Resistance of drosophila to cadmium: Biochemical factors in resistant and sensitive strains

Gill, Heidi; Nida, Debbie L.; Dean, David A.; England, Matthew; Jacobson, K. Bruce

doi:10.1016/0300-483x(89)90094-2

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…1, revealed that they were due to a single dominant sex-linked allele present in the original stock at low frequency (Shirley and Sibly 1999). It is known from earlier work that the resistance provided in Drosophila by metallothionein regulatory gene(s) has these characteristics (Christie et al 1985, Gill et al 1989). Since in Exp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metapopulation Dynamics of Fruit Flies Undergoing Evolutionary Change in Patchy Environments

Shirley¹,

Sibly²

2001

Ecology

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Theory suggests that a population in a patchy environment will persist longer than in a homogeneous environment. Persistence of the population is necessary for the evolution of resistance, which here occurs under strong selection pressure from heavy metal pollution. Here we investigate the factors promoting persistence and check the theoretical expectation that, given persistence, evolution will occur fastest under high selection pressure and small metapopulation size. We report a replicated study of the metapopulation dynamics of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster undergoing evolutionary change over 12 generations in patchy environments. Environments were composed of two types of patch: polluted and unpolluted, the former being contaminated with cadmium. Metapopulation performance was examined in relation to patch connectivity and in relation to the ratio of polluted to unpolluted patches. The ancestral population contained a small proportion of genes that allowed improved performance on the polluted patches containing cadmium.An initial experiment showed that metapopulation connectivity was essential for metapopulation persistence in polluted patches; without it, extinct patches could not be recolonized. By the twelfth generation the resistant allele had spread in all of the metapopulations, so that all evolved resistance to cadmium. This evolution of resistance substantially increased carrying capacity in polluted patches, and these carrying capacities were in fact indistinguishable from those of unpolluted patches, so that eventual metapopulation sizes did not differ between treatments. Contrary to expectation, evolution took longer in metapopulations living in environments containing more polluted patches, as measured by time taken to achieve full patch occupancy.A metapopulation structure of connected patches was essential for the evolution of resistance, and systems with a high proportion of polluted patches evolved slower than systems containing less polluted patches. With increasing landscape fragmentation, the longterm survival of localized and endangered species may depend on our understanding of metapopulation evolution and dynamics in patchy environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metapopulation Dynamics of Fruit Flies Undergoing Evolutionary Change in Patchy Environments

Shirley¹,

Sibly²

2001

Ecology

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“…A continuous increase in the frequency of A 2 arrangement with increasing concentration of lead in F 4 and F 6 generation, suggests an adaptive response. GILL et al 1989 suggested that the genes which regulate the expression of metallothionein in D. melanogaster may be located on the X-chromosome. A significant change in the frequency of all three gene arrangements of chromosome A (sex chromosome of D. subobscura) in experimental groups maintained on polluted media suggests that the genes which control the expression of structural genes for metallothionein are located on sex chromosome, but without further molecular analysis we can not tell whether they are included within particular A chromosome inversion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diptera and in particular Drosophila are the model organisms in these studies. Exposure to cadmium (G ill et al 1989; S hirley and S ibly 1999), copper (M aroni et al 1987), zinc (C hapco et al 1978) and mercury (M agnusson and R amel 1986) give rise to a genetic response in D. melanogaster . This agrees with the results of studies that suggest that organisms adapt to specific environmental factors through genetic polymorphism (N evo et al 1986; K oehn and B ayne 1989; H ummel and P atarnello 1994; G illespie and G uttman 1999).…”

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confidence: 99%

The effect of different concentrations of lead on inversion polymorphism in Drosophilasubobscura

