The sex-specific effects of diet quality versus quantity on morphology in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: Variation in the quality and quantity of nutrition is a major contributor to phenotypic variation in animal populations. Although we know much of how dietary restriction impacts phenotype, and of the molecular-genetic and physiological mechanisms that underlie this response, we know much less of the effects of dietary imbalance. Specifically, although dietary imbalance and restriction both reduce overall body size, it is unclear whether both have the same effect on the size of individual traits. Here, we use the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to explore the effect of dietary food versus protein-to-carbohydrate ratio on body proportion and trait size. Our results indicate that body proportion and trait size respond differently to changes in diet quantity (food concentration) versu

SUBMITTER: Shingleton AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5627086 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature