Genetic differences in pupal diapause incidence between two selected strains of the flesh fly

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Abstract
This study assesses the importance of genetic differences that underlie differences in pupal diapause incidence among two lines of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata. Lines of high and low diapause incidence were derived through selection and subsequent inbreeding from an original strain and the diapause incidence was observed among F1, F2 and backcross progeny in a strongly diapause-inducing environment. Results consistently revealed patterns indicating that diapause capability is greatly dependent on heritable factors, although the patterns of inheritance are not additive. The observed differences in diapause levels resulting from artificial selection imply that local natural populations exhibit a large amount of variability in response to diapause-inducing environmental factors. A relatively small number of gene loci are likely to control the diapause response in this species.