Evolution of dominance in a Mendelian trait is linked to the evolution of environmental plasticity.

ABSTRACT: Allelic dominance and phenotypic plasticity both influence how genetic variation is expressed in phenotypes, shaping evolutionary responses to selection. In both cases, changes in genotype or environment can cause sharp, nonlinear phenotypic shifts, hinting at shared underlying features of development that may link dominance and plasticity. Here, we investigate these links using a Mendelian, female-limited color dimorphism found in many species of the Drosophila montium lineage. In most species, the Dark allele is dominant, but two species-D. jambulina and D. cf. bocqueti-have been reported to have dominant Light alleles. We show that in both Dark-dominant and Light-dominant species, the color dimorphism is linked to the same locus: the POU domain motif 3

SUBMITTER: Fukutomi Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12258707 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature