G. Ruizdubreuil et al., BEHAVIORAL-CORRELATES OF SELECTION FOR OVIPOSITION BY DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER FEMALES IN A PATCHY ENVIRONMENT, Heredity, 73, 1994, pp. 103-110
The behaviour of females from lines selected for high (H) and low (L)
aggregated oviposition was compared in an environment consisting of di
screte patches of resource available for larval development. Ovipositi
on behaviour was influenced by the conformation and by the texture of
the substrate, but this does not account for the selective differences
in levels of aggregation which are under genetic control. The distrib
ution of males of both selected populations tends to be overdispersed
across resource patches. This observation is consistent with male terr
itorial behaviour. The dispersal patterns of females of the two select
ed populations differ significantly. H females show a contagious distr
ibution whereas the distribution for L females is more nearly random.
Differences in adult female dispersion are likely to be a significant
factor contributing to aggregated oviposition. The level of aggregated
oviposition affects the pattern of progeny survival when the unit of
resource in each patch is small.