CORRELATED CHARACTERS IN COMPLEX GENETIC SYSTEMS

自然选择通常作用于表型，但如果没有表型，自然选择是无效的 群体中个体之间的遗传变异。遗传 性状之间相关性在无处不在的多效性过程中 (多种)基因效应和连锁不平衡(非随机) 影响不同性状的等位基因之间的关联)。这些是 在确定对选择或随机的反应时尤其重要 小种群中的遗传漂移，因为遗传相关 角色不能独立进化。目前流行的型号用于 分析相关字符的选择和进化假设 子代对亲本表型的回归是线性的，并且 性状在群体中呈多元正态分布。这个 遗传因素引起的非线性(非加性)遗传效应 表型进化的交互作用，即显性和上位性 调查过了。遗传互作、连锁的共同影响 不平衡交配与非随机交配的遗传与进化 数量性状也将从理论上进行研究。 对黑腹果蝇的实验将被用来评估 子代-双亲回归和反应的非线性程度 形态性状和雌性繁殖力的选择。自发 影响黄瓜形态性状和繁殖力的突变 单性生殖(无性)果蝇品系也将被 通过实验研究。这些研究将有助于澄清根本 关于《自然》中相关文字演变的几个问题 种群，并将在病虫害控制中得到应用 程序和人工选择实验中。

Natural selection generally acts on phenotypes, but is ineffective without genetic variation between individuals in a population. Genetic correlations between characters are dure to udiquitous pleiotropic (manifold) effects of genes, and linkage disequilibrium (non random associations of alleles affecting different traits). These are particularly important in determining the response to selection, or random genetic drift in small populations, because genetically correlated characters cannot evolve independently. Currently popular models used to analyze selection and evolution of correlatec characters assume that the regression of offspring on parent phenotypes is linear, and that the characters have a multivariate normal distribution in the population. The effects of nonlinear (nonadditive) inheritance caused by genetic interaction, i.e. dominance and epistasis, on phenotypic evolution will be investigated. The joint influence of genetic interation, linkage disequilibrium and nonrandom mating on the inheritance and evolution of quantitative characters will also be investigated theoretically. Experiments with Dorsophila melanogaster will be preformed to assess the extent of non linearity in offspring-parent regressions and response to selection for morphological characters and female fecundity. Spontaneous mutation affecting morphological characters and fecundity in parthenogenetic (asecual) strains of Drosophila mercatorum will also be studied experimentally. These studies will help to clarify fundamental questions concerning the evolution of correlated characters in natural populations, and will also have applications in pest or disease control programs and in artificial selection experiments.