Entomology & pest control Anatomy (cytology, histology, embryology...) & physiology
Author, co-author :
Enriquez, Thomas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département GxABT > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs
Lievens, Victoria
Nieberding, Caroline
Visser, Bertanne ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs
Language :
English
Title :
Pupal size as a proxy for fat content in lab-reared and field-collected Drosophila species
Publication date :
22 September 2022
Event name :
Benelux Congress of zoology 2022 - Diversity of model organisms and model organisms from diversity
Event organizer :
Royal Belgian Zoological Society
Event place :
Kortrijk, Belgium
Event date :
22-23 September 2022
Audience :
International
Peer reviewed :
Editorial reviewed
References of the abstract :
In arthropods, larger individuals tend to have more fat reserves, but data for many taxa are still missing. For the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, only few studies have provided experimental data linking body size to fat content. This is rather surprising considering the widespread use of D. melanogaster as model system in biology. Here, we hypothesized that fat content in D. melanogaster is positively correlated with body size. To test this, we manipulated the developmental environment of D. melanogaster by decreasing food availability (through starvation, crowding and reducing nutrient content of the food medium). We then measured pupal size and quantified fat content of both laboratory-reared D. melanogaster and field-caught Drosophila species. Reduced food availability indeed led to smaller laboratory-reared pupae that contained less fat. Pupal size was indeed positively correlated with fat content. The same results were obtained for pupae of field-caught Drosophila species. As fat reserves are often strongly linked to fitness in insects, further knowledge on the relationship between body size and fat content can provide important information for studies on insect ecology and physiology.
