Competitive ability among the members of type 2 cytoraces of Nasuta-albomicans complex of Drosophila

Abstract

The members of Nasuta-Albomicans Complex of Drosophila are morphologically identical, karyotypically different but cross-fertile and hence are an excellent system to study several dimensions of raciation. Hybridization between Drosophila nasuta nasuta and Drosophila nasuta albomicans, in the laboratory has given rise to 16 new cytoraces, each having a karyotype that differs from one another and also from those of the parental races. In the present study, we have assessed the competitive ability among the members of type 2 cytoraces along with their parents against a common D. melanogaster mutant. Analysis of productivity and population size among them revealed the superiority of the parental races and the members of type 2 cytoraces over the D. melanogaster mutant strain at varying time points. Similarly in a comparison between the parental races and type 2 cytoraces, the superiority of cytorace 2 was evident.