Fig. 1: In vivo experimental evolution of Coelopa frigida and inversion dynamics.
From: Balancing selection via life-history trade-offs maintains an inversion polymorphism in a seaweed fly
a C. frigida is a seaweed fly inhabiting seaweed wrackbeds that are accumulating and decomposing on the shoreline. Larva are exclusively restricted to this wrackbed substrate and adults are generally found crawling on or within the decomposing seaweed on which they lay eggs in clusters, although they can at times stray away from the wrackbed. Size variation in adult males is associated with the three genotypes of the inversion. Photos by C. Mérot & M. Wellenreuther. b Overview of the in-laboratory evolution experiment design. Starting with wild populations collected from two locations (CE & KA) in Québec (Canada), we raised 16 replicated experimental populations separately over five generations (denoted as G), either on a substrate dominated by Laminariaceae L or Fucaceae F. Eggs and adults were genotyped for a SNP marker associated with the inversion to infer genotype frequencies. c–f Evolution of the frequency of the inversion allele α and the proportion of each karyotypes between generation 0, 1 and 5. The same trend was observed in all 16 replicates for both KA and CE origins and on both substrates. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
