Dissertation Research: Epistatic Genetic Variation in Quantitative Characters

基因技术将被用来测试基因的影响 从黑腹果蝇的野生种群中提取， 两种不同的遗传背景， 被认为是由独立作用的基因控制的。 的 实验也被设计来获得关于 自然界中可变基因间基因相互作用的性质 人口。 这项工作的主要意义是它的相关性， 群体遗传学和进化理论的基础研究， 其中通常认为， 形态特征的值，如大小或长度 结构，相互独立地起作用，这样， 任何一个基因产生的物质都不依赖于其他基因。 然而，实验室选择实验的结果，如 以及基因相互作用的研究表明， 任何一个基因往往取决于其他基因;也就是说， 通常被称为遗传背景或背景。 因为进化的速度取决于基因的大小 变异，对进化的全面理解 这一过程需要更全面地了解 哪种基因相互作用会影响 生物体的特征。 人工选择，选择性的主要手段 培育改良的家养动植物品种， 同样，这取决于基因变异的数量和种类， 理想的特征。 众所周知，最佳育种 程序取决于基因相互作用影响的程度。 可取的特征。 本研究还探索了一种方法 评估这种基因相互作用的程度。

Genetic techniques will be used to test the effect of genes extracted from a wild population of Drosophila melanogaster in two different genetic backgrounds for characters that are often assumed to be controlled by independently acting genes. The experiments are also designed to get information about the nature of gene interaction among variable genes in natural populations. The primary significance of this work is its relevance to basic research in population genetics and evolutionary theory, in which it is commonly assumed that genes which determine the value of morphological characters such as the size or length of structures, act independently of each other, so that the change that any one gene produces does not depend on other genes. However, results from selection experiments in the laboratory, as well as gene interaction studies, have shown that the effect of any one gene often depends on other genes; that is, what is usually referred to as the genetic context or background. Because the rate of evolution depends on the magnitude of genetic variation, a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary process requires a more complete understanding of the extent to which gene interaction affects the amount of variation in the characteristics of organisms. Artificial selection, the chief means of selectively breeding improved strains of domestic plants and animals, similarly depends on the amount and kind of genetic variation in desirable characteristics. It is known that an optimal breeding program depends on the extent to which gene interactions affect a desirable characteristic. This research also explores a method of assessing the magnitude of such gene interactions.