Abstract
A COMMON feature of many selection experiments, when polygenically determined traits are involved, is a reduction in the reproductive fitness of the selected strains. Experimental selection for differences in the numbers of abdominal bristles and sternopleural chaetae in Drosophila melanogaster produced sterility and a reduction in fertility in the selected strains1,2. Latter3 found that the “competitive index” (mating propensity, female fecundity and survival ability) had fallen sharply in strains of D. melanogaster subjected to experimental selection for differences in scutellar bristle number. Selection in Tribolium for change in developmental rates produced alterations in productivity, body size and viability of the flour beetles4. The reproductive fitness of chickens under selection for increased shank length was reduced steadily throughout the selection process5.
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PYLE, D. Effects of artificial selection on reproductive fitness in Drosophila. Nature 263, 317–319 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/263317a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/263317a0
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