title: Mitochondrial DNA effects on fitness in Drosophila subobscura.
abstract: We tested different fitness components on a series of conspecific mtDNA haplotypes, detected by RFLPs in Drosophila subobscura. Additionally, haplotype VIII, endemic to the Canary Islands, was tested upon its own native nuclear DNA background and upon that of the rest of mtDNAs tested herein. We found that both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA can have a significant effect upon their hosts' fitness, and that negative selection is one of the mechanisms that can intervene in this species' mtDNA haplotype pattern. We discuss the importance of this mechanism in relation to genetic drift, in the form of periodic population bottlenecks, and how the latter can enhance the former. We also detected a significant positive effect of haplotype VIII upon fitness that could explain in part the dominance of this endemic haplotype on some of the Canary Islands, and a mitochondrial heterosis involving this haplotype when on a foreign nuclear DNA background.
authors.affiliation: Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS) i Laboratori de Genètica, Departament de Biologia, Facultat de Ciències, Edifici Guillem Colom, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Illes Balears, Spain.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picornell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ramon
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D040961:Genetic Drift; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D006823:Hybrid Vigor; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013030:Spain; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial