Individual inversions or their combinations: which is the main selective target in a natural population of Drosophila subobscura?

It is generally accepted that chromosomal inversions have been key elements in adaptation and speciation processes. In this context, D. subobscura has been, and still is, an excellent model species due to its rich chromosomal polymorphism. In this species, many analyses from natural populations have demonstrated the adaptive potential of individual inversions (and their overlapped combinations, the so called arrangements). However, little information is available on the evolutionary role of combinations generated by inversions located in homologous and non-homologous chromosomes. The aim of this research is to ascertain whether these combinations are also a target for natural selection. For this objective, we have studied the inversion composition of homologous and non-homologous chromosomes from a D. subobscura sample collected in a well-studied population, Mount Avala (Serbia). No significant deviation from H-W expectations was detected, and when comparing particular karyotypic combin...