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Drosophila simulans' response to laboratory selection for tolerance to a toxic food source used by its sister species D. sechellia

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Abstract

Drosophila sechellia is a specialist species which feeds and breeds on a toxic plant, Morinda citrifolia. All other Drosophila species are killed by ripe fruits of Morinda. D. simulans was subjected to laboratory selection for survival in presence of octanoic acid, the toxic compound of M. citrifolia. After 20 generations of selection, selected lines showed an increased tolerance to octanoic acid, although the response was small compared to the interspecific differences. The genetic response to selection was assessed by studying the changes in allele frequencies at 28 microsatellite loci. Three loci, located in three distinct genomic regions, showed changes in allele frequencies significantly different from what is expected under drift alone in the selected lines. An oligogenic determination for tolerance to octanoic acid is in agreement with published results based on interspecific crosses.

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  1. Isabelle Colson

    Present address: School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales at Bangor, Brambell Building, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University College London, Wolfson House, 4 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2HE, United Kingdom

    Isabelle Colson

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  1. Isabelle Colson
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Colson, I. Drosophila simulans' response to laboratory selection for tolerance to a toxic food source used by its sister species D. sechellia . Evolutionary Ecology 18, 15–28 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EVEC.0000017669.56353.cb

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EVEC.0000017669.56353.cb

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