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Originally published in Science Express on 31 August 2006
Science 22 September 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5794, pp. 1773 - 1775
DOI: 10.1126/science.1131002
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Reports

Global Genetic Change Tracks Global Climate Warming in Drosophila subobscura

Joan Balanyá,1* Josep M. Oller,2 Raymond B. Huey,3 George W. Gilchrist,4 Luis Serra1

Comparisons of recent with historical samples of chromosome inversion frequencies provide opportunities to determine whether genetic change is tracking climate change in natural populations. We determined the magnitude and direction of shifts over time (24 years between samples on average) in chromosome inversion frequencies and in ambient temperature for populations of the fly Drosophila subobscura on three continents. In 22 of 26 populations, climates warmed over the intervals, and genotypes characteristic of low latitudes (warm climates) increased in frequency in 21 of those 22 populations. Thus, genetic change in this fly is tracking climate warming and is doing so globally.

1 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, Barcelona 08071, Spain.
2 Department of Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 645, Barcelona 08071, Spain.
3 Department of Biology, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195–1800, USA.
4 Department of Biology, Box 8795, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187–8796, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jbalanya{at}ub.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Adaptive Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to Climate Change in a Wild Bird Population.
A. Charmantier, R. H. McCleery, L. R. Cole, C. Perrins, L. E. B. Kruuk, and B. C. Sheldon (2008)
Science 320, 800-803
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
From the Cover: Impacts of climate warming on terrestrial ectotherms across latitude.
C. A. Deutsch, J. J. Tewksbury, R. B. Huey, K. S. Sheldon, C. K. Ghalambor, D. C. Haak, and P. R. Martin (2008)
PNAS 105, 6668-6672
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Comment on "Global Genetic Change Tracks Global Climate Warming in Drosophila subobscura".
F. Rodriguez-Trelles and M. A. Rodriguez (2007)
Science 315, 1497a
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Response to Comment on "Global Genetic Change Tracks Global Climate Warming in Drosophila subobscura".
J. Balanya, J. M. Oller, R. B. Huey, G. W. Gilchrist, and L. Serra (2007)
Science 315, 1497b
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)