Abstract
Virgin D. melanogaster females were kept at near-freezing temperatures for up to one week, whereupon they were mated. Daily collections of offspring showed evidence of spindle malfunction in meiosis, but not in earlier mitoses, despite our usage of a colder temperature (5.5˚C) than previous studies (10˚C). The greater sensitivity of meiosis than mitosis is baffling, considering that the opposite is true for males, where primary spermatocytes are most vulnerable.