Heterosis × nutrition interaction in Drosophila melanogaster.

The relationship between heterozygosity and the expression of heterosis at two different nutrition levels was investigated using Drosophila melanogaster. Average daily egg production and egg hatchability were measured in two parental strains and in F1, F2 and reciprocal backcross generations. Heterosis was more pronounced in the poor nutritional conditions. Two electrophoretic markers used to estimate the level of heterozygosity in F2 and backcrosses revealed an excess of heterozygous genotypes. Quantitative genetic effects (an additive line effect and individual and maternal heterosis) were estimated for both traits in the two environments. Although this model gave a reasonable fit in most cases, some epistatic interaction would have to be invoked in order to explain fully the results.