Inheritance of cold shock tolerance in hybrids of Drosophila virilis and Drosophila lummei.

The genetic basis of the difference in cold shock tolerance between the southern temperate Drosophila virilis and its boreal relative D. lummei is studied. After adult eclosion, the parental stocks, reciprocal F1 and backcross hybrids were pretreated for eight days at 18 degrees C or at 6 degrees C. The cold shock used consisted of fast cooling to -10 degrees C and exposure to this temperature for varying lengths of time. D. lummei tolerated such exposure for 40-50% longer than did D. virilis (100-135% after acclimation). Reciprocal F1 females, differing only in their maternal cytoplasm deviated significantly from each other, and the reciprocal F1 males even more so, the contribution of the X chromosome being three to four times that of the cytoplasm. The cold resistance scores of the hybrid males were more extreme than those of the parental stocks. Autosomally heterozygous males with the X chromosome and cytoplasm of virilis were the weakest flies studied. The reciprocal males (X chromosome and cytoplasm of lummei) survived better than the parental lummei stock. The reciprocal differences decreased after cold temperature acclimation. The roles of the four major autosomes were analyzed by backcrossing the reciprocal F1 males with females of the virilis marker stock. The third chromosome of lummei as heterozygous contributed most to cold tolerance, while the other autosomes had a rather weak effect in the opposite direction (virilis homozygotes survived better), which disappeared after acclimation at 6 degrees C. Some of the cold susceptibility of F1 hybrids disappeared in chromosomally identical backcross flies, indicating complex cytoplasm-chromosomal interactions.