Abstract
The incidence of flies with mor than four scutellar chaetae (additional chaetae) has been followed for 45 generations in three strains set up from single inseminated females ofDrosophila melanogaster collected in the wild from the same locality at the same time. Each strain differed in the incidence of additional chaetae over this time, and the differences between strains were found to be controlled largely by additive genes.
Fifteen further such strains were followed for 9 generations and each maintained consistent incidences of additional chaetae.
Thus there may be genetic differences between populations derived from single inseminated females present in a given wild population, so lending support to a role for genetic drift (as a founder effect) in these situations. These differences may be maintained for many generations.
Some possibilities for obtaining rapid responses in directional selection experiments based on the initial selection of favourable strains derived from single individuals are discussed briefly.
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Parsons, P.A., Hosgood, S.M.W. Genetic heterogeneity among the founders of laboratory populations ofDrosophila. I. Scutlllar chaetae. Genetica 38, 328–339 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01507465
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01507465