THE GENETICS OF ASYMMETRICAL MALE STERILITY IN DROSOPHILA MOJAVENSIS AND DROSOPHILA ARIZONENSIS HYBRIDS: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE Y-CHROMOSOME AND AUTOSOMES

Crosses between Drosophila mojavensis and D. arizonensis produce fertile females, but the males from the cross ♂ D. mojavensis × ♀ D. arizonensis are sterile. The chromosomal basis of sperm immotility was studied in these hybrids. Interspecific crossing-over was avoided by crossing hybrid males to pure-species females, and chromosomal identification in backcross progeny was possible by means of electrophoretic markers. The main findings are as follows. The Y-chromosome and two autosomes are involved in the determination of sperm motility. The other autosomes, with the exception of the sixth which was not tested, appear to have no effect. The effect of the D. arizonensis X-chromosome was not examined, but it is established that the D. mojavensis X-chromosome has no effect on sperm motility in males carrying the D. arizonensis Y-chromosome and any combination of autosomes. The Y-chromosome and the two autosomes interact with each other in a simple and predictable way, so that certain combinations of these chromosomes always produce motile sperm and others immotile sperm. Thus, asymmetrical male hybrid sterility may have a simple genetic basis. In contrast to ethological isolation, the genetic basis for this postmating isolating mechanism does not appear to vary among conspecific populations, an observation which suggests that postmating isolation antedates ethological isolation in these species.