Drosophila suzukiiavoidance of microbes in oviposition choice
Abstract
While the majority ofDrosophilaspecies lays eggs onto fermented fruits, females ofDrosophila suzukiipierce the skin and lay eggs into ripening fruits using their serrated ovipositors. The changes of oviposition site preference must have accompanied this niche exploitation. In this study, we established an oviposition assay to investigate the effects of commensal microbes deposited by conspecific and heterospecific individuals and showed that the presence of microbes on the oviposition substrate enhances egg laying ofDrosophila melanogasterandDrosophila biarmipes, but discourages that ofD. suzukii. This result suggests that a drastic change has taken place in the lineage leading toD. suzukiiin how females respond to chemical cues produced by microbes. We also found that hardness of the substrate, resembling that of either ripening or damaged and fermenting fruits, affects the response to microbial growth, indicating that mechanosensory stimuli interact with chemosensory-guided decisions to select or avoid oviposition sites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 20, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1098/rsos.201601
Entities
People
- Airi Sato
- Aya Takahashi
- Joanne Y Yew
- Kentaro M. Tanaka
Organizations
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- National Institutes of Health
- Tokyo Metropolitan University
- United States Department of Defense
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa