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Habitat choice in natural populations of Drosophila

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Summary

Mark-release-recapture experiments performed with natural populations of Drosophila at Mather, California show that flies tend to return to their area of original capture or an area ecologically similar to it. Such habitat choice explains the microgeographic genetic differentiation we observed in the population. This behavioral difference between the flies may have a genetic component or may be environmentally induced. Either way, the results help explain how high levels of genetic variation are maintained by natural selection in these species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA

    Charles E. Taylor

  2. Department of Biology, Yale University, 06520, New Haven, CT, USA

    Jeffrey R. Powell

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  1. Charles E. Taylor
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  2. Jeffrey R. Powell
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Taylor, C.E., Powell, J.R. Habitat choice in natural populations of Drosophila . Oecologia 37, 69–75 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349992

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349992

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