Open AccessThe genetic basis of the geographically variable photoperiodic diapause in Drosophila littoralis
Author(s) -
LUMME JAAKKO,
OIKARINEN AILA
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
hereditas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1601-5223
pISSN - 0018-0661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1977.tb01221.x
Subject(s) - biology , cline (biology) , diapause , mendelian inheritance , hybrid , adaptation (eye) , allele , genetic variation , genetics , ecology , botany , larva , gene , population , demography , neuroscience , sociology
The variation and inheritance of the photoperiodic adult diapause in females was studied in eight Drosophila littoralis strains originating from latitudes ranging from 42° N to 69° N. The extent of genetic variation was from photoperiodic neutrality (no diapause) to complete short‐day diapause with critical daylengths between 13.0 to 17.6 hours light per day. Local populations share a small proportion of the total variation within the species, but are not genetically uniform. Genetic analysis shows that the variation in hybrids indicates a quantitative mode of inheritance. Long critical daylength (northern characteristic) is due to incompletely dominant alleles. The variation corresponds to the segregation of a single, autosomal mendelian unit, indicating at least linkagebetween loci responsible for the daylength measurement. There is enough variation in this unit to form a continuous latitudinal cline in photoperiodic reaction.