Chromosomal analysis of gregarious oviposition by Drosophila melanogaster.

The contribution of different chromosomes to variation in the gregarious oviposition behavior of Drosophila melanogaster females was elucidate by a chromosome substitution analysis. Lines of D. melanogaster previously selected for more than 190 generations for high or low levels of gregarious oviposition were crossed to a tester strain having genetically marked inversion-containing chromosomes. Genes influencing gregarious oviposition behavior are distributed over chromosome II and III. Interactions among the chromosomes were negligible as measured in this experiment. The differences in the gregarious oviposition performance of these two selected lines is due mainly to the accumulation of factors for high gregarious oviposition on chromosomes II and factors for low gregarious oviposition on chromosome III.