Progeny of old parents have increased social space in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: We report the effects of aging and parental age in Drosophila melanogaster on two types of responses to social cues: the choice of preferred social spacing in an undisturbed group and the response to the Drosophila stress odorant (dSO) emitted by stressed flies. The patterns of changes during aging were notably different for these two social responses. Flies were initially closer in space and then became further apart. However, the pattern of change in response to dSO followed a more typical decline in performance, similarly to changes in locomotion. Interestingly, the increased social space of old parents, as well as their reduced performance in avoiding dSO, was passed on to their progeny, such that young adults adopted the behavioural characteristic of their old parents. While the respo

SUBMITTER: Brenman-Suttner DB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5829228 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature