Mortality patterns in Drosophila buzzatii lines selected for wing length and developmental time

I. M. SOTO; E. M. SOTO; V. P. CARREIRA; E. HASSON

DROSOPHILA INFORMATION SERVICE

James N. Thompson, jr.

Año: 2005 vol. 88 p. 38 - 42

0070-7333

In the present work we investigate the indirect response of longevity and intrinsic mortality in lines of the fruitfly Drosophila buzzatii selected for wing length (WL) and developmental time (DT) during 72 generations. Longevity and intrinsic mortality in selection lines are compared with laboratory control lines and offspring of females recently collected in the same population from which selection lines were derived. Mean longevity differed significantly among treatments and also among replicates within treatments. Offspring of recently collected flies (W lines), lines selected for fast development (F lines) and for fast development and large wing length (L lines) outlived control laboratory lines (C lines). The intrinsic mortality rates of males of W, F and L lines were lower than in control lines. We also detected significant inbreeding effects on longevity and wing length in laboratory selection lines, and particularly in C lines. Our results seem to indicate that selection for developmental time or wing length can not account per se for mortality differences among selection lines which may be the outcome of the simultaneous selective pressure on wing length and developmental time.