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Fly 2013The D. flavopilosa group encompasses an ecologically restricted set of species strictly adapted to hosting flowers of Cestrum (Solanaceae). This group presents potential... (Review)
Review
The D. flavopilosa group encompasses an ecologically restricted set of species strictly adapted to hosting flowers of Cestrum (Solanaceae). This group presents potential to be used as a model to the study of different questions regarding ecologically restricted species macro and microevolutionary responses, geographical vs. ecological speciation and intra and interspecific competition. This review aims to revisit and reanalyze the patterns and processes that are subjacent to the interesting ecological and evolutionary properties of these species. Biotic and abiotic niche properties of some species were reanalyzed in face of ecological niche modeling approaches in order to get some insights into their ecological evolution. A test of the potential of DNA-Barcoding provided evidences that this technology may be a way of overcoming difficulties related to cryptic species differentiation. The new focus replenishes the scenario with new questions, presenting a case where neither geographical nor ecological speciation may be as yet suggested.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Cestrum; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; Drosophila; Female; Geography; Male; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 23459119
DOI: 10.4161/fly.23923 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2023Neonicotinoid pesticides are well-known for their sublethal effects on insect behavior and physiology. Recent work suggests neonicotinoids can impair insect olfactory...
Neonicotinoid pesticides are well-known for their sublethal effects on insect behavior and physiology. Recent work suggests neonicotinoids can impair insect olfactory processing, with potential downstream effects on behavior and possibly survival. However, it is unclear whether impairment occurs during peripheral olfactory detection, during information processing in central brain regions, or in both contexts. We used Drosophila melanogaster to explore the potential for neonicotinoids to disrupt olfaction by conducting electrophysiological analyses of single neurons and whole antennae of flies exposed to varying concentrations of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMD) that were shown to cause relative differences in fly survival. Our results demonstrated that IMD exposure significantly reduced the activity of a single focal olfactory neuron and delayed the return to baseline activity of the whole antenna. To determine if IMD also impacts olfactory-guided behavior, we compared flies' relative preference for odor sources varying in ethanol content. Flies exposed to IMD had a greater relative preference for ethanol-laced pineapple juice than control flies, demonstrating that neuronal shifts induced by IMD that we observed are associated with changes in relative preference. Given the interest in the sensory impacts of agrochemical exposure on wild insect behavior and physiology, we highlight the potential of Drosophila as a tractable model for investigating the effects of pesticides at scales ranging from single-neuron physiology to olfactory-guided behavior.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Pesticides; Drosophila melanogaster; Smell; Ethanol; Neonicotinoids
PubMed: 37391495
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37589-w -
Journal of Insect Science (Online) May 2020After its initial discovery in California in 2008, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura has become one of the most important invasive agricultural pest insects across climate... (Review)
Review
After its initial discovery in California in 2008, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura has become one of the most important invasive agricultural pest insects across climate zones in much of Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Populations of D. suzukii have demonstrated notable behavioral and physiological plasticity, adapting to diverse environmental and climatic conditions, interspecific competition, novel food sources, and potential predators. This adaptability and plasticity have enabled rapid range expansion and diversified niche use by D. suzukii, making it a species particularly suited to changing habitats and conditions. This article reviews factors and evidence that influence plasticity in D. suzukii and promotes this species' invasiveness.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Climate; Drosophila; Environment; Food Chain; Introduced Species
PubMed: 32417920
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa034 -
G3 (Bethesda, Md.) Aug 2023Herbivorous insects are exceptionally diverse, accounting for a quarter of all known eukaryotic species, but the genomic basis of adaptations that enabled this dietary...
