Premium
Variation in the rate of convergent evolution: adaptation to a laboratory environment in Drosophila subobscura
Author(s) -
Matos M.,
Avelar T.,
Rose M. R.
Publication year - 2002
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.1420-9101.2002.00405.x
Subject(s) - drosophila subobscura , biology , microevolution , adaptation (eye) , convergent evolution , evolutionary biology , natural selection , variation (astronomy) , drosophila (subgenus) , convergence (economics) , ecology , genetics , phylogenetics , population , demography , gene , economics , neuroscience , sociology , economic growth , physics , astrophysics
Adaptation to novel environments is a central issue in evolutionary biology. One important question is the prevalence of convergence when different populations adapt to the same or similar environments. We investigated this by comparing two studies, 6 years apart, of laboratory adaptation of populations of Drosophila subobscura founded from the same natural location. In both studies several life‐history traits were periodically assayed for the first 14 generations of laboratory adaptation, as well as later generations, and compared with established, laboratory, control populations. The results indicated: (1) a process of convergence for all traits; (2) differences between the two studies in the pattern and rate of convergence; (3) dependence of the evolutionary rates on initial differentiation. The differences between studies might be the result of the differences in the founder populations and/or changes in the lab environment. In either case, the results suggest that microevolution is highly sensitive to genetic and environmental conditions.