Equalizing sperm concentrations in a common carp (Cyprinus carpio) sperm pool does not affect variance in proportions of larvae sired in competition

Proportions of offspring from five common carp contributing to a sperm pool composed of equalized sperm concentrations (N-progeny) or equal sperm volumes (V-progeny) were each compared to a uniform distribution. Four microsatellite markers (MFW1, MFW6, MFW7, MFW28) were used to determine the paternity of the progeny. The homogeneity of offspring numbers from each male for the two types of progeny, were tested using an exact test for the likelihood-ratio chi-square. Numbers of offspring in the progeny groups were highly variable (0.4–50% in V-progeny, 2.4–41.2% in N-progeny) and highly significantly different as shown by Pearson chi-square statistics (χ2=189, 4 df, P