Larval stop, delayed development and survival in overcrowded cultures of Drosophila melanogaster: Effect of urea and uric acid

Non-additive effects between genotypes: Implications for competitive fitness assays

Competitive fitness assays are widely used in evolutionary biology and typically rely on a reference strain to compare different focal genotypes. This approach implicitly relies on the absence of interaction between the competing genotypes. In other words, the performance of the reference strain must not depend on the competitor. This report scrutinized this assumption by competing diverged Drosophila simulans populations against a common reference strain. We detected strong evidence for interaction between the competing genotypes: (1) Frequency-dependent selection was common with opposite effects in genetically diverged populations. (2) Temporal heterogeneity of fitness estimates, which can be partially attributed to a competitor-specific delay in the eclosion of the reference strain. We propose that this inconsistent behavior of the reference strain can be considered a specific case of a genotype × environment interaction. Focal populations could modify the environment of the reference strain, either indirectly by altering the microbiome composition and food availability or directly by genotype-specific cannibalism. Our results provide new insights into the interaction of diverged genotypes and have important implications for the interpretation of competitive fitness assays.

Investment in adult reproductive tissues is affected by larval growth conditions but not by evolution under poor larval growth conditions in Drosophila melanogaster

•

Growing at different larval densities affect the investment in reproductive tissues

•

Increased larval density negatively affects the testis and accessory gland size

•

Relative investment in testis is not affected by larval densities

•

Increased larval densities affect relative accessory gland size negatively

•

Adaptation to high larval crowding does not affect investment in reproductive tissues

In many insects, the larval environment is confined to the egg-laying site, which often leads to crowded larval conditions, exposing the developing larvae to poor resource availability and toxic metabolic wastes. Larval crowding imposes two opposing selection pressures. On one hand, due to poor nutritional resources during developmental stages, adults from the crowded larval environment have reduced investment in reproductive tissues. On the other hand, a crowded larval environment acts as a cue for future reproductive competition inducing increased investment in reproductive tissues. Both these selection pressures are likely affected by the level of crowding. The evolutionary consequence of adaptation to larval crowding environment on adult reproductive investment is bound to be a result of the interaction of these two opposing forces. In this study, we used experimentally evolved populations of Drosophila melanogaster adapted to larval crowding to investigate the effect of adaptation to larval crowding on investment in reproductive organs (testes and accessory glands) of males. Our results show that there is a strong effect of larval developmental environment on absolute sizes of testes and accessory glands. However, there was no effect of the developmental environment when testis size was scaled by body size. We also found that flies from crowded cultures had smaller accessory gland sizes relative to body size. Moreover, the sizes of the reproductive organs were not affected by the selection histories of the populations. This study highlights that adaptation to two extremely different developmental environments does not affect the patterns of reproductive investment. We discuss the possibility that differential investment in reproductive tissues could be influenced by the mating dynamics and/or investment in larval survival traits, rather than just the developmental environment of the populations.

Is lifespan linked with developmental viability in Drosophila melanogaster?

Long-lived lines of flies have been selected by reproduction at older ages and correlated responses observed, and particularly whether development of flies was modified. Using these selected lines or flies subjected to larval crowding of food restriction during development, two studies have computed, among lines, a correlation between viability of eggs and larvae and mean lifespan of adults: mean lifespan was longer when the viability was lower, showing a selection of fittest flies. The present study correlates viability and mean lifespan observed during three decades in a single wild-type strain. Contrary to the previous studies, a slight but not significant positive correlation is observed, showing that lifespan can hardly increase when viability increases. Therefore, it is not clear whether development and lifespan are linked, as hypothesised by some authors.

Evolution of sex-specific heat stress tolerance and larval Hsp70 expression in populations of Drosophila melanogaster adapted to larval crowding

The ability to tolerate temperature stress is an important component of adult fitness. In holometabolous insects like Drosophila melanogaster, adult stress resistance can be affected by growth conditions experienced during the larval stages. Although evolution under crowded larval conditions is known to lead to the correlated evolution of many adult traits, its consequences on adult heat stress tolerance have not been investigated. Therefore, in the present study, we assessed the adult heat stress tolerance in populations of D. melanogaster adapted to a stressful larval crowding environment. We used replicate populations of D. melanogaster, selected for adaptation to larval crowding stress (MCUs), for more than 230 generations, and their respective controls (MBs). Larvae from selected and control populations were grown under crowded and uncrowded conditions, and their adult heat shock resistance at two different temperatures was measured. Further, we compared Hsp70 expression in crowded and uncrowded larvae of both populations and also measured the Hsp70 expression after a mild heat treatment in adults of selected and control populations. Our results showed that adaptation to larval crowding leads to the evolution of Hsp70 gene expression in larval stages and improves adult heat stress tolerance ability in males, but not in females.

Condition-dependent interaction between mating success and competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster

Dietary restriction during development can affect adult body size and condition. In many species, larger (high-condition) males gain higher mating success through male-male competition and female choice, and female condition can affect the extent of both female mate choice and male investment in courtship or ejaculates. However, few studies have examined the joint effects and interplay of male and female condition during both the pre- and the postcopulatory phases of sexual selection. We therefore manipulated the larval diet of male and female Drosophila melanogaster to study how body size variation in both sexes biases competitive outcomes at different reproductive stages, from mating to paternity. We did not find a difference in mate preference or mating latency between females of different conditions, nor any interaction between male and female conditions. However, large males were more successful in gaining matings, but only when in direct competition, whereas mating latencies were shorter for low-condition males in noncompetitive settings. Small males also transferred more sperm to nonvirgin females, displaced a larger proportion of resident sperm, and achieved higher paternity shares per mating than large males. In agreement with existing theory, we suggest that small males might partially compensate for their low mating success by strategically investing in larger sperm numbers and potentially other, unmeasured ejaculate traits, when they do have a mating opportunity.

