110 years of orthopteran cytogenetics, the chromosomal evolutionary viewpoint, and Michael White´s signal contributions to the field

BIDAU, CLAUDIO J. & MARTI, DARDO A.

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPTERA RESEARCH

Orthopterists' Society

Año: 2010 vol. 19 p. 165 - 182

1082-6467

The history of the study of orthopteran chromosomes is coincident with the formulation of the chromosome theory of heredity and the rediscovery of Mendel’s laws thus, with the birth of cytogenetics. We review the early contributions of grasshopper chromosomes to the chromosome theory, the understanding of sex chromosomes, the phenomena of mitosis, meiosis, linkage, crossing over and recombination, the problems of chiasma localization and terminalization, reproduction and parthenogenesis, the nature and behaviour of B chromosomes and supernumerary segments, and the role of chromosomal rearrangements in microevolution and speciation. We also discuss the influence of this early works on later research, and emphasize the fundamental contributions of Michael J. D.White to modern cytogenetics and evolutionary biology in general.