TY - JOUR
T1 - Deceleration of age-specific mortality rates in chromosomal homozygotes and heterozygotes of Drosophila melanogaster
AU - Fukui, H. Henry
AU - Ackert, Lloyd
AU - Curtsinger, James W.
PY - 1996/1/1
Y1 - 1996/1/1
N2 - Age specific mortality trajectories were estimated in mixed-sex cohorts of D. melanogaster. We studied 22,000 flies that were either second- chromosome homozygotes or heterozygotes with a randomized genetic background. Broad-sense heritabilities for longevity were estimated to be 6% for males and 9% for females. Heterozygotes lived longer than homozygotes on average, but there were exceptions to the usual heterotic pattern; in several crosses parental homozygotes had average life spans as long as that of their F1 heterozygotes. Estimated age-specific mortality rates were found to decelerate at advanced ages in both homozygotes and heterozygotes. The mortality models that best fit the data are the logistic model and the two- stage Gompertz model, both of which produce mortality trajectories that level off at advanced ages. Old-age mortality deceleration is not peculiar to inbred Drosophila.
AB - Age specific mortality trajectories were estimated in mixed-sex cohorts of D. melanogaster. We studied 22,000 flies that were either second- chromosome homozygotes or heterozygotes with a randomized genetic background. Broad-sense heritabilities for longevity were estimated to be 6% for males and 9% for females. Heterozygotes lived longer than homozygotes on average, but there were exceptions to the usual heterotic pattern; in several crosses parental homozygotes had average life spans as long as that of their F1 heterozygotes. Estimated age-specific mortality rates were found to decelerate at advanced ages in both homozygotes and heterozygotes. The mortality models that best fit the data are the logistic model and the two- stage Gompertz model, both of which produce mortality trajectories that level off at advanced ages. Old-age mortality deceleration is not peculiar to inbred Drosophila.
KW - Gompertz model
KW - age-specific mortality
KW - logistic model
KW - mortality deceleration
KW - two-stage Gompertz model
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U2 - 10.1016/0531-5565(95)02069-1
DO - 10.1016/0531-5565(95)02069-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 9415108
AN - SCOPUS:0030201078
VL - 31
SP - 517
EP - 531
JO - Experimental Gerontology
JF - Experimental Gerontology
SN - 0531-5565
IS - 4
ER -