Evolution of pathogen-specific improved survivorship post-infection in populations of Drosophila melanogaster adapted to larval crowding

The environment experienced by individuals during their juvenile stages has an impact on their adult stages. In holometabolous insects like Drosophila melanogaster, most of the resource acquisition for adult stages happens during the larval stages. Larval-crowding is a stressful environment, which exposes the larvae to scarcity of food and accumulation of toxic waste. Since adult traits are contingent upon larval stages, in larval-crowding like conditions, adult traits are prone to get affected. While the effect of resource limited, poor-developmental environment on adult immune response has been widely studied, the effect of adaptation to resource-limited developmental environment has not been studied, therefore in this study we assayed the evolution of ability to survive infection in adult stages as a correlated response to adaptation to larval crowding environments. Using four populations of Drosophila melanogaster adapted to larval crowding for 240 generations and their respective control populations, we show that populations adapted to larval crowding show an improved and evolved post-infection survivorship against a gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas entomophila. Whereas, against a gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, no difference in post-infection survivorship was observed across control and selected populations. In this study, we report the co-related evolution of pathogen-specific increased survivorship post-infection in populations of Drosophila melanogaster as a result of adaptation to larval crowding environment.

Neglecting larval rearing conditions in Drosophila melanogaster can negatively impact research on ageing

The developmental conditions of Drosophila melanogaster flies can modify the phenotypic traits of adults. However, the control of these conditions is neglected by some authors in their articles and the readers are unaware, for instance, whether flies developed in crowded cultures or fed on a new or used medium. Controlling developmental conditions allows to know precisely the viability of flies, their duration of development and sex-ratio, which can be warning signals of bad rearing conditions. As developmental conditions can modify the results of experiments on the effects of ageing it is necessary to strictly control them.

Larval density affects phenotype and surrounding bacterial community without altering gut microbiota in Drosophila melanogaster

Larval crowding represents a complex stressful situation arising from inter-individual competition for time- and space-limited resources. The foraging of a large number of individuals may alter the chemical and bacterial composition of food and in turn affect individual's traits. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster to explore these assumptions. First, we used a wide larval density gradient to investigate the impact of crowding on phenotypical traits. We confirmed that high densities increased development time and pupation height, and decreased viability and body mass. Next, we measured concentrations of common metabolic wastes (ammonia, uric acid) and characterized bacterial communities, both in food and in larvae, for three contrasting larval densities (low, medium and high). Ammonia concentration increased in food from medium and high larval densities, but remained low in larvae regardless of the larval density. Uric acid did not accumulate in food but was detected in larvae. Surprisingly, bacterial composition remained stable in guts of larvae whatever their rearing density, although it drastically changed in the food. Overall, these results indicate that crowding deeply affects individuals, and also their abiotic and biotic surroundings. Environmental bacterial communities likely adapt to altered nutritional situations resulting from crowding, putatively acting as scavengers of larval metabolic wastes.

Cooperative foraging during larval stage affects fitness in Drosophila

Cooperative behavior can confer advantages to animals. This is especially true for cooperative foraging which provides fitness benefits through more efficient acquisition and consumption of food. While examples of group foraging have been widely described, the principles governing formation of such aggregations and rules that determine group membership remain poorly understood. Here, we take advantage of an experimental model system featuring cooperative foraging behavior in Drosophila. Under crowded conditions, fly larvae form coordinated digging groups (clusters), where individuals are linked together by sensory cues and group membership requires prior experience. However, fitness benefits of Drosophila larval clustering remain unknown. We demonstrate that animals raised in crowded conditions on food partially processed by other larvae experience a developmental delay presumably due to the decreased nutritional value of the substrate. Intriguingly, same conditions promote the formation of cooperative foraging clusters which further extends larval stage compared to non-clustering animals. Remarkably, this developmental retardation also results in a relative increase in wing size, serving an indicator of adult fitness. Thus, we find that the clustering-induced developmental delay is accompanied by fitness benefits. Therefore, cooperative foraging, while delaying development, may have evolved to give Drosophila larvae benefits when presented with competition for limited food resources.

Differential response to larval crowding of a long- and a short-lived medfly biotype

Response of endophytic fruit fly species (Tephritidae) to larval crowding is a form of scramble competition that may affect important life history traits of adults, such as survival and reproduction. Recent empirical evidence demonstrates large differences in adult life history traits, especially longevity, among Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata; "medfly") biotypes obtained from different regions of the world. However, whether the evolution of long lifespan is associated with response to stress induced by larval crowding has not been fully elucidated. We investigated, under constant laboratory conditions, the response of a short- and a long-lived medfly biotypes to stress induced by larval crowding. Survival and development of larvae and pupae and the size of resulting pupae were recorded. The lifespan and age-specific egg production patterns of the obtained adults were recorded. Our findings reveal that increased larval density reduced immature survival (larvae and pupae) in the short-lived biotype but had rather neutral effects on the longed-lived one. Only larvae of the long-lived biotype were capable of prolonging their developmental duration under the highest crowding regime to successfully pupate and emerge as adults. Response of emerging adults to larvae crowding conditions was similar in the two medfly biotypes. Those individuals emerging from high larval density regimes had reduced longevity and fecundity. Long-lived biotype individuals, however, appeared to suffer a higher cost in longevity compared with the short-lived one. The importance of our findings to understand the evolution of long lifespan is discussed.

Oviposition Preference and Larval Performance of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Spotted-Wing Drosophila: Effects of Fruit Identity and Composition

A better understanding of the factors affecting host plant use by spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) could aid in the development of efficient management tools and practices to control this pest. Here, proxies of both preference (maternal oviposition behavior) and performance (adult emergence) were evaluated for 12 different fruits in the form of purees. The effect of the chemical composition of the fruits on preference and performance traits was then estimated. We synthesized the literature to interpret our findings in the light of previous studies that measured oviposition preference and larval performance of D. suzukii. We show that fruit identity influences different parts of the life cycle, including oviposition preference under both choice and no-choice conditions, emergence rate, development time, and number of emerging adults. Blackcurrant was always among the most preferred fruit we used, while grape and tomato were the least preferred fruits. Larvae performed better in cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, and cherry than in the other fruits tested. We found that fruit chemical compounds can explain part of the effect of fruit on D. suzukii traits. In particular, oviposition preference under choice conditions was strongly influenced by fruit phosphorus content. In general, the consensus across studies is that raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry are among the best hosts while blackcurrant, grape and rose hips are poor hosts. Our results generally confirm this view but also suggest that oviposition preferences do not necessarily match larval performances. We discuss opportunities to use our results to develop new approaches for pest management.

Evolutionary compromises to metabolic toxins: Ammonia and urea tolerance in Drosophila suzukii and Drosophila melanogaster

The invasive pest Drosophila suzukii has evolved morphological and behavioural adaptations to lay eggs under the skin of fresh fruits. This results in severe damage to a wide range of small fruits. Drosophila suzukii females typically lay few eggs per fruit, preferring healthy fruits. Hence, larvae are exposed to a reduced amount of nitrogenous waste. Differently, the innocuous Drosophila melanogaster lays eggs on fermented fruits already infested by conspecifics, with larvae developing in a crowded environment with the accumulation of nitrogenous waste such as ammonia and urea. These compounds derive from nitrogen metabolism, protein degradation, and amino acids catabolism and are relatively toxic at high concentrations in an organism. The observed differences in oviposition site and larval ecological niche suggest that these species might differ in behavioural and physiological mechanisms used to cope with nitrogenous waste. We investigated how different concentrations of ammonia and urea affect oviposition and larval development in both species. Females and larvae of D. suzukii showed greater susceptibility to high concentrations of both compounds, with a dramatic decrease in the number of eggs laid and egg viability. Moreover, we tested the chemotactic response of third instar larvae to high concentrations of the compounds. Interestingly, ammonia resulted in a repulsive behaviour in respect of the control and urea groups. To better understand the pathways underlying these differences, we evaluated the effect on ornithine aminotransferase and glutathione-S-transferase, two enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism and stress response that are expressed during larval development. Both ammonia and urea significantly reduced the expression of these enzymes in D. suzukii compared to D. melanogaster. This shows how the ecological shift of D. suzukii to fresh fruit is accompanied by less efficient detoxifying and excretory mechanisms, with important implications for evolutionary biology and applied research. Our data suggest that the ecological shift of D. suzukii to fresh fruit as oviposition substrate is accompanied by a reduced tolerance to metabolic toxins during larval development.

Hormesis-like effect of mild larval crowding on thermotolerance in Drosophila flies

Crowding is a complex stress that can affect organisms' physiology, especially through decreased food quality and accessibility. Here, we evaluated the effect of larval density on several biological traits of Drosophila melanogaster An increasing gradient, from 1 to 1000 eggs per milliliter of food, was used to characterize life-history traits variations. Crowded conditions resulted in striking decreases of fresh mass (up to 6-fold) and viability, as well as delayed development. Next, we assessed heat and cold tolerance in L3 larvae reared at three selected larval densities: low (LD, 5 eggs ml^-1), medium (MD, 60 eggs ml^-1) and high (HD, 300 eggs ml^-1). LT₅₀ values of MD and, to a lesser extent, HD larvae were repeatedly higher than those from LD larvae, under both heat and cold stress. We investigated potential physiological correlates associated with this density-dependent thermotolerance shift. No marked pattern could be drawn from the expression of stress-related genes. However, a metabolomic analysis differentiated the metabotypes of the three density levels, with potential candidates associated with this clustering (e.g. glucose 6-phosphate, GABA, sugars and polyols). Under HD, signs of oxidative stress were noted but not confirmed at the transcriptional level. Finally, urea, a common metabolic waste, was found to accumulate substantially in food from MD and HD larvae. When supplemented in food, urea stimulated cold tolerance but reduced heat tolerance in LD larvae. This study highlights that larval crowding is an important environmental parameter that induces drastic consequences on flies' physiology and can affect thermotolerance in a density-specific way.

Developmental Studies of Maize-Infesting Picture-Winged Flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae)

Eleven species of picture-winged flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae) attack maize (Zea mays L.) in the Americas. Field and laboratory studies were used to determine developmental times on sweet corn ears for the three most common species attacking the crop in the United States, Chaetopsis massyla (Walker), Euxesta eluta Loew, and Euxesta stigmatias Loew. Egg plus larval stage developmental times were evaluated in early Spring and late Fall 2009, and late Spring 2010, by placing newly deposited eggs in protected ears in the field. Newly formed puparia were removed daily from cages and held in the laboratory to determine pupal developmental times. Developmental times were compared with flies reared on artificial diet in the laboratory. Ear- and diet-reared adults were held until their death to determine adult longevity. Developmental times, including for pupae from ear-reared larvae, were significantly affected by species and season. All three species required nearly twice as long to complete development in the late Fall compared to late Spring studies. Flies required 3-13 d longer to complete development on artificial diet than on ears. Euxesta eluta adults lived two to three times longer than the other species, and females of all species lived 10-15% longer than males. Species and seasonal developmental times are discussed in relation to ear developmental times and control strategies. It is estimated that 16-19 generations per year of all three fly species can develop in the field in the sweet corn production area of southern Florida.

RESPONSES AND CORRELATED RESPONSES TO ARTIFICIAL SELECTION ON THORAX LENGTH IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Two sets of four replicate lines of Drosophila melanogaster were selected for large and small thorax with controls. F, progeny of crosses between the selected lines within each size category showed (a) a reduction in preadult viability in large lines relative to control and small lines when they were cultured at medium or high density in competition with a standard mutant marked competitor stock, and (b) an increase in larval development time in large lines relative to control and small lines. Natural selection for increased body size in adults may therefore be opposed by adverse effects on larval viability. The results are discussed in terms of the developmental mechanisms probably responsible for the change in body size. The preadult survival of the large and control lines was measured at three different temperatures, and there was no evidence for a significant interaction between size and temperature. The observed evolutionary increase in body size in response to reduced temperature in Drosophila must therefore involve either different genes from those subject to selection for size at a single temperature, or a fitness component other than preadult survival. There was no significant asymmetry in response to selection, and thorax length showed heterosis in crosses between the selected lines.

DENSITY-DEPENDENT NATURAL SELECTION IN DROSOPHILA: EVOLUTION OF GROWTH RATE AND BODY SIZE

Drosophila melanogaster populations subjected to extreme larval crowding (CU lines) in our laboratory have evolved higher larval feeding rates than their corresponding controls (UU lines). It has been suggested that this genetically based behavior may involve an energetic cost, which precludes natural selection in a density-regulated population to simultaneously maximize food acquisition and food conversion into biomass. If true, this stands against some basic predictions of the general theory of density-dependent natural selection. Here we investigate the evolutionary consequences of density-dependent natural selection on growth rate and body size in D. melanogaster. The CU populations showed a higher growth rate during the postcritical period of larval life than UU populations, but the sustained differences in weight did not translate into the adult stage. The simplest explanation for these findings (that natural selection in a crowded larval environment favors a faster food acquisition for the individual to attain the same final body size in a shorter period of time) was tested and rejected by looking at the larva-to-adult development times. Larvae of CU populations starved for different periods of time develop into comparatively smaller adults, suggesting that food seeking behavior in a food depleted environment carries a higher cost to these larvae than to their UU counterparts. The results have important implications for understanding the evolution of body size in natural populations of Drosophila, and stand against some widespread beliefs that body size may represent a compromise between the conflicting effects of genetic variation in larval and adult performance.

DENSITY-DEPENDENT EVOLUTION OF LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Populations of Drosophila melanogaster were maintained for 36 generations in r- and K-selected environments in order to test the life-history predictions of theories on density-dependent selection. In the r-selection environment, populations were reduced to low densities by density-independent adult mortality, whereas populations in the K-selection environment were maintained at their carrying capacity. Some of the experimental results support the predictions or r- and K-selection theory; relative to the r-selected populations, the K-selected populations evolved an increased larval-to-adult viability, larger body size, and longer development time at high larval densities. Mueller and Ayala (1981) found that K-selected populations also have a higher rate of population growth at high densities. Other predictions of the thoery are contradicted by the lack of differences between the r and K populations in adult longevity and fecundity and a slower rate of development for r-selected individuals at low densities. The differences between selected populations in larval survivorship, larval-to-adult development time, and adult body size are strongly dependent on larval density, and there is a significant interaction between populations and larval density for each trait. This manifests an inadequacy of the theory on r- and K-selection, which does not take into account such interactions between genotypes and environments. We describe mechanisms that may explain the evolution of preadult life-history traits in our experiment and discuss the need for changes in theories of density-dependent selection.

Adaptation to larval crowding in Drosophila ananassae and Drosophila nasuta nasuta: increased larval competitive ability without increased larval feeding rate

The standard view of adaptation to larval crowding in fruitflies, built on results from 25 years of multiple experimental evolution studies on Drosophila melanogaster, was that enhanced competitive ability evolves primarily through increased larval feeding and foraging rate, and increased larval tolerance to nitrogenous wastes, at the cost of efficiency of food conversion to biomass. These results were at odds from the predictions of classical K-selection theory, notably the expectation that selection at high density should result in the increase of efficiency of conversion of food to biomass, and were better interpreted through the lens of α-selection. We show here that populations of D. ananassae and D. n. nasuta subjected to extreme larval crowding evolve greater competitive ability and pre-adult survivorship at high density, primarily through a combination of reduced larval duration, faster attainment of minimum critical size for pupation, greater time efficiency of food conversion to biomass and increased pupation height, with a relatively small role of increased urea/ammonia tolerance, if at all. This is a very different suite of traits than that seen to evolve under similar selection in D. melanogaster, and seems to be closer to the expectations from the canonical theory of K-selection. We also discuss possible reasons for these differences in results across the three species. Overall, the results reinforce the view that our understanding of the evolution of competitive ability in fruitflies needs to be more nuanced than before, with an appreciation that there may be multiple evolutionary routes through which higher competitive ability can be attained.

Tissue damage disrupts developmental progression and ecdysteroid biosynthesis in Drosophila

In humans, chronic inflammation, severe injury, infection and disease can result in changes in steroid hormone titers and delayed onset of puberty; however the pathway by which this occurs remains largely unknown. Similarly, in insects injury to specific tissues can result in a global developmental delay (e.g. prolonged larval/pupal stages) often associated with decreased levels of ecdysone – a steroid hormone that regulates developmental transitions in insects. We use Drosophila melanogaster as a model to examine the pathway by which tissue injury disrupts developmental progression. Imaginal disc damage inflicted early in larval development triggers developmental delays while the effects are minimized in older larvae. We find that the switch in injury response (e.g. delay/no delay) is coincident with the mid-3rd instar transition – a developmental time-point that is characterized by widespread changes in gene expression and marks the initial steps of metamorphosis. Finally, we show that developmental delays induced by tissue damage are associated with decreased expression of genes involved in ecdysteroid synthesis and signaling.

The potential toxic effects of cerium on organism: cerium prolonged the developmental time and induced the expression of Hsp70 and apoptosis in Drosophila melanogaster

Due to the widespread application of cerium, a rare earth element, the risk of exposure to cerium has increased. Therefore, understanding the physiological effects of cerium is of great importance. Our previous work showed that cerium caused significant lifespan shortening accompanied by oxidative damage in Drosophila melanogaster, however, little is known about the detailed mechanism of cerium-induced cytotoxicity. Thus, we examined the developmental time during metamorphosis, and assessed the toxic effects of cerium by evaluating heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), DNA damage markers and apoptosis in D. melanogaster. We found that cerium extended the developmental time of D. melanogaster and up-regulated the expression of Hsp70 when the concentration of cerium was increased (especially concentrations over 26.3 μg/g). Up-regulation of the cell cycle checkpoint p53 and cell signaling protein p38 were also observed when the concentration of cerium was over 104 μg/g. In addition, the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9, markers of apoptosis, were significantly higher when the larvae were exposed to ceric sulfate. These results suggest that high concentrations of cerium may result in DNA damage and ultimately apoptosis in D. melanogaster, and strongly indicate that cerium should be applied with caution and the potential toxic effects in humans should also be taken into consideration.

