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The effects of spontaneous mutation on quantitative traits. II. Dominance of mutations with effects on life-history traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 1997

DAVID HOULE ,
KIMBERLY A. HUGHES ,
STAVROULA ASSIMACOPOULOS  and
BRIAN CHARLESWORTH
DAVID HOULE
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-1573, USA
KIMBERLY A. HUGHES
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-1573, USA
STAVROULA ASSIMACOPOULOS
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-1573, USA
BRIAN CHARLESWORTH
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-1573, USA
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Abstract

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We studied the dominance of the effects of chromosomes carrying unselected mutations on five life-history traits in Drosophila melanogaster. Mutations were accumulated on the second chromosome for 44 generations in the absence of natural selection. Traits studied were female fecundity early and late in adult life, male mating ability, and male and female longevity. Homozygous effects were estimated for 50 mutant lines, and heterozygous effects were estimated by crossing these lines in a partial diallel scheme. Direct estimates of dominance showed that the effects of mutants are at least partially recessive. Heterozygotes had higher trait means than homozygotes in all five cases, and these differences were significant for late fecundity and female longevity. For all traits, genetic variance was larger among homozygous crosses than among heterozygous crosses. These results are consistent with those of many other studies that suggest that both unselected mutations and those found segregating in natural populations are partially recessive.

Type
Research Article
Information
Genetics Research , Volume 70 , Issue 1 , August 1997 , pp. 27 - 34
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press