Effects of Genotype and Light on Mating Preference in Drosophila Melanogaster

Abstract

Patterns of mating have been investigated among yellow-bodied and white-eyed D. melanogaster. The relative mating success of yellow-bodied and white-eyed males was found to depend on both the light/dark regime and the phenotype of the female receiving them. White-eyed males were more likely to succeed in the dark 01' with white-eyed females. The effect of the light/dark regime probably reflected the visual defect in white-eyed males and the effect of the female phenotype was primarily due to strong avoidance of yellow-bodied males by white-eyed females. The overall pattern of mating indicated environment-dependent sexual selection and suggested several models for the experimental analysis of the relations between environmental and genetic variability. Possible implications for wild populations are also discussed.