Genetic variation for sexual dimorphism in developmental traits in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Sexual dimorphism in traits of insects during the developmental stages could potentially be the direct or indirect result of sex-specific selection provided that genetic variation for sexual dimorphism is present. We investigated genetic variation in sexual dimorphism in a set of Drosophila...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:G3 : genes - genomes - genetics 2024-04, Vol.14 (4)
Main Authors: Li, Tianyu, Zhang, Rebecca S, True, John R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Investigation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Sexual dimorphism in traits of insects during the developmental stages could potentially be the direct or indirect result of sex-specific selection provided that genetic variation for sexual dimorphism is present. We investigated genetic variation in sexual dimorphism in a set of Drosophila melanogaster inbred lines for 2 traits: egg to adult development time and pupation site preference. We observed considerable genetic variation in sexual dimorphism among lines in both traits. The sexual dimorphic patterns remained relatively consistent across multiple trials, despite both traits being sensitive to environmental conditions. Additionally, we measured 2 sexually dimorphic adult morphological traits in 6 sampled lines and investigated correlations in the sexual dimorphism patterns with the 2 developmental traits. The abundance of genetic variation in sexual dimorphism for D. melanogaster developmental traits demonstrated in this study provides evidence for a high degree of evolvability of sex differences in preadult traits in natural populations.
ISSN:2160-1836
2160-1836
DOI:10.1093/g3journal/jkae010