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Quantitative genetics of speciation: additive and non-additive genetic differentiation between Drosophila madeirensis and Drosophila subobscura

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Abstract

The role of dominance and epistasis in population divergence has been an issue of much debate ever since the neoDarwinian synthesis. One of the best ways to dissect the several genetic components affecting the genetic architecture of populations is line cross analysis. Here we present a study comparing generation means of several life history-traits in two closely related Drosophila species: Drosophila subobscura, D. madeirensis as well as their F 1 and F 2 hybrids. This study aims to determine the relative contributions of additive and non-additive genetic parameters to the differentiation of life-history traits between these two species. The results indicate that both negative dominance and epistatic effects are very important in the differentiation of most traits. We end with considerations about the relevance of these findings for the understanding of the role of non-additive effects in speciation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank M. T. Pité for supervising the initial stages of this work; Anabela Cardoso, António Brehm and Ana Paula Andrade for their valuable assistance in collecting flies; and Ana Duarte, Mário Boieiro, Pedro Simões, Raquel Gonçalves and Teresa Rebelo, for their help during laboratorial work. CR received a grant from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (PRAXIS XXI//BD/21479/99). MS is partially supported by Fundación Ramón Areces (Spain). This work was partially accomplished within the Acción Integrada Hispano-Portuguesa HP2003-0099, and the Acções Integradas Luso-Espanholas E-36/04.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Animal, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Carla Rego & Margarida Matos

  2. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Grup de Biologia Evolutiva (GBE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain

    Mauro Santos

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  1. Carla Rego
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  2. Mauro Santos
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  3. Margarida Matos
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Correspondence to Carla Rego.

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Rego, C., Santos, M. & Matos, M. Quantitative genetics of speciation: additive and non-additive genetic differentiation between Drosophila madeirensis and Drosophila subobscura . Genetica 131, 167–174 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-9128-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-006-9128-z

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