Brief carbon dioxide exposure blocks heat hardening but not cold acclimation in Drosophila melanogaster

It has been reported by the Ministry of Environment in Kosova that particle emissions from one of the units of the coal-fired power plants (Kosova A) in Kastriot/Obiliq were exceeding the European standard by some 74 times. Besides the particle emission, there is also release of sulphur dioxide, mono-nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, organic compounds and heavy metals. In addition, there is also release of heavy metals and organic compounds from a nearby solid waste dumpsite. Together, they are considered to be responsible for the increased health problems of the population living in the vicinity.To study the genetic effects of these emissions we focused on the genetic load, that is, recessive mutations that affect the fitness of their carriers, of exposed wild living Drosophila melanogaster. The effects of ash from the dumpsite on the other hand were investigated upon feeding the ash with the nutrient medium. Our results revealed that the D. melanogaster population from the Kastriot/Obiliq area carries a high genetic load of 54.7%. Drosophila fed with the nutrient medium containing ash in a concentration of 1% carried a genetic load of 37.1%, whilst increasing concentrations (2% and 3% of ash) led to higher genetic loads of 68.7% and 67.4%, respectively.

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Post-eclosion decline in ‘knock-down’ thermal resistance and reduced effect of heat hardening in Drosophila melanogaster

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Molecular & Integrative Physiology ◽

10.1016/j.cbpa.2006.11.010 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 146 (3) ◽

pp. 355-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Cassandra Pappas ◽

David Hyde ◽

Ken Bowler ◽

Volker Loeschcke ◽

Jesper G. Sørensen

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Thermal Resistance ◽

Knock Down ◽

Heat Hardening

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Sterols as dietary markers for Drosophila melanogaster

10.1101/857664 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Oskar Knittelfelder ◽

Elodie Prince ◽

Susanne Sales ◽

Eric Fritzsche ◽

Thomas Wöhner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Cold Acclimation ◽

Lipid Membranes ◽

Population Based ◽

Sterol Composition ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Shotgun Lipidomics ◽

Organ Specific ◽

In The Wild ◽

Lipidome Analysis

AbstractDuring cold acclimation fruit flies switch their feeding from yeast to plant food, however there are no robust markers to monitor it in the wild. Drosophila melanogaster is a sterol auxotroph and relies on dietary sterols to produce lipid membranes, lipoproteins and molting hormones. We employed shotgun lipidomics to quantify eight major food sterols in total extracts of heads, female and male genital tracts of adult flies. We found that their sterol composition is dynamic and reflective of flies diet in an organ-specific manner. Season-dependent changes observed in the organs of wild-living flies suggested that the molar ratio between yeast (ergosterol, zymosterol) and plant (sitosterol, stigmasterol) sterols is a quantifiable, generic and unequivocal marker of their feeding behavior, including cold acclimation. It provides technically simpler and more contrast readout compared to the full lipidome analysis and is suitable for ecological and environmental population-based studies.

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Increased RBC Count and Pulmonary Respiration in Cold-Adapted Frogs

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.61.2.285 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 285-290

Author(s):

R. V. KRISHNAMOORTHY ◽

N. SHAKUNTHALA

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Seasonal Variation ◽

Oxygen Saturation ◽

Cold Acclimation ◽

Carbon Dioxide Content ◽

Cold Adapted ◽

Respiratory Parameters ◽

Haemoglobin Content ◽

Pulmonary Respiration ◽

Rbc Count

1. Haematological and respiratory parameters (including RBC count, CO2 content and percentage oxygen saturation) were studied in cold-acclimated (12 ± 1 °C) and normal frogs (23 ± 2 °C). 2. Seasonal variation in RBC count was found, the count being higher in January than in September. Females showed higher counts than males. Cold-acclimation resulted in the elevation of counts in all seasons and in both sexes, and was accompanied by a rise in haemoglobin content. 3. Cold-acclimated frogs retained a higher oxygen saturation in the truncus arteriosus than in the cutaneous vein, the carbon dioxide content of the truncus being also reduced in acclimated frogs. The O2/CO2 ratios were thus higher in the truncus than in the cutaneous vein. 4. Cold-acclimated frogs released more 14CO2 through the lungs. 5. It is suggested that a change in the mode of respiration occurs when the frogs are acclimated to cold.

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