Resistance to temperature extremes between and within life cycle stages in Drosophila serrata, D. birchii and their hybrids: intraspecific and interspecific comparisons

Abstract

Intraspecific Drosophila studies suggest that resistance to heat and cold stresses are largely independent and that correlations across life cycle stages are low whereas comparisons of Drosophila species indicate correlations between heat and cold resistance as well as between resistance levels in different life cycle stages. These inconsistent results may reflect differences in associations among traits at the interspecific and intraspecific levels or interspecific correlations arising because of correlated selection pressures. These alternatives were tested using Drosophila serrata, D. birchii and hybrids derived from these species. Variation among hybrid lines and families was used to test associations at the interspecific level while intraspecific variation was examined using isofemale lines of D. serrata. There was a significant association between adult heat knockdown time at 38°C and adult cold resistance in one set of hybrid lines. An association between female knockdown resistance to heat and larval heat resistance was also evident in one set of hybrids. Resistance to heat and cold at the larval stage were not correlated at either the intraspecific or interspecific levels. At the intraspecific level, larval heat resistance and two measures of adult heat resistance were uncorrelated. Moreover, adult and larval cold resistance measures were not correlated at either the intraspecific or interspecific levels. These results suggest that there are no associations between resistance to heat and cold extremes and that extreme temperature resistance is largely independent across life cycle stages at both the intraspecific and interspecific levels. Species associations may therefore arise from correlated selection pressures rather than trait correlations.