Inbreeding reveals stronger net selection on Drosophila melanogaster males: implications for mutation load and the fitness of sexual females.

ABSTRACT: Stronger selection on males has the potential to lower the deleterious mutation load of females, reducing the cost of sex. However, few studies have directly quantified the strength of selection for both sexes. As the magnitude of inbreeding depression (ID) is related to the strength of selection, we measured the cost of inbreeding for both males and females in a laboratory population of Drosophila melanogaster. Using a novel technique for inbreeding, we found significant ID for both juvenile viability and adult fitness in both sexes. The genetic variation responsible for this depression in fitness appeared to be recessive for adult fitness (h=0.11) and partially additive for juvenile viability (h=0.29). ID was identical across the sexes in terms of juvenile viability but was significantly

SUBMITTER: Mallet MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3186252 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature