Population Growth of Fruit Flies (Drosophilla melanogaster) Using The Barangan Banana (Musa paradisiaca) was tested in the FKIP UISU Medan Laboratory

This study aims to: 1) recognize fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), 2) morphologically distinguish adult fruit fly sex, 3) study the growth of fruit fly populations. The practicum was held on August 20, 2019 in the Biology Education Laboratory FKIP UISU. The working principle of practicum is making food as a medium for fruit fly culture (a mixture of bananas, cassava tape, benzoate), etherization and observation, observing the growth of fruit fly populations. Observations were made by counting the number of live flies and dead flies, the sex ratio of flies. Observations were carried out every day, for 15 days (20 August 2019 - 3 September 2019). The results of the analysis show that: 1) population growth of Drosophila melanogaster includes logistic growth models with S-shaped curves, 2) sex of adult fruit flies can be morphologically distinguished through body size, abdominal shape, genital comb and external genital organs in the abdomen. Based on the results and discussion, the following conclusions are obtained: 1) fruit flies including insects undergoing perfect metamorphosis (egg phase, larvae, pupa, imago), 2) differences in adult fruit fly sex can be seen from body size, abdomen shape, presence of genital comb, external genital organs in the abdomen, 3) population growth of fruit flies including logistic growth models in the form of S curves, influenced by environmental factors

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Deriving Population Growth Models by Growing Fruit Fly Colonies

The American Biology Teacher ◽

10.1525/abt.2016.78.3.221 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 221-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aaron J. Heaps ◽

Tyler D. Dawson ◽

Jace C. Briggs ◽

Megan A. Hansen ◽

Jamie L. Jensen

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Growth Models ◽

Mathematical Reasoning ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Logistic Growth ◽

Attitudinal Data ◽

Growth Equations ◽

Population Growth Models ◽

Biological Reasoning

Population growth presents a unique opportunity to make the connection between mathematical and biological reasoning. The objective of this article is to introduce a method of teaching population growth that allows students to utilize mathematical reasoning to derive population growth models from authentic populations through active learning and firsthand experiences. To accomplish this, we designed a lab in which students grow and count populations of Drosophila over the course of 12 weeks, modifying abiotic and biotic limiting factors. Using the data, students derive exponential and logistic growth equations, through mathematical reasoning patterns that allow them to understand the purpose of these models, and hypothesize relationships between various factors and population growth. We gathered student attitudinal data and found that students perceived the lab as more effective, better at preparing them for lecture, and more engaging than the previous lab used. Through this active and inquiry-based method of teaching, students are more involved and engaged in both mathematical and biological reasoning processes.

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Locomotion is not influenced by denticle number in larvae of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z05-027 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 83 (2) ◽

pp. 368-371 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark J Fitzpatrick ◽

Evelyn Szewczyk

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Related Species ◽

Natural Variation ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Locomotory Performance ◽

Locomotion Speed

Denticles are small projections on the underside of larval fruit flies that are used to grip the substrate while crawling. Previous studies have shown that (i) there is natural variation in denticle number and pattern between Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1830) and several closely related species and (ii) mutations affecting denticle morphology have negative effects on locomotory performance. We hypothesized that there would be a correlation between denticle number and locomotory performance within populations of D. melanogaster. Despite finding considerable variation in denticle number, we found no correlation between denticle number and three measurements of larval locomotion: speed, acceleration, and absolute turning rate.

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The shape of density dependence and the relationship between population growth, intraspecific competition and equilibrium population density

10.1101/485946 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emanuel A. Fronhofer ◽

Lynn Govaert ◽

Mary I. O’Connor ◽

Sebastian J. Schreiber ◽

Florian Altermatt

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Growth Models ◽

Population Level ◽

Logistic Growth ◽

Population Densities ◽

Density Regulation ◽

Logistic Growth Model ◽

Regulation Functions ◽

Consumer Resource ◽

Population Growth Models

AbstractThe logistic growth model is one of the most frequently used formalizations of density dependence affecting population growth, persistence and evolution. Ecological and evolutionary theory and applications to understand population change over time often include this model. However, the assumptions and limitations of this popular model are often not well appreciated.Here, we briefly review past use of the logistic growth model and highlight limitations by deriving population growth models from underlying consumer-resource dynamics. We show that the logistic equation likely is not applicable to many biological systems. Rather, density-regulation functions are usually non-linear and may exhibit convex or both concave and convex curvatures depending on the biology of resources and consumers. In simple cases, the dynamics can be fully described by the continuous-time Beverton-Holt model. More complex consumer dynamics show similarities to a Maynard Smith-Slatkin model.Importantly, we show how population-level parameters, such as intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities are not independent, as often assumed. Rather, they are functions of the same underlying parameters. The commonly assumed positive relationship between equilibrium population density and competitive ability is typically invalid. As a solution, we propose simple and general relationships between intrinsic rates of increase and equilibrium population densities that capture the essence of different consumer-resource systems.Relating population level models to underlying mechanisms allows us to discuss applications to evolutionary outcomes and how these models depend on environmental conditions, like temperature via metabolic scaling. Finally, we use time-series from microbial food chains to fit population growth models and validate theoretical predictions.Our results show that density-regulation functions need to be chosen carefully as their shapes will depend on the study system’s biology. Importantly, we provide a mechanistic understanding of relationships between model parameters, which has implications for theory and for formulating biologically sound and empirically testable predictions.

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Sexual Dimorphism in Metabolic Responses to Western Diet in Drosophila melanogaster

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom12010033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 33

Author(s):

Sofie De Groef ◽

Tom Wilms ◽

Séverine Balmand ◽

Federica Calevro ◽

Patrick Callaerts

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Lipid Content ◽

Fat Body ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Standard Diet ◽

Expression Of Genes ◽

Obesogenic Diet ◽

Ovarian Size

Obesity is a chronic disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is an interesting research model to study metabolic and transcriptomic responses to obesogenic diets. However, the sex-specific differences in these responses are still understudied and perhaps underestimated. In this study, we exposed adult male and female Dahomey fruit flies to a standard diet supplemented with sugar, fat, or a combination of both. The exposure to a diet supplemented with 10% sugar and 10% fat efficiently induced an increase in the lipid content in flies, a hallmark for obesity. This increase in the lipid content was more prominent in males, while females displayed significant changes in the glycogen content. The strong effects of the diets on the ovarian size and number of mature oocytes were also present in females exposed to diets supplemented with fat and a combination of fat and sugar. In both males and females, the fat body morphology changed and was associated with an increase in the lipid content of fat cells in response to the diets. The expression of metabolism-related genes also displayed a strong sexually dimorphic response under normal conditions and in response to the sugar and/or fat-supplemented diets. Here, we showed that the exposure of adult fruit flies to an obesogenic diet containing both sugar and fat allowed studying sexual dimorphism in metabolism and the expression of genes regulating metabolism.

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Density-independent processes decouple component and ensemble density feedbacks

10.1101/2021.09.19.460939 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Corey J. A. Bradshaw ◽

Salvador Herrando-Perez

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Carrying Capacity ◽

Census Data ◽

Growth Models ◽

Structured Populations ◽

Logistic Growth ◽

Feedback Signal ◽

Vital Rates ◽

Population Growth Rates

Analysis of long-term trends in abundance provide insights into population dynamics. Population growth rates are the emergent interplay of fertility, survival, and dispersal, but the density feedbacks on some vital rates (component) can be decoupled from density feedback on population growth rates (ensemble). However, the mechanisms responsible for this decoupling are poorly understood. We simulated component density feedbacks on survival in age-structured populations of long-living vertebrates and quantified how imposed nonstationarity (density-independent mortality and variation in carrying-capacity) modified the ensemble feedback signal estimated from logistic-growth models to the simulated abundance time series. The statistical detection of ensemble density feedback was largely unaffected by density-independent processes, but catastrophic and proportional mortality eroded the effect of density-dependent survival on ensemble-feedback strength more strongly than variation in carrying capacity. Thus, phenomenological models offer a robust approach to capture density feedbacks from nonstationary census data when density-independent mortality is low.

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The production of elevated flight force compromises manoeuvrability in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.204.4.627 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 204 (4) ◽

pp. 627-635 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

F.O. Lehmann ◽

M.H. Dickinson

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Aerodynamic Force ◽

Force Production ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Mean Value ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Force Coefficient ◽

Stroke Frequency ◽

Wing Kinematics ◽

Stroke Amplitude

In this study, we have investigated how enhanced total flight force production compromises steering performance in tethered flying fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. The animals were flown in a closed-loop virtual-reality flight arena in which they modulated total flight force production in response to vertically oscillating visual patterns. By simultaneously measuring stroke amplitude and stroke frequency, we recorded the ability of each fly to modulate its wing kinematics at different levels of aerodynamic force production. At a flight force that exactly compensates body weight, the temporal deviations with which fruit flies vary their stroke amplitude and frequency are approximately 2.7 degrees and 4.8 Hz of their mean value, respectively. This variance in wing kinematics decreases with increasing flight force production, and at maximum force production fruit flies are restricted to a unique combination of stroke amplitude, stroke frequency and mean force coefficient. This collapse in the kinematic envelope during peak force production could greatly attenuate the manoeuvrability and stability of animals in free flight.

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Developmental temperature, body size and male mating success in fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

European Journal of Entomology ◽

10.14411/eje.2013.004 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 110 (1) ◽

pp. 31-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sofija PAVKOVIC-LUCIC ◽

Vladimir KEKIC

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Body Size ◽

Mating Success ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Male Mating ◽

Male Mating Success ◽

Developmental Temperature

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Smoking fruit flies – Impact of cigarette smoke exposure on the airway epithelium of Drosophila melanogaster

Pneumologie ◽

10.1055/s-0036-1584634 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (07) ◽

Author(s):

A Bhandari ◽

T Roeder ◽

J Erdmann

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Cigarette Smoke ◽

Airway Epithelium ◽

Fruit Flies ◽

Smoke Exposure ◽

Cigarette Smoke Exposure

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Hox dosage contributes to flight appendage morphology in Drosophila

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-23293-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rachel Paul ◽

Guillaume Giraud ◽

Katrin Domsch ◽

Marilyne Duffraisse ◽

Frédéric Marmigère ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Differential Expression ◽

Hox Genes ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Fruit Fly ◽

Insect Species ◽

Wing Morphology ◽

Hox Proteins ◽

Spatial Expression ◽

Flying Insects

AbstractFlying insects have invaded all the aerial space on Earth and this astonishing radiation could not have been possible without a remarkable morphological diversification of their flight appendages. Here, we show that characteristic spatial expression profiles and levels of the Hox genes Antennapedia (Antp) and Ultrabithorax (Ubx) underlie the formation of two different flight organs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We further demonstrate that flight appendage morphology is dependent on specific Hox doses. Interestingly, we find that wing morphology from evolutionary distant four-winged insect species is also associated with a differential expression of Antp and Ubx. We propose that variation in the spatial expression profile and dosage of Hox proteins is a major determinant of flight appendage diversification in Drosophila and possibly in other insect species during evolution.

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