Digital Commons Network^™

Evolutionary Genetics Of Juvenile Hormone And Ecdysteroid Regulation In Gryllus: A Case Study In The Microevolution Of Endocrine Regulation, Anthony J. Zera

Anthony Zera Publications

During the past 15 years the first detailed synthesis of endocrinology and population genetics has begun, in which natural genetic variations for endocrine regulators have been characterized, almost exclusively in species of the cricket genus Gryllus. Artificial selection studies have documented that regulators of the juvenile hormone titer can rapidly evolve and exhibit levels of genetic variability similar to other physiological traits. Strong genetic correlations exist between some but not all regulators of the JH titer during the juvenile stage. No genetic correlation exists between regulators functioning in juvenile and adult stages, and thus, endocrine regulation can evolve independently in …