Artificial sexual selection alters allometry in the stalk-eyed fly Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni (Diptera: Diopsidae)

Selection for increased and decreased ratio of eye span to body length was exerted on male stalk-eyed flies (Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni) from Malaysia using replicate selected and unselected lines. Response to selection was symmetrical. After 10 generations high line male eye span increased to 1·3 body lengths while low line male eye span declined to 1·1 body lengths. Realized heritabilities for eye span to body length ratio, estimated using regressions of deviations from unselected controls on cumulative selection differentials, were greater than zero for all four selected lines with average h2 = 0·35 + 0·06. The static linear allometric relationship between eye span and body length diverged between selected lines and rotated among selected line males in the same direction as among males in other sexually dimorphic diopsid species. Crosses between lines after 13 generations of selection indicate that the genes which influence relative eye span combine additively and do not exhibit sex linkage or maternal effects. The genetic correlation between the sexes, 0·29 + 0·05 as estimated by the regression of female on male change in eye span, did not prevent sexual dimorphism in eye span from diverging between lines. These results suggest that the exaggerated eye span of male C. dalmanni is maintained by natural selection opposing sexual selection rather than by lack of or asymmetry in additive genetic variation. Furthermore, the variation in sexual dimorphism for eye span-body length allometry observed among extant diopsid species is consistent with sexual selection of variable intensity acting on relative eye span.

Experimental evolution in Drosophila melanogaster: interaction of temperature and food quality selection regimes

In Drosophila, both the phenotypic and evolutionary effect of temperature on adult size involves alterations to larval resource processing and affects other life-history traits, that is, development time but most notably, larval survival. Therefore, thermal evolution of adult body size might not be independent of simultaneous adaptation of larval traits to resource availability. Using experimental evolution lines adapted to high and low temperatures at different levels of food, we show that selection pressures interact in shaping larval resource processing. Evolution on poor food invariably leads to lower resource acquisition suggesting a cost to feeding behavior. However, following low temperature selection, lower resource acquisition led to a higher adult body size, probably by more efficient allocation to growth. In contrast, following high temperature selection, low resource acquisition benefited larval survival, possibly by reducing feeding-associated costs. We show that evolved differences to larval resource processing provide a possible proximate mechanism to variation in a suite of correlated life-history traits during adaptation to different climates. The implication for natural populations is that in nature, thermal evolution drives populations to opposite ends of an adult size versus larval survival trade-off by altering resource processing, if resource availability is limited.

Effects of maternal age on larval competitiveness in house flies

At advanced ages, many insects lay smaller eggs with reduced viability, but adults produced by different maternal age classes are usually indistinguishable. In most species it is not known if there are any significant differences between hatchlings from smaller, later eggs (i.e. those produced by old females) and those from larger, earlier eggs (i.e. those produced by young females). For many insects, the best way to determine if such differences exist is to rear larvae from different maternal age classes together and compare their success. We tested the effects of maternal age on the competitive ability of house fly larvae, using a modified replacement (substitution) design with pairwise comparisons of two maternal age classes from three electrophoretically marked lines. For each comparison, known numbers of larvae were reared together at five ratios, including pure cultures, at densities high enough to ensure severe competition. We measured the effects of maternal age on hatchling to adult survival, development time, and adult size. In general, older females produced larvae that had higher viability and attained larger sizes, but developed more slowly. Maternal age effects were line-specific, suggesting that they are determined genetically, and there were significant interactions of maternal age effects between pairwise line comparisons. Maternal age effects on performance in pure culture were not predictive of performance in mixed cultures. Competitor identity significantly affected the success of each line and maternal age class, suggesting that use of tester strains to determine relative competitiveness of lines, or maternal age classes, is not generally valid. The results are discussed with respect to the possible adaptive nature of maternal age effects in this species.

Extended longevity in Drosophila is consistently associated with a decrease in developmental viability

It has proven relatively easy to select normal-lived strains of Drosophila for extended longevity in the laboratory. Long-lived strains have not been observed in the wild as yet. Of the various life-history traits that have been investigated for their role in modulating the evolution of extended longevity, none have yet shown a consistent or convincing relationship. Other than developmental time, the traits usually investigated in this regard are those associated with the adult phase of the life cycle. We assayed developmental timing and viability in six pairs of normal- and long-lived strains, four pairs of which are from previously described strains and two pairs of which are new strains that have been independently and recently selected. We find that the life-history trait most obviously associated with all our long-lived strains is a significantly reduced developmental viability, with the long-lived strains' having as much as twice the developmental lethality as do any of the normal-lived strains. The long-lived strains also pupate closer to the food, a behavior known to decrease fitness. Thus the reduced fitness of the long-lived strains appears to be due to both physiological and behavioral factors and may well explain why long lived strains are not usually found in the wild. The extension of longevity involves costs as well as benefits that, in this case, are borne by different individuals.

