Genetic Diversity and Phenotypic Variation Within Hatchery‐Produced Oyster Cohorts Predict Size and Success in the Field

Aquaculture holds promise for stock enhancement and restoration, yet cultivation practices may enhance variation between populations and reduce variation within populations, with uncertain implications for performance and resilience. We collaborated with a commercial hatchery to produce multiple cohorts of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from field‐collected broodstock. These cohorts varied almost twofold in genetic diversity, and cohort diversity was a significant positive predictor of oyster performance in the field. A readily measured characteristic of broodstock, the ratio of males to females, was positively correlated with genetic diversity and thus may offer a means to meet short‐term production goals and to achieve conservation objectives. These photographs illustrate the article “Genetic diversity and phenotypic variation within hatchery‐produced oyster cohorts predict size and success in the field” by A. Randall Hughes, Torrance C. Hanley, James E. Byers, Jonathan H. Grabowski, Tom McCrudden, Michael F. Piehler, and David L. Kimbro published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.194