Wing-size heritability in a natural population of Drosophila subobscura

Abstract

Heritability of wing size was determined in a natural population of Drosophila subobscura for two consecutive year samples. In the 1988 sample, heritability in the laboratory environment was around 15%, whereas the lower bound in nature was around 0.1%. On the other hand, in the 1989 sample, heritability in the laboratory was around 90% and in nature around 15%. Differences between the two years could be caused by the more variable climate in which the males used as fathers of the 1988 sample developed. This indicates the importance of determining the environment in which parents developed in nature before discussing the heritability values obtained.