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Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution pp 79–96Cite as

Birkhäuser

Environmental stress and the expression of genetic variation

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Part of the book series: Experientia Supplementum ((EXS,volume 83))

Summary

We have started to test the effects of environmental extremes on the expression of genetic variation for traits likely to be under selection in natural populations. We have shown that field heritability may be high for stress response traits in contrast to morphological traits, which tend to show lower levels of heritable variation in nature compared with the laboratory. Selection for increased stress resistance can lead to a number of other evolutionary changes, and these may underlie trade-offs between favourable and stressful environments. Temperature extremes can have a marked influence on the heritability of life history traits. Heritabilities for fecundity can be high when parental flies are reared at low temperatures and under field conditions. The expression of genetic variation for development time is somewhat more complex when temperature extremes are considered. Populations at species margins may be ideal for studying the effects of environmental stress on evolution.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Genetics and Human Variation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia

    Carla M. Sgró & Ary A. Hoffmann

Authors
  1. Nicole L. Jenkins
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  2. Carla M. Sgró
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  3. Ary A. Hoffmann
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NL-9751 NN, Haren, The Netherlands

    R. Bijlsma

  2. Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Ny Munkegade, Building 540, DK-8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    V. Loeschcke

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© 1997 Springer Basel AG

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Jenkins, N.L., Sgró, C.M., Hoffmann, A.A. (1997). Environmental stress and the expression of genetic variation. In: Bijlsma, R., Loeschcke, V. (eds) Environmental Stress, Adaptation and Evolution. Experientia Supplementum, vol 83. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8882-0_5

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-9813-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-8882-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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