A reevaluation of data from competitive tests shows high levels of heterosis in Drosophila melanogaster.
We have analyzed the results from a range of procedures designed to measure the fitness under competitive conditions of inbred strains of Drosophila melanogaster, specifically strains which are homozygous for chromosome 2. All methods show a substantial reduction in fitness, ranging from an estimated 70-80% for single generation competition tests to 80-90% for a multiple generation population cage procedure. Furthermore, inbreeding through brother-sister mating reduces fitness by a comparable amount when allowance is made for the expected degree of homozygosity.
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School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006720:Homozygote; D006823:Hybrid Vigor / Q000235:genetics*; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D013045:Species Specificity