Evolution of ammonia and urea tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster: resistance and cross-tolerance

We examined whether populations of Drosophila melanogaster could evolve a genetically based tolerance to high levels of toxic compounds (urea or ammonia) added to their larval food medium. We also examined whether tolerance to one compound may impart cross-tolerance to other compounds. Five populations selected for ammonia tolerance (AX), five populations selected for urea tolerance (UX), and five unselected controls (AUC) were assayed for developmental time, viability, and female fertility. These characteristics were measured on each of the 15 populations reared on one of three larval food conditions (plain banana-molasses, 0.35 M NH(4)Cl, or 0.266 M urea). On urea-supplemented media, the urea-selected populations developed fastest and expressed the highest viability; the ammonia-selected populations developed significantly faster and had a higher viability than the controls. Similarly, on ammonia-supplemented media, the ammonia-selected populations developed fastest and expressed the highest viability; the urea-selected populations developed significantly faster and had a higher viability than the controls. This suggests that a cross-tolerance exists for resisting different toxic compounds. Urea-selected females reared on urea-containing food media displayed superior fecundity, without any observable cross-tolerance effect. When all populations were reared on food containing 0.266 M urea, the urea-selected populations had the lowest levels of urea in their tissues. All populations reared on food containing 0.37 M ammonia or 0.266 M urea, contained more ammonia in their tissues than did populations reared on plain food.

Change in sexual size dimorphism as a correlated response to selection on fecundity

Fecundity selection is often suggested as the main causal factor underlying the prevalence of female-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD), but this assumption has not been empirically tested. We selected female Drosophila melanogaster for increased or decreased fecundity (eggs laid over a single 18-h period, between days 5 and 7 posteclosion) for 20 generations, to see what effect this would have on SSD in three morphological traits (thorax width, abdomen width and thorax length). A direct response to fecundity selection was found in the downward direction (16.6%), whereas the response to upward selection (5.7%) was not statistically significant. Significant sex by selection interaction terms in the ANOVAs for thorax width and abdomen width indicate that the two sexes responded differently. Females usually showed a greater correlated response than males. In lines selected for increased fecundity, the correlated response in females for thorax and abdomen width was greater than the direct response in standard deviation units. SSD generally increased with selection for increased fecundity, but showed no consistent trend with selection for decreased fecundity. These results support the general hypothesis that SSD can evolve rapidly in response to fecundity selection. Selection on fecundity also produced correlated responses in life history traits. Downward selection resulted in flies that had lower viability and longevity, and both directions of selection were associated with an increase in development time.

The fractionation experiment: reducing heterogeneity to investigate age-specific mortality in Drosophila

Age-specific mortality rates decelerate at older ages in both genetically homogenous and heterogeneous populations of Drosophila. One explanation proposed for deceleration is population heterogeneity. This hypothesis suggests that a population consists of sub-populations that differ in mortality characteristics and that the deceleration is the result of selective survival of stronger individuals. Here we describe an experiment that fractionates populations into several sub-populations without changing the physiological characteristics of the post-fractionated populations. Through a careful process of selection of Drosophila eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, we attempt to reduce as much as possible the degree of pre-adult, environmentally induced heterogeneity among individuals of a genetically identical cohort. We then ask whether such cohorts, when compared to non-fractionated populations, exhibit a lesser degree of mortality deceleration at advanced ages. From a total of 106 fractionated and control populations, consisting of 51331 individuals, 101 populations (93% of the fractionated populations and 100% of the control populations) exhibit a significant amount of mortality deceleration late in life. These observations suggest that environmental heterogeneity accrued during larval development is not a major factor contributing to mortality deceleration at older ages.

Theoretical and Empirical Examination of Density-Dependent Selection

The development of theory on density-dependent natural selection has seen a transition from very general, logistic growth-based models to theories that incorporate details of specific life histories. This transition has been justified by the need to make predictions that can then be tested experimentally with specific model systems like bacteria or Drosophila. The most general models predict that natural selection should increase density-dependent rates of population growth. When trade-offs exist, those genotypes favored in low-density environments will show reduced per capita growth rates under crowded conditions and vice versa for evolution in crowded environments. This central prediction has been verified twice in carefully controlled experiments with Drosophila. Empirical research in this field has also witnessed a major transition from field-based observations and conjecture to carefully controlled laboratory selection experiments. This change in approach has permitted crucial tests of theories of density-dependent natural selection and a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of adaptation to different levels of population crowding. Experimental research with Drosophila has identified several phenotypes important to adaptation, especially at high larval densities. This same research revealed that an important trade-off occurs between competitive ability and energetic efficiency.

Light-induced vitamin deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster

Illumination by visible light (400 Ix) of cultures containing larvae of Drosophila melanogaster can reduce survival (Bruins et al., Insect Biochemistry 21:535-539, 1991). Here we show that the effect of light depends on the presence of propionic or acetic acid in the food medium. We also show that survival is far more affected by illumination of the yeast food media than by direct illumination of the eggs and developing larvae. It is shown that addition of antioxidants to the food prevents light induced mortality. The action of antioxidants suggests that free radicals are important in light induced mortality. We also showed that both yeast and riboflavin (vitamin B2) solutions illuminated with visible light (400 Ix) generate hydrogen peroxide. Other vitamin and amino acid solutions do not produce peroxide in measurable amounts. However, the concentration of photogenerated hydrogen peroxide is far too low to explain the death of eggs and developing larvae upon exposure to light. A 400 Ix light treatment destroys the capability of yeast food media to support survival of larvae. Addition of vitamin C, carotene, tryptophan, nipagin, uric acid, or sucrose to the light treated medium does not restore viability. It is restored when riboflavin is added to the photo-inactivated yeast. A high concentration of pyridoxine also produced an improvement in survival. When riboflavin is treated with light, it cannot support survival on synthetic food media nor can it restore survival on light treated yeast food media. These results show that riboflavin (or a derivative) is a major light sensitive compound of yeast, which can be degraded by light. Light induced loss of riboflavin leads to mortality, because this is an essential dietary vitamin. The vitamin degradation can be prevented by dietary antioxidants. A chromatographic analysis confirms this conclusion.

