Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
Published on: January 23, 2017
Intraspecific Genetic Variation for Lead-Induced Changes in Reproductive Strategies
Elizabeth K Peterson1,2, Bernard Possidente3, Austin Stark4
1Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York-Albany, Albany, NY, USA. elizabeth.peterson@csupueblo.edu.
Abstract:
We aimed to identify genetic variation in the response of reproductive behaviors to lead (Pb2+) exposure. We reared a subset of the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) inbred lines on control or Pb-treated (500 μM PbAc) medium and tested for differences in copulation latency, copulation duration, and fecundity. Pb exposure decreased fecundity (p < 0.05) and increased copulation duration (p < 0.05) across DGRP lines. We found intraspecific genetic variation in latency, duration, and fecundity in both control and Pb-treated flies, with heritability ranging from 0.45 to 0.80. We found a significant genotype-by-environment interaction for copulation duration (p < 0.05). Genetic correlation matrices revealed significant genetic variation in common between control and Pb-treated flies for each trait (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that intraspecific genetic variation plays a role in Pb susceptibility and emphasize the importance of considering the impacts of variation in susceptibility to Pb pollution.
More Related Videos
10:21Population Replacement Strategies for Controlling Vector Populations and the Use of Wolbachia pipientis for Genetic Drive
Published on: July 4, 2007
07:43Agrobacterium-Mediated Genetic Transformation, Transgenic Production, and Its Application for the Study of Male Reproductive Development in Rice
Published on: October 6, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Genetic Variation
Genes exist in different versions called alleles,...
Reproductive Cloning
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
In SCNT, an egg cell is taken from an animal and its nucleus is removed, creating an enucleated egg. Then a somatic...
Genetics of Speciation
What is Variation?
The range, standard deviation, standard error, and variance are the different measures of variation.
Range: The range is the difference between its maximum and...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
What is Population Genetics?