Long-Term Frequencies Of Ebony In Artificial Drosophila-Melanogaster Populations Kept In Light And Darkness

The frequencies of ebony flies in polymorphic Drosophila melanogaste laboratory populations kept in light and darkness were studied for one and a half year. The level of ebony attained in darkness was significantly higher than in light. When the populations which had previously been kept in darkness were transferred to light, their frequency of ebony flies dropped rapidly to the level observed in the populations that had been kept in light from the beginning of the experiment. These results are discussed in the context of previous experiments on differential mating success of ebony genotypes.