Developmental constraints and wing shape variation in natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster

The body sizes and shapes of Poikilothermic animals generally show clinal variation with latitude. Among the environmental factors responsible for the cline, temperature seems to be the most probable candidate. In the present work we analysed natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster collected...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heredity 1997-12, Vol.79 (6), p.572-577
Main Authors: Pezzoli, Maria Cristina, Guerra, Daniela, Giorgi, Gianfranco, Garoia, Flavio, Cavicchi, Sandro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cytogenetics
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Female
Genetic Variation
Genetics, Population
Human Genetics
original-article
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Selection, Genetic
Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology
Wings, Animal - growth & development
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The body sizes and shapes of Poikilothermic animals generally show clinal variation with latitude. Among the environmental factors responsible for the cline, temperature seems to be the most probable candidate. In the present work we analysed natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster collected at different geographical localities to determine whether the same selective forces acting on wing development in the laboratory are also at work in the wild. We show that the temperature selection acting on wing development in the laboratory is only one of the selective forces operating in the wild. The size differences between natural populations seem to depend exclusively on cell number whereas they depend on cell area in the laboratory. The two wing compartments behave as distinct units of selection subjected to different genetic control, confirming our previous observations on laboratory populations. In addition, subunits of development defined as regions of cell proliferation centres restricted within longitudinal veins can, in turn, be considered as subunits of selection. Their interaction during development and continuous natural selection around an optimum could explain the high wing shape stability generally found in natural populations.
ISSN:0018-067X
1365-2540
DOI:10.1038/hdy.1997.201