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ARTIFICIAL SELECTION REVEALS HERITABLE VARIATION FOR DEVELOPMENTAL INSTABILITY
Author(s) -
Carter Ashley J. R.,
Houle David
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01393.x
Subject(s) - biology , fluctuating asymmetry , heritability , natural selection , selection (genetic algorithm) , evolutionary biology , drosophila melanogaster , genetic variation , quantitative genetics , genetics , gene , artificial intelligence , computer science
Fluctuating (nondirectional) asymmetry (FA) of bilaterally paired structures on a symmetrical organism is commonly used to assay the developmental instability (DI) caused by environmental or genetic factors. Although evidence for natural selection to reduce FA has been reported, evidence that FA (and by extension DI) is heritable is weak. We report the use of artificial selection to demonstrate heritable variation in the fluctuating asymmetry of interlandmark distances within the wing in an outbred population of Drosophila melanogaster . Our estimates for the heritability of FA range from 0% to 1% and result in estimates for the heritability of DI as large as 20%, comparable to values typical for life‐history traits. These values indicate the existence of evolutionarily relevant genetic variation for DI and the effectiveness of selection for reduced FA suggests that natural selection has not fixed all the genetic variants that would improve developmental stability in these populations.