2006

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Drosophila subobscura is a wild Drosophila species that is spread over almost all of Europe. It possesses an uniquely rich inversion polymorphism on all five long chromosomes. This polymorphism is to a certain degree associated with the variation and dynamics of ecological factors in space and time.We analyzed the changes of inversion polymorphism components of Drosophila subobscura flies maintained on media with different concentrations of lead in laboratory conditions. The effects of lead on inversion polymorphism were observed by cytological analysis of gene arrangements on all of the five acrocentric chromosomes, as well as by cytological analysis of karyotypes on all of the four autosomes.The frequencies of particular gene arrangements on the four autosomes changed significantly in the samples maintained on medium not supplemented with lead. The frequencies of some gene arrangements on all of the five acrocentric chromosomes changed significantly in the flies maintained on media supplemented with lead. The length of exposure to different lead concentrations results in a significant change in the frequency of a few gene arrangements on two autosomes. However, the results show that different concentrations of lead, as well as the length of exposure, do not affect major parameters of inversion polymorphism. The results suggest that some gene arrangements could be linked with adaptive processes in evolving heavy metal resistance.

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“…Examples of dipteran heavy-metal resistance can be found in Chironomids (Yamamura et al 1983;Postma et al 1995), Muscids (Sohal and Lamb 1979), and Calliphorids (Aoki et al 1984); but most attention has been given to Drosophila (Dallinger 1996;and papers in Dallinger and Rainbow 1992;Posthuma and van Straalen 1993). Genetic responses have been demonstrated in D. melanogaster by a variety of methods including laboratory natural selection (Nassar 1979;Wallace 1982;Magnusson and Ramel 1986;Otto et al 1986 cadmium (Gill et al 1989;Lauverjat et al 1989;Maroni et al 1987a), copper (Wallace 1982;Maroni et al 1987a), lead (Nassar 1979), zinc (Chapco et al 1978), mercury (Magnusson and Ramel 1986), and selenium (Chapco et al 1978).…”

Section: Receivedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic Basis of a between-Environment Trade-off Involving Resistance to Cadmium in Drosophila melanogaster

Shirley¹,

Sibly²

1999

Evolution

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In a replicated, laboratory, natural selection experiment Drosophila melanogaster populations were maintained for 20 generations either on unpolluted medium or on polluted medium containing cadmium chloride at a concentration of 80 u.g/ml, Lines maintained on polluted medium evolved resistance. In comparison with unpolluted lines, their juvenile survivorship increased from 35% to 46%, developmental period decreased from 13.7 days to 13.0 days, and fecundity increased from 3 to 29 eggs per two-day period. Emergence weights, however, did not change. By contrast the "environmental" effect of moving susceptible flies onto polluted medium was that after two generations survivorship fell 62%, developmental period increased 40%, and fecundity fell 97%. Emergence weights fell 31% in females and 28% in males. Resistant lines paid a fitness cost in unpolluted environments, with fecundity being reduced by 44% and emergence weights being reduced by 4% in females and 6% in males. Developmental period, however, was unaffected. Analyses of crosses and backcrosses between the lines suggested that the evolved cadmium resistance was due to a single sex-linked gene. Levels of dominance were calculated, and in each life-history character the resistant allele was found to be completely dominant. Because the life-history effects appear to be produced by a single gene, it is probable that they all depend on the same metabolic pathway. Metallothionein production is a likely candidate because this is known to be controlled by genes on the X-chromosome. The study adds to a small number of examples of single or closely linked genes with large antagonistic pleiotropic effects on life histories. The result here is a between-environment trade-off, allowing animals increased fitness in polluted environments, but only at the cost of reduced growth and reproduction in unpolluted environments.

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Resistance of drosophila to cadmium: Biochemical factors in resistant and sensitive strains

Cited by 24 publications

References 8 publications

Metapopulation Dynamics of Fruit Flies Undergoing Evolutionary Change in Patchy Environments

Metapopulation Dynamics of Fruit Flies Undergoing Evolutionary Change in Patchy Environments

The effect of different concentrations of lead on inversion polymorphism in Drosophilasubobscura

Genetic Basis of a between-Environment Trade-off Involving Resistance to Cadmium in Drosophila melanogaster

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