lo

w s

alin

ity

(GSD

)

Survival High salinity (GSD)

SURVIVAL: high - low salinity sites

SURVIVAL HIGH SALINITY

SUR

VIVA

LLO

W S

ALIN

ITY

FAMILY SELECTION: Correlation low (HPL) vs. high (VIMS) salinity

Breeding Genetic services: TETRAPLOID SELECTION0

0

2n

Breeding legacy20+ years

4 years

4n

disease resistance

4n breeding objectives

Survival

Growth rate

TETRAPLOID SELECTION: The fathers of triploids

FAMILY SELECTION: Test sights

X

X

York

Cambridge

~ 50 families• ~50,000 oysters• ~250 reps deployed

Multiplier population Brood stock services: MASS SELECTION

MULTIPLIER POPULATION: Mass Selection

discards selected

distributed to hatcheries

Multiplier population Brood stock services:

FAMILY SELECTION

TETRAPLOID SELECTION

Top families Diploid: Lily, Hnry

Tetraploid: FYR

MULTIPLIER POPULATION: family breeding

Mass selection2n 4n

Family selection2n 4n

DEBY

XB

Lola

hANA

HNRY

LILY

4GEN

4GNL

4NGN (2019)

4FYR (2019?)

Brood stock available from ABC

TetraploidDiploid

510

15

20

25

30

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 1514 1816 17

Thou

sand

s

Year

Brood stock distributed by ABC

LINE S

SELECTION

SITE ORIGIN ATTRIBUTES NOTES

XB

Founder population strarted by Allen at

HSRL using Haskin lines in 1990s, then

selection in VA, new material added in

2008

Mass selection for MSX, continuous exposure to

ambient Dermo, seems to favor higher salinity

DEBY-Lynn

Wild Del Bay oysters selected at VIMS in

York by Burreson group in 80s, new

material added in 2008

Mass selection for MSX, continuous exposure to

ambient Dermo, general all purpose across

salinity ranges

hANA

Founders from three wild populations in

Louisiana ca. 2000-2004, new material

added in 2008

Mass selection for MSX, continuous exposure to

ambient Dermo, grows (too?) fast, mortality in

some places

Discontinued

starting 2018

HNRY

Founders from wild and selected

populations ca. 2005, family selection

program, top families form terminal

brood stock population

Family selection for high survival in high salinity,

continuous exposure to ambient Dermo, co-

selected for shape, growth rate, meat yield

Released 2017

DEBY-Lew

~15 York, then

Coan R.

Wild Del Bay oysters selected at VIMS in

York by Burreson group in 80s, new

material added in 2008

Mass selection for MSX before low salnity

selection began in 2008, low ambient Dermo

exposure, not in high demand

Discontinued

starting 2018

Lola

Founders from three wild populations in

Louisiana ca. 2000-2004, new material

added in 2008

Mass selection for MSX up to 2008, then

continuously held at low salinity, low exposure to

Dermo, widely popular at various salinity

LILY

Founders from wild and selected

populations ca. 2005, family selection

program, top families form terminal

brood stock population

Family selection for high survival in low salinity,

low exposure to ambient Dermo, co-selected for

shape, growth ratem, meat yield

Released 2017

18-25

York

R. a

nd

Lyn

nh

aven

Co

an R

. Va

Ch

op

tan

k R

. Md

8-15

DIP

LOID

All brood stock (2n)

LINE S

SELECTION

SITE ORIGIN ATTRIBUTES NOTES

4GEN --> 4NGN

Original tetraploid line derived from

spawns of disease resistant oysters ca.

early 2000s and propagated for ~10

generations

Highly domesticated, disease resistant,some

inbreeding, variable growth rates

4GNL

4VBOY tetraploids (with Louisiana germ

plasm) are hybridized with 4GENs to make

F1 brood stock

More robust, more uniform, must be made anew

each generation requiring maintenance of 4VBOY

line

Released 2017

8-12Choptank R.

MdBreeding for usual traits, teraploid stability at high

salinity

18-22 York R. VaBreeding for usual traits, teraploid stability at low

salinity

Founder populations from various old and

new tetraploid lines contributed to

tetraploid family breeding program

Likely line release

2019

18-25

York

R. a

nd

Lyn

nh

aven

TETR

AP

LOID

4FML

All brood stock (4n)