Interspecific ovarian transplantations in Drosophila: Vitellogenin uptake as an index of evolutionary relatedness

Abstract

Evolutionary divergence is measured either by comparing homologous characters in related species or by assessing the compatibility of genes, cells or tissues from different species to sustain normal development and function. Here we examine vitellogenin accumulation in interspecifically transplanted ovaries as a measure of evolutionary divergence of the second kind. We report on the results from about 400 ovary transplantations involving 27 species from four different species groups of Drosophila. With the exception of one species, no vitellogenin accumulation was observed in inter-group transplantations, but accumulation occurred at varying degrees in intra-group transplantations. This degree is in good agreement with intra-group phylogenetic relationship established on other criteria and it can, therefore, be a useful complementary index of relative evolutionary divergence among members of the same species group. © 1989, The Genetical Society of Great Britain.