Genetic variation at the alcohol dehydrogenase locus in Drosophila melanogaster in relation to environmental variation: ethanol levels in breeding sites and allozyme frequencies

Ethanol levels in Drosophila breeding sites in seepages of unfortified wine inside wineries have been found to be similar to those in many decaying fruits and vegetables. Fortified wine seepages inside wineries have ethanol levels on average three times as high as other breeding sites. However there...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1981, Vol.51 (2), p.191-198
Main Authors: Gibson, J.B, May, T.W, Wilks, A.V
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcoholic beverages
animal breeding
animal genetics
animal physiology
arthropods
Breeding sites
Dehydrogenases
Drosophila
Ecological genetics
entomology
Ethanol
Evolutionary genetics
Genetic variation
Wineries
Wines
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Summary:Ethanol levels in Drosophila breeding sites in seepages of unfortified wine inside wineries have been found to be similar to those in many decaying fruits and vegetables. Fortified wine seepages inside wineries have ethanol levels on average three times as high as other breeding sites. However there was no evidence that this variation in ethanol levels was associated with differences in$Adh^{F}$frequencies in D. melanogaster at sites either within wineries or outside wineries. D. simulans was at lower frequencies at sites inside wineries compared to sites outside although this difference may not be related to ethanol levels. It is concluded that adaptation to natural levels of environmental ethanol by D. melanogaster does not necessarily modify Adh frequencies.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/bf00540600