Self-fertilization as a mechanism for population maintenance in a changing environment

The scientific aim of this study is to examine genetic diversity and parentage of B. europaea in the Mediterranean to determine the relative importance of self-fertilization for population maintenance and if the degree of self-fertilization varies with population demography, which can then be extrapolated to estimate the effects of changing seawater temperature. This goal will be achieved by conducting direct comparisons of progeny and parental genotypes using six previously developed B. europaea specific microsatellite loci. Levels of self- fertilization will be estimated using larvae collected from populations of varying density and results used to estimate the effects of environmental degradation and increasing seawater temperature.