Conservation and divergence of the genetic structure of larval foraging behaviour in two species of the Drosophila simulans clade

Abstract

Larvae of the sibling species Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana have rates of locomotor and feeding activity that are closely similar. Comparisons of the trait means for intra-and interspecific hybrids show that significant epistatic interactions affect both characters when the genomes of the two species are combined. The phenotypic variances of progenies obtained by backcrossing the interspecific hybrids to their respective parent species show that appreciable genetic turnover affecting foraging behaviour has occurred since their two phylogenetic lines diverged.