Adaptation to abundant low quality food improves the ability to compete for limited rich food in Drosophila melanogaster

The rate of food consumption is a major factor affecting success in scramble competition for a limited amount of easy-to-find food. Accordingly, several studies report positive genetic correlations between larval competitive ability and feeding rate in Drosophila; both become enhanced in populations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2012-01, Vol.7 (1), p.e30650-e30650
Main Authors: Vijendravarma, Roshan K, Narasimha, Sunitha, Kawecki, Tadeusz J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adaptation, Physiological - physiology
Adults
Agriculture
Animal Feed - analysis
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology
Animals
Behavior
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Behavioral biology
Biology
Breeding - methods
Caloric Restriction
Competition
Competitive advantage
Competitive Behavior - physiology
Correlation
Correlation analysis
Crowding
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism
Drosophila melanogaster - physiology
Ecology
Eggs
Energy Intake - physiology
Evolution
Evolutionary biology
Feeding
Feeding Behavior - physiology
Food
Food consumption
Food quality
Genetic Fitness
Insects
Kinases
Malnutrition
Nutrient deficiency
Pathogens
Physical Conditioning, Animal - physiology
Populations
Society
Yeast
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Summary:The rate of food consumption is a major factor affecting success in scramble competition for a limited amount of easy-to-find food. Accordingly, several studies report positive genetic correlations between larval competitive ability and feeding rate in Drosophila; both become enhanced in populations evolving under larval crowding. Here, we report the experimental evolution of enhanced competitive ability in populations of D. melanogaster previously maintained for 84 generations at low density on an extremely poor larval food. In contrast to previous studies, greater competitive ability was not associated with the evolution of higher feeding rate; if anything, the correlation between the two traits across lines tended to be negative. Thus, enhanced competitive ability may be favored by nutritional stress even when competition is not intense, and competitive ability may be decoupled from the rate of food consumption.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0030650