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Vol. 53, 2014
Genetic analysis of parthenogenetic capability and fecundity
in Drosophila albomicans
Chia-chen
Chang1 and Hwei-yu Chang1,2*
1Department
of Entomology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
2Research Center for Biodiversity, Academia Sinica,
Nankang, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Abstract
Background: The successful rate of
parthenogenesis in Drosophila
harvested from natural population was extremely low, which could be
effectively improved under selection pressure. Facultative
parthenogenesis in Drosophila
albomicans may be
advantageous for its expansion from sub-tropical to temperate area.
Since the understanding of the genetics involved in the capability and
fecundity of parthenogenesis is limited, this study aims to
preliminarily map the chromosome regions that are preferentially
important for parthenogenesis.
Results: Genetic mapping was performed with F2
individuals that were parthenogenetically produced by F1
from crosses between a parthenogenetic strain KKU119 and a sexual
strain #55.1 of Drosophila albomicans. Among 105 F2,
53.3% of them had parthenogenetic capability which is highly associated
with three markers a28, c4081, and c7198 located near or inside In(2L)B1D5. A
sexual strain with high In(2L)B1D5
heterozygosity originating from Wulai, Taiwan in 1970 was able to
perform parthenogenesis. However, the fecundity of those F2
varied in a wide range, forming a continuous distribution as
expectation of a quantitative trait and was correlated with the number
of homozygous markers for all markers on the second chromosome and
neo-X chromosome arm.
Conclusions: We have genetically
analyzed the capability and fecundity of parthenogenesis in Drosophila albomicans. The former is
specifically associated with a limited region in the B1 to D5
of 2L arm where inversion In(2L)B1D5
may play certain role for the maintenance of parthenogenesis, whereas
the latter is apparently related to several quantitative loci on the
second chromosome and neo-X chromosome arm.
Key words: Facultative parthenogenesis;
Genetic mapping; Inversion polymorphism.
*Correspondence: E-mail: hwei@ntu.edu.tw
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