Sex-specific ultraviolet radiation tolerance across Drosophila
The genetic basis of phenotypic differences between species is among the most longstanding questions in evolutionary biology. How new genes form and the processes selection acts to produce differences across species are fundamental to understand how species persist and evolve in an ever-changing env...
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Main Authors | , , |
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Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
02.10.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The genetic basis of phenotypic differences between species is among the most
longstanding questions in evolutionary biology. How new genes form and the
processes selection acts to produce differences across species are fundamental
to understand how species persist and evolve in an ever-changing environment.
Adaptation and genetic innovation arise in the genome by a variety of sources.
Functional genomics requires both intrinsic genetic discoveries, as well as
empirical testing to observe adaptation between lineages. Here we explore two
species of Drosophila on the island of Sao Tome and mainland Africa, D.
santomea and D. yakuba. These two species both inhabit the island, but occupy
differing species distributions based on elevation, with D. yakuba also having
populations on mainland Africa. Intrinsic evidence shows genes between species
may have a role in adaptation to higher UV tolerance with DNA repair mechanisms
(PARP) and resistance to humeral stress lethal effects (Victoria). We conducted
empirical assays between island D. santomea, D. yakuba, and mainland D. yakuba.
Flies were shocked with UVB radiation (@ 302 nm) at 1650-1990 mW/cm2 for 30
minutes on a transilluminator apparatus. Custom 5-wall acrylic enclosures were
constructed for viewing and containment of flies. All assays were filmed.
Island groups did show significant differences between fall-time under UV
stress and recovery time post-UV stress test between regions and sex. This
study shows evidence that mainland flies are less resistant to UV radiation
than their island counterparts. Further work exploring the genetic basis for UV
tolerance will be conducted from empirical assays. Understanding the mechanisms
and processes that promote adaptation and testing extrinsic traits within the
context of the genome is crucially important to understand evolutionary
machinery. |
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DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.2310.01743 |