Mating experience and food deprivation modulate odor preference and dispersal in Drosophila melanogaster males

Rotting fruits offer all of the known resources required for the livelihood of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae). During fruit fermentation, carbohydrates and proteins are decomposed to produce volatile alcohols and amines, respectively. It is hypothesized that D. melanogaster...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect science (Tucson, Ariz.) Ariz.), 2014, Vol.14 (1), p.131-131
Main Authors: Wang, Shu-Ping, Guo, Wei-Yan, Muhammad, Shahid Arain, Chen, Rui-Rui, Mu, Li-Li, Li, Guo-Qing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammonia - pharmacology
Animals
Behavior, Animal - drug effects
Drosophila melanogaster - physiology
Ethanol - pharmacology
Food Deprivation
Male
Methanol - pharmacology
Odorants
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Smell - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Rotting fruits offer all of the known resources required for the livelihood of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae). During fruit fermentation, carbohydrates and proteins are decomposed to produce volatile alcohols and amines, respectively. It is hypothesized that D. melanogaster adults can detect these chemical cues at a distance to identify and locate the decaying fruits. In the present paper, we compared the olfactory responses and movement of male flies varying in mating status and nutritional state to methanol, ethanol, and ammonia sources using a glass Y-tube olfactometer. In general, ethanol vapor at low to moderate concentrations repelled more hungry mated males than satiated ones. In contrast, methanol showed little difference in the attractiveness to males at different nutritional states and mating status. Moreover, ammonia attracted more hungry mated males. The attractiveness increased almost linearly with ammonia concentration from lowest to highest. When ammonia and artificial diet were put together in the odor arm, the responses of male flies to mixed odor mimicked the response to ammonia. Furthermore, odorant concentration, mating status, and nutritional state affected the flies’ dispersal. Mated and starved males dispersed at a higher rate than virgin and satiated ones. Thus, our results showed that starved, mated males increased dispersal and preferred ammonia that originated from protein.
ISSN:1536-2442
1536-2442
DOI:10.1093/jis/14.1.131