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Worldwide latitudinal clines for the alcohol dehydrogenase polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster: What is the unit of selection?

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Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution

Part of the book series: Experientia Supplementum ((EXS,volume 83))

Summary

Geographical clines may reflect the action of natural selection on genetic polymorphisms. In Drosophila melanogaster several latitudinal clines occur for many characters like allozymes, inversions and quantitative traits. The identical nature of these clines on the various continents, both on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres strongly suggests adaptation to specific stress factors. The alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) polymorphism shows high frequencies of the S allele in tropical regions and declines with latitude. The reasons for this cline are difficult to determine because of the entanglement with other polymorphisms varying with latitude.

In this paper the tentative connections with other polymorphisms like alpha-Gpdh In(2L)t body size and development time are reviewed with respect to the possible environmental stress factors involved. It is concluded, also from recent experiments, that the (2L)t inversion plays a dominant role in resistance to high temperature and is partly responsible for the Adh cline. Further research is aimed at the specific selective forces acting on Adh focussing on the physiological and life history aspects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NN 9751, Haren, The Netherlands

    Albert Kamping

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  1. Wilke van Delden
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NL-9751 NN, Haren, The Netherlands

    R. Bijlsma

  2. Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, Building 540, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    V. Loeschcke

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van Delden, W., Kamping, A. (1997). Worldwide latitudinal clines for the alcohol dehydrogenase polymorphism in Drosophila melanogaster: What is the unit of selection?. In: Bijlsma, R., Loeschcke, V. (eds) Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution. Experientia Supplementum, vol 83. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_6

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-9813-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-8882-0

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