Herbivorous insects are exceptionally diverse, accounting for a quarter of all known eukaryotic species, but the genomic basis of adaptations that enabled this dietary transition remains poorly understood. Many studies have suggested that expansions and contractions of chemosensory and detoxification gene families-genes directly mediating interactions with plant chemical defenses-underlie successful plant colonization. However, this hypothesis has been challenging to test because the origins of herbivory in many insect lineages are ancient (>150 million years ago (mya)), obscuring genomic evolutionary patterns. Here, we characterized chemosensory and detoxification gene family evolution across Scaptomyza, a genus nested within Drosophila that includes a recently derived (<15 mya) herbivore lineage of mustard (Brassicales) specialists and carnation (Caryophyllaceae) specialists, and several nonherbivorous species. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that herbivorous Scaptomyza has among the smallest chemosensory and detoxification gene repertoires across 12 drosophilid species surveyed. Rates of gene turnover averaged across the herbivore clade were significantly higher than background rates in over half of the surveyed gene families. However, gene turnover was more limited along the ancestral herbivore branch, with only gustatory receptors and odorant-binding proteins experiencing strong losses. The genes most significantly impacted by gene loss, duplication, or changes in selective constraint were those involved in detecting compounds associated with feeding on living plants (bitter or electrophilic phytotoxins) or their ancestral diet (fermenting plant volatiles). These results provide insight into the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms of plant-feeding adaptations and highlight gene candidates that have also been linked to other dietary transitions in Drosophila.
Topics: Animals; Herbivory; Drosophila; Insecta; Drosophila Proteins; Genomics; Phylogeny; Evolution, Molecular
PubMed: 37317982
DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad133 -
Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE Apr 2022The pupae of Drosophila melanogaster are immobile for several days during metamorphosis, during which they develop a new body with a thin transparent adult integument....
The pupae of Drosophila melanogaster are immobile for several days during metamorphosis, during which they develop a new body with a thin transparent adult integument. Their immobility and transparency make them ideal for in vivo live imaging experiments. Many studies have focused on the dorsal epithelial monolayer of the pupal notum because of its accessibility and relatively large size. In addition to the studies of epithelial mechanics and development, the notum has been an ideal tissue to study wound healing. After an injury, the entire epithelial repair process can be captured by live imaging over 6-12 h. Despite the popularity of the notum for live imaging, very few published studies have utilized fixed notum samples. Fixation and staining are common approaches for nearly all other Drosophila tissues, taking advantage of the large repertoire of simple cellular stains and antibodies. However, the pupal notum is fragile and prone to curling and distortion after removal from the body, making it challenging to complement live imaging. This protocol offers a straightforward method for fixing and staining the pupal notum, both intact and after laser-wounding. With this technique, the ventral side of the pupa is glued down to a coverslip to immobilize the pupa, and the notum is carefully removed, fixed, and stained. The notum epithelium is mounted on a slide or between two coverslips to facilitate imaging from the tissue's dorsal or ventral side.
Topics: Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Epithelium; Pupa; Staining and Labeling
PubMed: 35467663
DOI: 10.3791/63682 -
Journal of Economic Entomology Aug 2022Since the early phase of the intercontinental dispersal of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), fermentation baits have been used for monitoring....
Since the early phase of the intercontinental dispersal of Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), fermentation baits have been used for monitoring. Self-made lures and commercial products are often based on wine and vinegar. From an ecological perspective, the formulation of these baits is expected to target especially vinegar flies associated with overripe fruit, such as Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Hanseniaspora uvarum (Niehaus) (Ascomycota: Saccharomyceta) is a yeast closely associated with D. suzukii and fruit, and furthermore attractive to the flies. Based on this relation, H. uvarum might represent a suitable substrate for the development of lures that are more specific than vinegar and wine. In the field, we therefore, compared H. uvarum to a commercial bait that was based on vinegar and wine with respect to the number of trapped D. suzukii relative to other drosophilids and arthropods. Trap captures were higher with the commercial bait but specificity for D. suzukii was greater with H. uvarum. Moreover, H. uvarum headspace extracts, as well as a synthetic blend of H. uvarum volatiles, were assayed for attraction of D suzukii in a wind tunnel and in the field. Headspace extracts and the synthetic blend induced strong upwind flight in the wind tunnel and confirmed attraction to H. uvarum volatiles. Furthermore, baited with H. uvarum headspace extract and a drowning solution of aqueous acetic acid and ethanol, 74% of field captured arthropods were D. suzukii. Our findings suggest that synthetic yeast headspace formulations might advance the development of more selective monitoring traps with reduced by-catch.
