Meiotic drive in Drosophila involving chromosome breakage

In ordinary genetic systems the members of a pair of unlike alleles, or of a pair of unlike chromosomes, are recovered in equal numbers among the off spring, barring complications affecting viability. Contrary to this expectation, in a number of studies it has been found that one allele or chromosome is recovered in significantly more than 50 percent of the functional gametes. The time and mode of the action resulting in inequality varies; where these phenomena result from events of the meiotic process they are known as instances of meiotic drive (SANDLER and NOVITSKI 1957). The case described herein was isolated from a chronically irradiated population (NOVITSKI and HANKS 1961), and was referred to as “29G” previously (HANKS 1961; ERICKSON and HANKS 1961). HANKS (1964) has renamed the line “RD”, referring to a disruption in recovery of the Y chromosome. which gives rise to a high-female sex ratio in the off spring of RD males.