VERY LOW ADDITIVE GENETIC VARIANCE AND EVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL IN MULTIPLE POPULATIONS OF TWO RAINFOREST DROSOPHILA SPECIES

Most quantitative traits are thought to exhibit high levels of genetic variance and evolutionary potential. However, this conclusion may be biased by a lack of studies on nonmodel organisms and may not generalize to restricted species. A recent study on a single, southern population of the rainfores...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEvolution Vol. 60; no. 5; pp. 1104 - 1108
Main Authors Kellermann, Vanessa M, van Heerwaarden, Belinda, Hoffmann, Ary A, Sgrò, Carla M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Society for the Study of Evolution 01.05.2006
Oxford University Press
Subjects
Adaptation
animal model
Animal models
Animals
Australia
Biological variation
Brief Communications
desiccation resistance
Drosophila
Drosophila - anatomy & histology
Drosophila - classification
Drosophila - genetics
Drosophila birchii
Environment
Evolution
Evolution, Molecular
evolutionary potential
Feeding Behavior
Genetic variance
Genetic Variation
Genetics
Heritability
Immunity, Innate
Insects
Models, Animal
Models, Genetic
Phenotypic traits
Population characteristics
Population genetics
quantitative traits
rainforest
Rainforests
Species
Species Specificity
Studies
Trees
Tropical Climate
Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology
Australia
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Summary:Most quantitative traits are thought to exhibit high levels of genetic variance and evolutionary potential. However, this conclusion may be biased by a lack of studies on nonmodel organisms and may not generalize to restricted species. A recent study on a single, southern population of the rainforest-restricted Drosophila birchii failed to find significant additive genetic variance for the desiccation resistance trait; however, it is unclear whether this pattern extends to other D. birchii populations or to other rainforest species. Here we use an animal model design to show very low levels of additive genetic variance for desiccation resistance in multiple populations of two highly sensitive rainforest species of Drosophila from tropical northeastern Australia. In contrast, relatively high levels of genetic variance were found for morphological traits in all populations of the species tested. This indicates limited evolutionary potential for evolving increased desiccation resistance in these rainforest restricted species.
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ISSN:0014-3820
1558-5646
DOI:10.1554/05-710.1