Topics: Acetic Acid; Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Fruit; Hanseniaspora; Insect Control; Yeasts
PubMed: 35385117
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toac029 -
Neurobiology of Disease May 2023The accurate regulation of the microenvironment within the nervous system is one of the key features characterizing complex organisms. To this end, neural tissue has to... (Review)
Review
The accurate regulation of the microenvironment within the nervous system is one of the key features characterizing complex organisms. To this end, neural tissue has to be physically separated from circulation, but at the same time, mechanisms must be in place to allow controlled transport of nutrients and macromolecules into and out of the brain. These roles are executed by cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) found at the interface of circulation and neural tissue. BBB dysfunction is observed in several neurological diseases in human. Although this can be considered as a consequence of diseases, strong evidence supports the notion that BBB dysfunction can promote the progression of brain disorders. In this review, we compile the recent evidence describing the contribution of the Drosophila BBB to the further understanding of brain disease features in human patients. We discuss the function of the Drosophila BBB during infection and inflammation, drug clearance and addictions, sleep, chronic neurodegenerative disorders and epilepsy. In summary, this evidence suggests that the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, can be successfully employed as a model to disentangle mechanisms underlying human diseases.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Blood-Brain Barrier; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila; Brain; Brain Diseases
PubMed: 36898613
DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106071 -
PloS One 2023Living in environments whose ecologies vary in periods as short as 24 h is a challenge for animals as Drosophila species that inhabit pear and apple orchards. These...
Living in environments whose ecologies vary in periods as short as 24 h is a challenge for animals as Drosophila species that inhabit pear and apple orchards. These orchards have sunny and shady sections. The size and shape of these habitats change daily according to the position of the sun in the sky. Sunny areas are related to dryness and water loss, and shady places have lower temperatures and higher humidity. The presence of heterospecific flies may lead to competition for space and food. In sunny habitats we did not find adult Drosophila. In shady sections we found conspecific groups D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. immigrans, D. subobscura, and the Chilean endemic D. pavani perched on grasses and herbs at 8-10 cm from fruits that had fallen on the ground. In the fruits, 99% of the adults were females and they were not grouped. The way in which daily changes in the size and shape of shady habitats together with the presence of heterospecific adults influence the selection of places to live is poorly understood in Drosophila. Our experiments show that adults of the five species prefer dark areas. The experimental results show that the odors of each species: i) influence conspecifics to select similar perch sites and decrease mobility, and ii) increase mobility in heterospecific adults and modify their perch site preferences. Attractions between conspecifics, the repulsions between species, and preferences for shaded areas matter in choosing a place to live in the five Drosophila species. These behaviors seem to have evolved as coordinated routines, contributing to the coexistence of the five Drosophila species in the apple and pear orchards examined.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Ecosystem; Odorants
PubMed: 37440503
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278427 -
Molecular Biology and Evolution Mar 2022Island radiations present natural laboratories for studying the evolutionary process. The Hawaiian Drosophilidae are one such radiation, with nearly 600 described...
Island radiations present natural laboratories for studying the evolutionary process. The Hawaiian Drosophilidae are one such radiation, with nearly 600 described species and substantial morphological and ecological diversification. These species are largely divided into a few major clades, but the relationship between clades remains uncertain. Here, we present new assembled transcriptomes from 12 species across these clades, and use these transcriptomes to resolve the base of the evolutionary radiation. We recover a new hypothesis for the relationship between clades, and demonstrate its support over previously published hypotheses. We then use the evolutionary radiation to explore dynamics of concordance in phylogenetic support, by analyzing the gene and site concordance factors for every possible topological combination of major groups. We show that high bootstrap values mask low evolutionary concordance, and we demonstrate that the most likely topology is distinct from the topology with the highest support across gene trees and from the topology with highest support across sites. We then combine all previously published genetic data for the group to estimate a time-calibrated tree for over 300 species of drosophilids. Finally, we digitize dozens of published Hawaiian Drosophilidae descriptions, and use this to pinpoint probable evolutionary shifts in reproductive ecology as well as body, wing, and egg size. We show that by examining the entire landscape of tree and trait space, we can gain a more complete understanding of how evolutionary dynamics play out across an island radiation.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Drosophila; Drosophilidae; Hawaii; Phylogeny; Wings, Animal
PubMed: 35048974
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac012 -
Nature May 2024
Topics: Animals; Magnetic Fields; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila
PubMed: 38693416
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07320-4