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Summary1. Quantitative genetic analysis of variation in host-use ability was performed in an extremely polyphagous species -the Gypsy Moth. Various life-history traits were investigated by applying a split-family two-environment experimental design, where 30 full-sibling families were reared on oak and Locust Tree leaves. 2. Feeding on Locust Tree leaves decreased preadult viability, prolonged development time, decreased pupal mass both in males and females, and decreased reproductive effort in females. 3. The majority of broad-sense heritabilities did not change across host plants. 4. Significant expression of genetic variation in diet breadth was observed for development time and pupal mass both in males and females, but not for female reproductive effort traits. The heritabilities of plasticities were, on average, lower than heritabilities of the traits themselves. 5. The majority of genetic correlations between the host plants were significantly positive. The only trade-off was found between reciprocal value of reproductive index and the average mass of a fertilized egg within oak. This means that selection for the decrease in relative reproductive investment (under starvation during gradation) will be followed by laying larger eggs. Given that the Gypsy Moth has a cyclic population dynamics, this negative genetic correlation could have a role in maintaining genetic variability in this species.

We have analysed the inversion polymorphism and genetic load of O-chromosomes in three populations of D. subobscura from southeastern Europe. As expected for a central populations the inversion polymorphism was extensive. In a like fashion, the genetic load, in particular the frequency of lethals, was heavy in all three populations. There were significant differences in the frequency of moderately deleterious genes. These differences in viability can be attributed to balancing selection. A comparison of these two kinds of genetic polymorphism indicates that there are differences in mean viability among different gene arrangements of O-chromosomes in the three populations. The differences observed are due to an unequal distribution of various viability classes among O-chromosome gene arrangements. We here show for the first time a specific distribution of lethal genes among these arrangements within the Palearctic distribution area of D. subobscura. The lethal allelism test showed lethals are non-randomly associated with the Ost gene arrangement. The amount of genetic load is heavy in gene arrangements with a high frequency, in comparison with the ones with a low frequency. Lethal genes may be protected in combinations of low and moderate frequency gene arrangements that harbor more lethal genes, as the Ost in the one population. Some arrangements that are less protected against recombination have a higher load than ones that are more protected against recombination. This can be taken as evidence for coadaptation.

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The genetic structure of Drosophila subobscura from the Balkan Peninsula was studied with respect to restriction site polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA in populations from the Derventa River Gorge and Sicevo Gorge (Serbia). To investigate the role of cytonuclear interactions in shaping mitochondrial DNA variability in natural populations of this species, the study was complemented with the analysis of linkage disequilibria between mitochondrial haplotypes and chromosomal inversion arrangements. Similar to other populations of D. subobscura, two main haplotypes (I and II) were found, as well as a series of less common ones. The frequencies of haplotypes I and II accounted for 25.8% and 71.0%, respectively, in the population from the Derventa River Gorge, and for 32.4% and 58.1%, respectively, in the population from Sicevo Gorge. One of the haplotypes harbored a large insertion (2.7 kb) in the A+T rich region. The frequency distribution of both haplotypes did not depart from neutrality. Contrary to prior studies, we did not detect any significant linkage disequilibrium between the two most frequent mtDNA haplotypes and any of the chromosomal arrangements in either of the populations. We conclude that linkage disequilibrium is not a general occurrence in natural populations of D. subobscura, and we discuss how transient coadaptations, ecologically specific selective pressures, and demographics could contribute to population-specific patterns of linkage disequilibrium.