Abstract
It has been recently claimed that the outcome of competition between two phenotypically indistinguishable strains cannot be predicted from comparisons of their respective performances against a mutant tester stock. Our aim in the present paper is to disprove this claim and to show the potential pitfalls of deriving conclusions from a statistical analysis of experimental designs commonly employed for the study of competitive interactions in genetically homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures. Using our own data, we conclude that evaluating the competitive interactions of phenotypically indistinguishable wild-type strains by competing them against mutant marked stocks still remains a valuable method.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Adell, J C, Moya, A, Molina, V, and González-Candelas, F. 1990. On the analysis of viability data: an example with Drosophila. Heredity, 65, 39–46.
Bartlett, M. 1947. The use of transformations. Biometrics, 3, 39–53.
Bhalla, S C, and Sokal, R R. 1964. Competition among genotypes in the housefly at varying densities and proportions (the green strain). Evolution, 18, 312–330.
BMDP Statistical Software. 1988. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
De Miranda, J R, and Eggleston, P. 1987. A comparison of substitution and addition designs for the analysis of competitive interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity, 58, 279–288.
De Miranda, J R, and Eggleston, P. 1988. Larval competition in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Comparing biological and competitive parameters. Heredity, 60, 213–219.
Fowler, K, and Partridge, L. 1986. Variation in male fertility explains an apparent effect of genotypic diversity on success in larval competition in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity, 57, 31–36.
Haldane, J B S. 1956. Estimation of viabilities. J Genet, 54, 294–296.
Hemmat, M, and Eggleston, P. 1990a. Analysis of competitive interactions in triocultures of Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity, 64, 215–222.
Hemmat, M, and Eggleston, P. 1990b. The biometrical genetics of competitive parameters in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity, 64, 223–231.
Hocking, R R. 1976. The analysis and selection of variables in linear regression. Biometrics, 32, 1–49.
Latter, B D H, and Robertson, A. 1962. The effects of inbreeding and artificial selection on reproductive fitness. Genet Res Camb, 3, 110–138.
Lewontin, R C. 1955. The effect.s of population density and composition on viability in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution, 9, 27–41.
Manly, B F J. 1985. The Statistics of Natural Selection. Chapman and Hall, London.
Mather, K. 1969. Selection through competition. Heredity, 24, 529–540.
Mather, K, and Caligari, P D S. 1981. Competitive interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Measurement of competition. Heredity, 46, 239–254.
Mather, K, and Caligari, P D S. 1983. Pressure and response in competitive interactions. Heredity, 51, 435–454.
Mather, K, Hill, J, and Caligari, P D S. 1982. Analysis of competitive ability among genotypes of perennial ryegrass. Heredity, 48, 421–434.
Rawlings, J O. 1988. Applied Regression Analysis: A Research Tool. Wadsworth & Brooks, Pacific Grove, California.
Sharp, P M. 1982. Competitive mating in Drosophila melanogaster. Genet Res Camb, 40, 201–205.
Sharp, P M. 1984. The effect of inbreeding on competitive male-mating ability in Drosophila melanogaster. Genetics, 106, 601–612.
Sokal, R R, and Rohlf, F J. 1981. Biometry, 2nd edn. W. H. Freeman, New York.
Wallace, B. 1981. Basic Population Genetics. Columbia University Press, New York.
Wetherill, G B. 1986. Regression Analysis with Applications. Chapman and Hall, London.
Wilkinson, G S, Fowler, K, and Partridge, L. 1990. Resistance of genetic correlation structure to directional selection in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution, 44, 1990–2003.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Santos, M., Fowler, K. & Partridge, L. On the use of tester stocks to predict the competitive ability of genotypes. Heredity 69, 489–495 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1992.163
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1992.163
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Environment-dependent trade-offs between ectoparasite resistance and larval competitive ability in the Drosophila–Macrocheles system
Heredity (2007)
-
Trade-off between parasitoid resistance and larval competitive ability in Drosophila melanogaster
Nature (1997)
-
Gene–environment interaction for body size and larval density in Drosophila melanogaster: an investigation of effects on development time, thorax length and adult sex ratio
Heredity (1994)