Genetics of larval urea tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

The genetic control of larval tolerance to urea, a nitrogenous waste-product occurring naturally in crowded Drosophila cultures, was investigated in a set of five laboratory populations of D. melanogaster that had been successfully subjected to selection for increased larval urea tolerance. Larva to adult survivorship and development time at three different levels of urea were assayed on the five selected populations, their five matched controls and a set of 10 F1 hybrid populations derived from reciprocal crosses between pairs of selected and control populations. As expected from the results of previous studies, the selected populations exhibited greater larval tolerance to the toxic effects of urea, relative to their controls. Comparison of the hybrid and parental populations with respect to both survivorship and development time indicated that the genetic control of urea tolerance in the selected populations is largely dominant, and has a significant X-linked component. The data also suggested that females from the selected populations exercise a nongenetic maternal effect on the development time of their progeny, regardless of urea level.

Phenotypic enhancement of longevity by environmental urea in Drosophila melanogaster

The phenotypic enhancement of longevity through a variety of environmental treatments, including dietary manipulations, has been observed in various species of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying such effects has provided insights into the physiological processes contributing to the determination of lifespan. Here, we report the enhancement of longevity in adult Drosophila melanogaster maintained on food supplemented with urea, a metabolic waste product occurring naturally in Drosophila cultures, especially at high larval densities. The impact of urea on longevity is shown to be through a decrease in the age-independent parameter (A) of the Gompertz equation, rather than the age-dependent parameter (alpha), which reflects the "rate of aging." We also present evidence suggesting that the urea-induced increase in longevity is mediated exclusively through a reduction in some aspect(s) of reproduction in adult flies maintained on urea-supplemented food.

Variable effects of crowding on Drosophila hosts of male-lethal and non-male-lethal spiroplasmas in laboratory populations

Male-lethal, maternally inherited spiroplasmas occur in four species of Drosophila, and persist in natural populations despite imperfect vertical transmission rates. In the field, larval crowding is thought to be sporadic, but occasionally intense. To determine whether crowding affects host persistence, I compared the population dynamics of infected females (hosts) under crowded conditions to those expected from data collected on uncrowded females. I estimated host fitness components and maternal transmission rates for individual females under uncrowded conditions in both the artificial host D. pseudoobscura (this paper) and the native host D. willistoni (previously reported). Spiroplasma infection had no effect on lifetime production of daughters in D. pseudoobscura; however, as with some D. willistoni lines, hosts may produce more of their daughters earlier in life than nonhosts. Because individual contributions to relative rates of increase calculated from these fitness data were similar for hosts and nonhosts, I expected hosts to persist in laboratory populations. Instead, three patterns were observed: rapid extinction of D. willistoni females infected with male-lethal spiroplasmas, slow decline or persistence of hosts (depending on initial frequency) in both D. pseudoobscura infected with male-lethal spiroplasmas, and D. willistoni infected with non-male-lethal spiroplasmas. Population dynamics, then, depend on host species and bacterial isolate. Fitness estimates change with host line in uncrowded D. willistoni, but host genetic background did not affect population dynamics. These and previously published results show that the interaction phenotype changes with host and parasite isolate, and that host fitness can be affected by crowding. Crowding in natural populations may therefore decrease host fitness but, in expanding populations, early reproduction in hosts may be to their advantage. Possible effects of seasonal fluctuations in population density on the fitness of infected Drosophila are discussed.

Paraquat resistance and starvation conditions in the selection of longevity extremes in Drosophila melanogaster populations previously selected for long and short developmental period

This paper analyzes the interaction between resistance to free radicals, development under starvation conditions, sex, and its consequences to the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster populations selected for developmental time and longevity. Our data suggest that the interaction between these physiological and environmental parameters is modulated largely by the pre-imaginal developmental time, since the response to selection for longevity extremes depends strongly on the previous selection for developmental time extremes.

Gene-environment interaction for body size and larval density in Drosophila melanogaster: an investigation of effects on development time, thorax length and adult sex ratio

We measured the effect of larval density on thorax length, development time, sex ratio and a measure of total fitness, using strains of Drosophila melanogaster artificially selected for increased thorax length, control lines otherwise cultured in an identical way, and the base stock from which the lines had been derived. We used the addition experimental design (Mather & Caligari, 1981). No genotype-environment interaction was observed when comparing the reduction in thorax length of 'large' and 'control' lines with increasing larval density for any culture series, i.e. rank ordering of genotypes and additive genetic variances remained the same in all the environments tested. In contrast, the reduction in thorax length for the base stock as density increased was proportionally smaller than that of the 'large' and 'control' lines. Development time increased more rapidly with larval density in the 'large' lines than in the 'controls' or base stock. Sex ratio was unaffected by larval density but thorax length and the development time of females were more affected than those of males by increasing larval density. The estimate of total fitness showed clear evidence of gene-environment interaction for the effect of body size on fitness, with genetically large individuals at an increasing disadvantage with increasing larval density.

Larval regulation of adult longevity in a genetically-selected long-lived strain of Drosophila

Our previous work has shown that the major genes involved in the expression of the extended-longevity phenotype are located on the third chromosome. Furthermore, their expression is negatively and positively influenced by chromosomes 2 and 1, respectively. In this report we show that the expression of the extended-longevity phenotype is dependent on the larval environment. A controlled chromosome substitution experiment was carried out using a strain selected for long life (L) and its parent (R) strain. Twenty different combinations of the three major chromosomes were conducted and their longevities were determined under both high (HD) and low (LD) larval density conditions. The extended-longevity phenotype was only expressed under HD conditions. The chromosome interactions were not apparent under LD conditions. Density-shift experiments delineate a critical period for expression of the extended-longevity phenotype, extending from 60 h after egg laying (AEL) to 96 h AEL, during which the developing animal must be exposed to HD conditions if the extended-longevity phenotype is to be expressed. The change from HD to LD conditions is accompanied by statistically significant increases in body weight. The possible role of a dietary restriction phenomenon is examined and the implications of these findings discussed. It is now apparent, however, that the extended-longevity phenotype in Drosophila is a developmental genetic process.

