Selection for phenotypic intermediates inDrosophila (original) (raw)

• 20 Accesses
• 15 Citations
• Explore all metrics

Summary

Selection in_Drosophila melanogaster_ for intermediate number of abdominal bristles was carried through fourteen generations in one experiment and thirteen in a second experiment. Changes of phenotypic variance were looked for by comparing the selected lines with controls maintained without selection. No difference that could plausibly be attributed to the selection was found. Examination of the nature of the selection applied showed that the within-fly variance, reflecting ‘developmental stability’, was no less among the selected individuals than in the population as a whole. This fact, and other evidence, led to the conclusion that there was very little variation of developmental stability on which selection could operate. It was known from previous work that external conditions cause very little variance of bristle number. Consequently, the only expected effects of the selection were those resulting from the reduced genotypic variance among the selected individuals. The negative results suggest that the reduction of genetic variance through the ‘balancing’ of genes in repulsion linkages, as proposed by Mather, is neghgible in the time-scale of a laboratory experiment.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

• Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
• Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
• Cancel anytime View plans

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

• Clayton, G. A., Morris, J. A. &Robertson, A. (1957). An experimental check on quantitative genetical theory. I. Short-term responses to selection.J. Genet. 55, 131–51.
  Article Google Scholar
• Crow, J. F., &Morton, N. E. (1955). Measurement of gene frequency drift in small populations.Evolution,9, 202–14.
  Article Google Scholar
• Falconer, D. S. &Robertson, A. (1956). Selection for environmental variability of body-size in mice.Z. indukt. Abstamm.-u. Vererblehre,87, 385–91.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Haldane, J. B. S. (1954). The measurement of natural selection.Proc. 9th Int. Congr. Genet. l, 480–7.Caryologia,6, Supplement.
  Google Scholar
• Lerner, I. M. (1954).Genetic Homeostasis. Pp. vii+134. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
  Google Scholar
• Mather, K. (1943). Polygenic inheritance and natural selection.Biol. Rev. 18, 32–64.
  Article Google Scholar
• Mather, K. (1953_a_). The genetical structure of populations.Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol. 7, 66–95.
  Google Scholar
• Mather, K. (1953). Genetical control of stability in development.Heredity,7, 297–336.
  Article Google Scholar
• Reeve, E. C. R. &Robertson, E. W. (1954). Studies in quantitative inheritance VI. Sternite chaeta number in_Drosophila_: a metameric quantitative character.Z. indukt. Abstamm.-u. Vererblehre,86, 269–88.
  Article CAS Google Scholar
• Robertson, A. (1956). The effect of selection against extreme deviants based on deviation or on homozygosis.J. Genet. 54, 236–48.
  Article Google Scholar
• Schmalhausen, J.I. (1949).Factors of Evolution. English edition edited Th. Dobzhansky. Pp. xi + 327. Philadelphia: Blakiston.
  Google Scholar
• Simpson, G. G. (1944).Tempo and Mode in Evolution. Pp. xiii + 237. New York; Columbia Univ. Press.
  Google Scholar
• Thoday, J. M. (1955). Balance, heterozygosity and developmental stability.Cold Spr. Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol 20, 318–26.
  CAS Google Scholar
• Waddington, C. H. (1953). Epigenetics and evolution.Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol 7, 186–99.
  Google Scholar
• Wright, S. (1952). The genetics of quantitative variability. In_Quantitative Inheritance_, ed. E. C. R. Reeve and C. H. Waddington. pp. 5–41. London: H.M. Stationery Office.
  Google Scholar

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Institute of Animal Genetics, Edinburgh
   D. S. Falconer

Rights and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Falconer, D.S. Selection for phenotypic intermediates in_Drosophila_ .J Genet 55, 551–561 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02984071

Download citation

• Received: 26 January 1957
• Issue date: December 1957
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02984071

Keywords