Abstract
The course of adaptation to heterogeneous environments is influenced by the magnitude of genetic variation for ecologically important characters within each environment and the extent of genotype × environment interaction. Using the genetic correlation between the expression of characters in different environments as a measure of genotype × environment interaction is particularly useful for evolutionary interpretation. In this study, we estimated patterns of genetic variability and cross-environment genetic correlations for pupal weight and development time in two strains of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum in five flours (wheat with brewer's yeast, wheat, rice, corn and oat). Wheat plus yeast is the standard medium in which the strains have been reared for hundreds of generations; other flours are novel environments. The results indicated moderate levels of genetic variation within the various flours for pupal weight but not for development time. Performance varied considerably across flours, with the highest performance for both strains found in the standard medium and the poorest in oat flour. The genetic correlations of pupal weight across flours in both strains were generally not significantly different from + 1. This suggests that evolution of body size in different flours cannot proceed independently, and that improved performance in the novel flours may produce declines in fitness in the standard environment.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Falconer, D S. 1952. The problem of environment and selection. Am Nat, 86, 293–298.
Falconer, D S. 1989. Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 3rd edn. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Fernando, R L, Knights, S A, and Gianola, D. 1984. On a method of estimating the genetic correlation between characters measured in different experimental units. Theor Appl Genet, 67, 175–178.
Fox, L R, and Morrow, P A. 1981. Specialization: species property or local phenomenon? Science, 211, 887–891.
Fry, J D. 1990. Trade-offs in fitness on different hosts: evidence from a selection experiment with a phytophagous mite. Am Nat, 136, 569–580.
Fry, J D. 1992. The mixed-model analysis of variance applied to quantitative genetics: biological meaning of the parameters. Evolution, 46, 540–550.
Fry, J D. 1994. The ‘general vigor’ problem: can antagonistic pleiotropy be detected when genetic covariances are positive? Evolution, 47, 327–333.
Futuyma, J D, and Moreno, G. 1988. The evolution of ecological specialization. Ann Rev Ecol Syst, 19, 207–234.
Hardin, R T, Rogler, J C, and Bell, A E. 1967. Genetic and environmental interactions in growth of Tribolium castaneum. Can J Zool, 45, 139–144.
Houle, D. 1992. Comparing evolvability and variability of quantitative traits. Genetics, 130, 195–204.
Lande, R. 1980. Sexual dimorphism, sexual selection and adaptation in polygenic characters. Evolution, 34, 292–305.
Mitchell-Olds, T, and Bergelson, J. 1990. Statistical genetics of an annual plant, Impatiens capensis. I. Genetic basis of quantitative variation. Genetics, 124, 407–415.
Rausher, M D. 1988. Is coevolution dead? Ecology, 69, 898–901.
Rice, W R. 1989. Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution, 43, 223–225.
SAS Institute. 1985. SAS Users Guide: Statistics. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.
Shaw, R. 1987. Maximum-likelihood approaches applied to quantitative genetics of natural populations. Evolution, 41, 821–826.
Sokoloff, A, Franklin, I R, and Lakhanpal, R K. 1966a. Comparative studies with Tribolium. T. Productivity of T. castaneum Herbst and T. confusum Duval on natural semi-synthetic and synthetic diets. J Stored Prod Res, 1, 313–324.
Sokoloff, A, Franklin, I R, Overton, L F, and Ho, F K. 1966b. Comparative studies with Tribolium (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). I. Productivity of T. castaneum Herbst and T. confusum Duval on several commercially available diets. J Stored Prod Res, 1, 295–311.
Soliman, M H, and Hardin, R T. 1971. Variation in populations of Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). II. Developmental rate and productivity. J Stored Prod Res, 8, 1–10.
Stearns, S C. 1992. The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford University Press, NY.
Van Tienderen, P H. 1991. Evolution of generalists and specialists in spatially heterogeneous environments. Evolution, 45, 1317–1331.
Via, S. 1984. The quantitative genetics of polyphagy in an insect herbivore. II. Genetic correlations in larval performance within and across host plants. Evolution, 38, 896–905.
Via, S. 1987. Genetic constraints on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. In: Loeschke, V (ed.) Genetic Constraints on Adaptive Evolution, pp. 47–71. Springer, Berlin.
Via, S. 1990. Ecological genetics and host adaptation in herbivorous insects: the experimental study of evolution in natural and agricultural systems. Ann Rev Ent, 35, 421–446.
Via, S. 1991a. The genetic structure of host plant adaptation in a spatial patchwork: demographic variability among reciprocally transplanted pea aphid clones. Evolution, 45, 827–852.
Via, S. 1991b. Variation between strains of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum in relative performance on five flours. Entomologia exp appl, 60, 173–182.
Via, S, and Lande, R. 1985. Genotype-environment interaction and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Evolution, 39, 505–522.
Via, S, and Lande, R. 1987. Evolution of genetic variability in a spatially variable environment: effects of genotype-environment interactions. Genet Res, 49, 147–156.
Yamada, Y. 1962. Genotype × environment interaction and genetic correlation of the same trait under different environments. Jap J Genet, 37, 498–509.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Via, S., Conner, J. Evolution in heterogeneous environments: genetic variability within and across different grains in Tribolium castaneum. Heredity 74, 80–90 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1995.10
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1995.10
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Genotype × environment interaction is weaker in genitalia than in mating signals and body traits in Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)
Genetica (2011)
-
Phenotypic plasticity in the holoparasitic mistletoe Tristerix aphyllus (Loranthaceae): consequences of trait variation for successful establishment
Evolutionary Ecology (2007)
-
The Effects of a Naturally Produced Benzoquinone on Microbes Common to Flour
Journal of Chemical Ecology (2007)
-
Studies of threespine stickleback developmental evolution: progress and promise
Genetica (2006)
-
Cannibalism facilitates the use of a novel environment in the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum
Heredity (1999)