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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Fluorescence-microscopy Screening and Next-generation Sequencing: Useful Tools for the Identification of Genes Involved in Organelle Integrity

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Published on: April 13, 2012

Ecological adaptation during incipient speciation revealed by precise gene replacement.

Anthony J Greenberg¹, Jennifer R Moran, Jerry A Coyne

¹Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|December 6, 2003

Summary

The desaturase2 gene in fruit flies influences both mating behavior and survival. Different alleles are linked to adaptation, suggesting a role in the speciation process between distinct populations.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genetics
Animal behavior

Background:

Understanding adaptation's role in speciation requires characterizing ecologically relevant genetic variations.
The desaturase2 (ds2) gene in Drosophila melanogaster exhibits geographically distinct alleles linked to pheromonal differences between races.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the phenotypic effects of specific desaturase2 (ds2) alleles.
To determine if ds2 alleles contribute to ecological adaptation and reproductive isolation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Main Methods:

Utilized site-directed gene replacement to introduce a Zimbabwe ds2 allele into Cosmopolitan D. melanogaster.
Maintained identical genetic backgrounds to isolate the effects of the ds2 gene.

Main Results:

The Cosmopolitan ds2 allele conferred resistance to cold temperatures.
The Cosmopolitan ds2 allele also resulted in increased susceptibility to starvation.

Conclusions:

Ecological adaptation, specifically cold resistance and starvation susceptibility, is associated with the desaturase2 gene.
These findings suggest that ecological adaptation may accompany sexual isolation between the Zimbabwe and Cosmopolitan behavioral races of D. melanogaster.