Genetic load in chromosomes 3 in a population of Drosophila melanogaster in Lagos, Nigeria.
Among 194 chromosomes 3 tested, 48.2% were lethal, 13.4% semilethal, 14.4% subvital, and 29.4% non-lethal. The genetic load in the population is high since only about 30% of the chromosome did not reduce viability, and the frequency of drastic (lethals and semilethals), 56%, is among the highest reported for the chromosome. The frequency of lethals is also high. The rate of allelism is low, only 0.5% among the 28 lethals tested. There were, however, 5 probable cases of pseudoallelism in which some non-allelic lethal chromosomes were either semilethal or subvital in the heterozygous condition.
Williams
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Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Banboye
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D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D009549:Nigeria