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Related Experiment Videos

Can polymorphism be maintained by selection favouring an intermediate optimum phenotype?

R Semeonoff

    Heredity
    |December 1, 1977
    PubMed
    Summary
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    Artificial selection on Drosophila melanogaster with the M-5 chromosome canalised bristle number. Allele frequencies at enzyme loci diverged less than predicted by genetic drift, indicating developmental canalisation.

    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Developmental genetics
    • Population genetics

    Background:

    • Developmental canalisation buffers phenotypes against genetic and environmental variation.
    • The M-5 chromosome in Drosophila melanogaster is known to influence bristle development.
    • Understanding the genetic basis of canalisation is crucial for evolutionary studies.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the effect of artificial selection for a canalised phenotype on allele frequencies at enzyme loci.
    • To determine if developmental canalisation, induced by the M-5 chromosome, influences the rate of genetic drift.

    Main Methods:

    • Artificial selection was applied to Drosophila melanogaster populations carrying the M-5 chromosome to achieve a four-bristle scutellar phenotype.
    • Allele frequencies at three enzyme loci were measured before and after the selection experiment.

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  • Control populations and populations selected for low bristle number were used for comparison.

    • Main Results:

    • In the population selected for canalisation (four bristles), allele frequencies at the measured enzyme loci diverged less than predicted by random genetic drift.
    • This reduced divergence was not observed in control populations or populations selected for low bristle number.
    • The results suggest that developmental canalisation can reduce the impact of genetic drift on allele frequencies.

    Conclusions:

    • Developmental canalisation, potentially mediated by the M-5 chromosome, can constrain the effects of random genetic drift.
    • This finding has implications for understanding the evolution of phenotypic stability and the maintenance of genetic variation.
    • Further research is needed to elucidate the specific genetic mechanisms underlying canalisation in this system.