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Phenotypic plasticity in morphological traits in two populations of Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
Noach E. J. K.,
De Jong G.,
Scharloo W.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1996.9060831.x
Subject(s) - biology , drosophila melanogaster , phenotypic plasticity , range (aeronautics) , population , tanzania , evolutionary biology , melanogaster , covariance , genetics , statistics , demography , gene , materials science , environmental science , mathematics , environmental planning , sociology , composite material
Isofemale lines of two populations of Drosophila melanogaster , originating from France and Tanzania, were examined over a range of temperatures. Morphological traits showed distinct patterns in phenotypic plasticity; flies of the two populations differed in shape. Genotype‐by‐Environment (G*E) interactions were frequently found in the Tanzania population, but were hardly present in the France population. If G*E interaction was present over temperature, estimates of additive genetic variance and additive genetic covariance were made to compare theoretical models with our data. The conclusion is that in France Drosophila melanogaster has been selected over a wider range of temperatures, resulting in parallel reaction norms of more optimal slope. In contrast, selection must have taken place over a narrower temperature range in Tanzanian flies, and will have exerted no direct influence on the slope of the reaction norm.