Life‐History Consequences of Divergent Selection on Egg Size in<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

Schwarzkopf, Lin; Blows, Mark W.; Caley, M. Julian

doi:10.1086/303242

Cited by 63 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…To date, however, there is surprisingly little empirical evidence for such a constraint at the genetic level (Bernardo, 1996;Schwarzkopf et al, 1999;Czesak and Fox, 2003;Fischer et al, 2006). In wild bird populations, for example, so far only three studies have tested for a genetic correlation between egg size and clutch size (Lessells et al, 1989;Garant et al, 2008;Santure et al, 2013), two of which were performed in the same population (Garant et al, 2008;Santure et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such a trade-off may occur as a consequence of resource limitation or via an underlying genetic constraint. Although many studies have focused on energetic trade-offs, the evidence for a negative genetic correlation between offspring number and per offspring investment is equivocal in many taxa (Lessells et al, 1989;Bernardo, 1996;Schwarzkopf et al, 1999;Czesak and Fox, 2003;Fischer et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Artificial selection lines for egg size have been previously established in invertebrates (Schwarzkopf et al, 1999;Czesak and Fox, 2003;Fischer et al, 2006), but the approach is still rarely used in vertebrates because of their often long generation times. Here we created replicated, divergent selection lines for relative egg size (that is, egg size corrected for female body size) in a captive population of a precocial bird, the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In search of genetic constraints limiting the evolution of egg size: direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on a prenatal maternal effector

2016

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Maternal effects are an important force in nature, but the evolutionary dynamics of the traits that cause them are not well understood. Egg size is known to be a key mediator of prenatal maternal effects with an established genetic basis. In contrast to theoretical expectations for fitness-related traits, there is a large amount of additive genetic variation in egg size observed in natural populations. One possible mechanism for the maintenance of this variation is through genetic constraints caused by a shared genetic basis among traits. Here we created replicated, divergent selection lines for maternal egg investment in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) to quantify the role of genetic constraints in the evolution of egg size. We found that egg size responds rapidly to selection, accompanied by a strong response in all egg components. Initially, we observed a correlated response in body size, but this response declined over time, showing that egg size and body size can evolve independently. Furthermore, no correlated response in fecundity (measured as the proportion of days on which a female laid an egg) was observed. However, the response to selection was asymmetrical, with egg size plateauing after one generation of selection in the high but not the low investment lines. We attribute this pattern to the presence of genetic asymmetries, caused by directional dominance or unequal allele frequencies. Such asymmetries may contribute to the evolutionary stasis in egg size observed in natural populations, despite a positive association between egg size and fitness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In search of genetic constraints limiting the evolution of egg size: direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on a prenatal maternal effector

2016

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“…In two seed beetles, egg size is highly heritable and the estimates range between 0.22 and 0.91, varying between populations and host plants (Fox et al, 1999). Also laboratory selection experiments have demonstrated that egg size is heritable in insects (Harvey, 1983;Schwarzkopf et al, 1999). Environmental and genetic sources tended to affect egg size to a similar extent, emphasising the importance of considering both types of variation (eg Sinervo and Svensson, 1998;Niewiarowski, 2001).…”

Section: K Fischer Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic and environmental sources of egg size variation in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

et al. 2004

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By dividing families of the tropical butterfly, Bicyclus anynana, among different larval (including early pupal) and adult (including late pupal) temperatures, we investigate the genetic and environmental effects on egg size. Both sources of variation affected egg size to similar extents. As previously found in other arthropods, egg size tended to increase at lower temperatures. Our data suggest that the plastic response in egg size can be induced during the pupal stage. Females reared as larvae at the same high temperature tended to lay larger eggs when transferred to a lower temperature, either as prepupae or pupae, compared to those remaining at the high temperature. Additionally, females reared as larvae at different temperatures, but maintained at the same temperature from the early pupal stage onwards, laid larger eggs after larval growth at a low temperature. Heritability estimates for egg size were about 0.4 (parent-offspring regression) and 0.2 (variance component estimates using the full-sib families). Although there seemed to be some variation in the plastic response to temperature among families, genotype-environment interactions were nonsignificant.

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“…This variation is almost certainly adaptive because egg size exhibits latitudinal clines, with larger eggs being produced at higher latitudes, and egg length in laboratory populations evolves in response to temperature alone in the predicted directions (11). Phenotypic variability in egg size has been shown to have a polygenic mode of inheritance (12) and responds to artificial selection on egg length (13). As with many phenotypic characters, the adaptive value of egg size in the wild is not known.…”

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confidence: 99%

Canalization of segmentation and its evolution in Drosophila

Lott

Kreitman

Pálsson

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

161

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Segmentation in Drosophila embryogenesis occurs through a hierarchical cascade of regulatory gene expression driven by the establishment of a diffusion-mediated morphogen gradient. Here, we investigate the response of this pattern formation process to genetic variation and evolution in egg size. Specifically, we ask whether spatial localization of gap genes Kruppel (Kr) and giant (gt) and the pair-rule gene even-skipped (eve) during cellularization is robust to genetic variation in embryo length in three Drosophila melanogaster isolines and two closely related species. We identified two wild-derived strains of D. melanogaster whose eggs differ by Ϸ25% in length when reared under identical conditions. These two lines, a D. melanogaster laboratory stock (w1118), and offspring from crosses between the lines all exhibit precise scaling in the placement of gap and pair-rule gene expression along the anterior-posterior axis in relation to embryo length. Genetic analysis indicates that this scaling is maternally controlled. Maternal regulation of scaling must be required for consistent localization of segmentation gene expression because embryo size, a genetically variable and adaptive trait, is maternally inherited. We also investigated spatial scaling between these D. melanogaster lines and single lines of Drosophila sechellia and Drosophila simulans, the latter two differing by Ϸ25% in egg length. In contrast to the robust scaling we observed within species, localization of gene expression relative to embryo length differs significantly between the three species. Thus, the developmental mechanism that assures robust scaling within a species does not prevent rapid evolution between species.buffering ͉ development ͉ embryo size ͉ genetic variation ͉ scaling

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Life‐History Consequences of Divergent Selection on Egg Size inDrosophila melanogaster

Cited by 63 publications

References 47 publications

In search of genetic constraints limiting the evolution of egg size: direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on a prenatal maternal effector

In search of genetic constraints limiting the evolution of egg size: direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on a prenatal maternal effector

Genetic and environmental sources of egg size variation in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana

Canalization of segmentation and its evolution in Drosophila

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