Mating behaviour as a fitness component in maintaining allozyme polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster

The mating ability of the different Adh genotypes of D. melanogaster, from three natural populations, was estimated as the number of females inseminated by a single male in a 24-hour period. The data indicate that populations of D. melanogaster vary in mating properties, but a common tendency was found in all of them: the heterozygous individuals, especially the males, show a relative advantage with respect to homozygotes. On the other hand, our results suggest that the differences in mating patterns observed between populations may be correlated with the different degree of Adh polymorphism found in them.

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Adh system and genetic background: Interaction with wing length in Drosophila melanogaster

Pieragostini

Sangiorgi

Cavicchi

1979

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in order to test the adaptive value of Adh genotypes in connection with the genetic background, we crossed two unrelated strains of Drosophila melanogaster, Canton and Oregon; the former, homozygous for AdhS, exhibited shorter wing length and higher reproductive fitness, the latter, homozygous for AdhF, exhibited longer wing length and lower reproductive fitness in standard conditions of rearing.The F2 progenies appear to be in equilibrium at the enzyme locus; nevertheless the Adh genotypes are not randomly distributed throughout wing length classes, pointing to a linkage disequilibrium between the enzyme locus and wing length polygenes. Moreover the preferential combinations enjoy an adaptive advantage; in fact Adh F homozygotes and heterozygotes show a peak of reproductive fitness and frequency in connection with longer wing, while AdhS do so in connection with shorter wing.Such a dissimilar behaviour of Adh genotypes may be due to coadaptation to different genetic backgrounds, namely the original Canton strain in the case of AdhS and new genie combinations of heterotic value in the case ofAdh F and AdhF/S. The authors conclude that each allozyme at a locus can be related to a different fitness system, and that the adaptive value of isozyme genotypes cannot be measured on the assumption of equivalent dependence on genetic background.

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Mating behaviour as a fitness component in maintaining allozyme polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster

Cited by 21 publications

References 15 publications

The Behavioral Effects of a Carboxylesterase in Drosophila

The Behavioral Effects of a Carboxylesterase in Drosophila

Mating patterns of different Adh genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster I. Differences in mating ability

Adh system and genetic background: Interaction with wing length in Drosophila melanogaster

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