Drosophila

We find evidence that the mitochondrial DNA carried by Drosophila larvae affects the fitness of other cohabiting larvae – a mitochondrial ‘indirect genetic effect’. This result implies that the effects of mitochondrial DNA on the phenotype of males (specifically, male larvae) may have evolutionary consequences, in contrast to the received wisdom that mtDNA inside males is ‘invisible to selection’ due to maternal inheritance of mtDNA.

We find evidence that the mitochondrial DNA carried by Drosophila larvae affects the fitness of other cohabiting larvae – a mitochondrial ‘indirect genetic effect’. This result implies that the effects of mitochondrial DNA on the phenotype of males (specifically, male larvae) may have evolutionary consequences, in contrast to the received wisdom that mtDNA inside males is ‘invisible to selection’ due to maternal inheritance of mtDNA.

We argue that the effects of mitochondrial DNA on a male phenotype can respond to selection, provided that males interact with their female ‘mitochondrial relatives’, and that the male phenotype affects female fitness. We present experimental evidence that female fitness depends on the mitochondrial DNA carried by interacting males, and discuss the implications for ‘mother’s curse’.

Segregation distorters located on sex chromosomes are predicted to sweep to fixation and cause extinction via a shortage of one sex, …

Many internally‐fertilizing animals produce seminal fluid which is transferred along with sperm during mating. Seminal fluid typically …

Spermicide (i.e., female-mediated sperm death) is an understudied but potentially widespread phenomenon that has important …

Sperm size and number are important determinants of male reproductive success. The genus Drosophila exhibits a remarkable diversity of …