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Studies of esterase 6 in Drosophila melanogaster XII. Evidence for temperature selection of Est 6 and Adh alleles

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Abstract

Changes in allele frequencies at the esterase 6 (Est 6) and alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) enzyme loci of Drosophila melanogaster and simulans are examined in natural populations and artificial populations maintained at two temperatures. Results from cage populations at 18 °C and 25 °C provide evidence for temperature selection at both loci. Seasonal population samples show no significant change in gene frequencies for either locus, a reasonable outcome given the small selection coefficients found in cage populations. The temperature effect for the Adh locus appears to be direct: natural selection of the fast allele in cool environs and of the slow allele in warm environs. The temperature effect for Est 6 is weaker and complicated by sex differences and deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectation. This evidence and different Est 6 frequencies found for melanogaster and simulans, in conjunction with evidence of the male reproductive function of this enzyme, suggest that Est 6 polymorphisms are maintained in natural populations by a complex form of sexual selection.

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  1. D. G. Gilbert

    Present address: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 13210, Syracuse, NY

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  1. Department of Biology, Indiana University, 47405, Bloomington, IN, USA

    D. G. Gilbert & R. C. Richmond

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  1. D. G. Gilbert
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Gilbert, D.G., Richmond, R.C. Studies of esterase 6 in Drosophila melanogaster XII. Evidence for temperature selection of Est 6 and Adh alleles. Genetica 58, 109–119 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056778

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056778

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