Genetic and environmental factors regulating the expression of an extended longevity phenotype in a long lived strain of Drosophila

We have demonstrated that the expression of the ELP in our strains is the outcome of a genetically determined, environmentally modulated, event dependent, developmental process. Given the appropriate genetic and environmental conditions, we observe an early acting temporal progression of alterations in specific gene activity patterns which appear to give rise to functional phenotypic changes. The observed patterns are consistent with the interpretations drawn from our chromosome substitution and biomarker experiments. The interaction of specific environmental and genetic factors is sufficient to explain the observed plasticity of longevity in our L strain. Independently derived long lived strains may have altered different combinations of physiological mechanisms so as to give rise to a statistically equivalent ELP. Theoretically based conclusions obtained from only one set of sister strains may be difficult to extrapolate to other strains. Future work will involve the experimental verification of the genetic-environmental circuitry discussed here, using novel molecular genetic techniques to define, characterize, and isolate the genes involved in the expression of the ELP.

Ecological determinants of life-history evolution

Density-dependent natural selection has been studied, empirically with laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster. Populations kept at very high and low population density have become differentiated with respect to important fitness-related traits. There is now some understanding of the behavioural and physiological basis of these differences. These studies have identified larval competitive ability and efficiency of food utilization as traits that are negatively correlated with respect to effects on fitness. Theory that illuminates and motivates additional research with this experimental system has been lacking. Current research has focused on models that incorporate many details of Drosophila ecology in laboratory environments.

Elevated paraquat resistance can be used as a bioassay for longevity in a genetically based long-lived strain of Drosophila

A long-lived (L) strain of Drosophila melanogaster, derived from a normal-lived (R) strain by artificial selection, has a significantly different adult longevity. Previous work has shown that 1) the two strains age in the same manner, 2) the major genes responsible for much of the L strain's extended longevity are located on the 3rd chromosome, and 3) the extended longevity phenotype is significantly modulated by the larval environment. In this report, we investigate the resistance of the L and R strains to the lethal effects of dietary paraquat. We show that, within the limitations of our described chromosomal and environmental manipulations, the extended longevity phenotype always accompanies the phenotype of elevated paraquat resistance. In addition, reversed selection applied to the L strain results in the simultaneous decrease of both life span and paraquat resistance. Thus, the presence or absence of the latter phenotype may be used as a bioassay for the presence or absence of the extended longevity phenotype, without any necessary implication of causality. Use of this bioassay should greatly speed up the genetic analysis of this system by allowing us to identify long-lived animals at a young age. Finally, we show that the age-related loss of elevated paraquat resistance in both strains precedes all the other age-related functional decrements which we have previously noted in this system.

The biometrical genetics of competitive parameters in Drosophila melanogaster

Despite the importance of competition as an evolutionary determinant in natural populations there have been few studies of the genetical control of competitive ability. Here, we report the results of a biometrical analysis of four continuously varying traits which, between them, describe the competitive interactions in mixed cultures of Drosophila melanogaster. The analysis involved the parental, F1, F2 and backcross generations (including all reciprocals) derived from crosses between two highly inbred lines isolated from the Texas population of D. melanogaster. The competitive performance of each genotype in monoculture and in duoculture with a phenotypically distinct tester were assessed using a yield-density regression analysis. Appropriate genetic models were fitted using a variance weighted least squares procedure and the resulting genetic components of the generation means used to define the genetical architecture of competition. Of the four competitive parameters investigated here the e-value, which describes the competitive performance of the indicator genotype at a fixed reference density, was found to be determined by simple additive genetic effects with no evidence of significant dominance. Conversely, competitive performance in monoculture (intra-genotypic competition) did display a significant net dominance component and the observed values in the F1 and parental generations indicated some degree of heterosis. Of the two competitive parameters determining performance in duoculture (inter-genotypic sensitivity and inter-genotypic pressure) the former was found to have a complex genetic determination involving not only additive and dominance components of the progeny's own genotype but also dominance components of the F1 maternal genotypes. There were also additive-dominance and dominance-dominance non-allelic interactions. Heterosis was evident, determined both by the progeny's own genotype and by one of the F1 maternal genotypes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of competitive interactions in triocultures of Drosophila melanogaster

Competitive interactions in complex mixtures of genotypes have rarely been studied despite their obvious importance in both natural and commercial populations. Here, we describe a procedure for the analysis of competition in tripartite mixtures of Drosophila melanogaster genotypes. We have utilised a substitution design coupled with a yield-density regression analysis which describes intra- and inter-genotypic competitive effects in terms of simple linear parameters. The experimental design allows any of the competitors to be considered as the primary or indicator genotype and also incorporates variation in the relative proportions of the two associate competitors. The regression parameters are used to derive estimates of the competitive pressure exerted by each associate on the indicator genotype and also the response or sensitivity of the indicator to the competitive pressure which it faces in mixed culture. The results indicate that the joint pressure exerted by the paired associate genotypes in trioculture is equal to the sum of the individual pressures of those associates. This additive relationship holds for a variety of indicator genotypes isolated from the Texas population and appears to be a general property of Drosophila competition. We identified one indicator genotype which consistently departed from this relationship although additivity of joint pressures could be restored in combination with particular associate genotypes. The possible role of larval interference in the determination of these interactions is discussed.

Larval competition in Drosophila melanogaster: effects on development time

The effects on development time of larval competition that is interrupted at different times are analyzed in an experiment with constant larval density and varying proportions of two competing strains. Interruption of competition is carried out by means of the overfeeding technique, which allows for the study of individuals that, after several days under competition stress, either complete their development in crowded conditions or migrate to a vial with fresh food where the rest of their development takes place. Results of mean development time and within-vial variance of development time show that individuals under strong competition stress can arrest their development retaining the capability to resume it, once they are exposed to fresh food. The effects of competition are observed sooner on development time than on viabilities, which is in agreement with Ohba's observations (Biol. J. Okayama Univ. 7:87-125, 1961), but the observed effects are not always coincident for both fitness components.