CORRELATIONS AMONG SIZE-RELATED TRAITS ARE AFFECTED BY CHROMOSOME INVERSIONS IN AN ADAPTIVE POLYMORPHISM IN DROSOPHILA-BUZZATII

Genetic variation in correlations among size-related traits of head, t horax and wings was examined in Drosophila buzzatii, by comparing the correlation pattern of the phenotypic correlation matrix (CP-R-p) betw een inversion karyotypes of the second chromosome. CP-R-p differed bet ween some karyotypes in a natural population. CP-R-p in homokaryotypic classes of wild-reared flies, but not in heterokaryotypes, differed f rom the whole population represented by laboratory-reared flies. Simil arity in CP-R-p was highly significant for a same homokaryotype in two populations. In one of them, the chromosome is polymorphic for four i nversions. In the other population, one of the inversions is almost fi xed. CP-R-p was significantly similar between these populations, illus trating that similarity of CP-R-p may even occur between populations w hich have greatly diverged in frequencies of some genotypes affecting correlation patterns. It is suggested that chromosomal inversions are factors affecting genetic correlations among traits known to be phenot ypically correlated with fitness components.