Dataset Information

The behavioral repertoire of Drosophila melanogaster in the presence of two predator species that differ in hunting mode.

ABSTRACT: The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has proven to be an excellent model organism for genetic, genomic and neurobiological studies. However, relatively little is known about the natural history of D. melanogaster. In particular, neither the natural predators faced by wild populations of D. melanogaster, nor the anti-predatory behaviors they may employ to escape and avoid their enemies have been documented. Here we observe and describe the influence of two predators that differ in their mode of hunting: zebra jumping spiders, Salticus scenicus (active hunters) and Chinese praying mantids, Tenodera sinensis (ambush predators) on the behavioral repertoire of Drosophila melanogaster. We documented three particularly interesting behaviors: abdominal lifting, stopping, and retreat-which were performed at higher frequency by D. melanogaster in the presence of predators. While mantids had only a modest influence on the locomotory activity of D. melanogaster, we observed a significant increase in the overall activity of D. melanogaster in the presence of jumping spiders. Finally, we observed considerable among-individual behavioral variation in response to both predators.

SUBMITTER: Parigi A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6544228 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The behavioral repertoire of Drosophila melanogaster in the presence of two predator species that differ in hunting mode.

Parigi Abhijna A Porter Cody C Cermak Megan M Pitchers William R WR Dworkin Ian I

PloS one 20190531 5

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has proven to be an excellent model organism for genetic, genomic and neurobiological studies. However, relatively little is known about the natural history of D. melanogaster. In particular, neither the natural predators faced by wild populations of D. melanogaster, nor the anti-predatory behaviors they may employ to escape and avoid their enemies have been documented. Here we observe and describe the influence of two predators that differ in their mode o ...[more]

PMID: 31150415

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Project description:Simple Summary Large mammals’ behavioral responses to humans as predators may be impacted by hunting intensity. Using a playback experiment, we found that two wild ungulates exhibited reactive (flee) rather than proactive responses (decrease habitat use) to human vocalizations at a hunting-prohibited site in North China. The wild ungulates had equal or even higher flight probabilities upon hearing vocalizations of humans than the native extant large carnivore (leopard). We also found habituation-type responses featured as progressively decreased responses to the vocalizations in both ungulates. Abstract Large mammals can perceive humans as predators and therefore adjust their behavior to achieve coexistence with humans. However, lack of research at sites with low hunting intensity limits our understanding of how behavioral responses of animals adapt to different predation risks by humans. At Heshun County in North China, where hunting has been banned for over three decades and only low-intensity poaching exists, we exposed two large ungulates (Siberian roe deer Capreolus pygarus and wild boar Sus scrofa) to the sounds of humans, an extant predator (leopard Panthera pardus) and a control (wind), and examined their flight responses and detection probabilities when hearing different type of sounds. Both species showed higher flight probabilities when hearing human vocalization than wind, and wild boar were even more likely to flee upon hearing human vocalization than leopard roar, suggesting the behavioral response to humans can equal or exceed that of large carnivores in these two ungulates even in an area without hunting practices. Recorded sounds had no effect on detection probability of both ungulates. Additionally, with repeated exposure to sounds, regardless of treatment, roe deer were less likely to flee and wild boars were more likely to be detected, indicating a habituation-type response to sound stimuli. We speculate that the immediate flight behavior rather than shifts in habitat use of the two species reflect the low hunting/poaching pressure at our study site and suggest further examination of physiological status and demographic dynamics of the study species to understand human influence on their long-term persistence.

Project description:In Drosophila, diet is considered a prominent factor shaping the associated bacterial community. However, the host population background (e.g. genotype, geographical origin and founder effects) is a factor that may also exert a significant influence and is often overlooked. To test for population background effects, we characterized the bacterial communities in larvae of six genetically differentiated and geographically distant D. melanogaster lines collected from natural populations across Europe. The diet for these six lines had been identical for ca. 50 generations, thus any differences in the composition of the microbiome originates from the host populations. We also investigated whether induced shifts in the microbiome-in this case by controlled antibiotic administration-alters the hosts' resistance to parasitism. Our data revealed a clear signature of population background on the diversity and composition of D. melanogaster microbiome that differed across lines, even after hosts had been maintained at the same diet and laboratory conditions for over 4 years. In particular, the number of bacterial OTUs per line ranged from 8 to 39 OTUs. Each line harboured 2 to 28 unique OTUs, and OTUs that were highly abundant in some lines were entirely missing in others. Moreover, we found that the response to antibiotic treatment differed among the lines and significantly altered the host resistance to the parasitoid Asobara tabida in one of the six lines. Wolbachia, a widespread intracellular endosymbiont associated with parasitoid resistance, was lacking in this line, suggesting that other components of the Drosophila microbiome caused a change in host resistance. Collectively, our results revealed that lines that originate from different population backgrounds show significant differences in the established Drosophila microbiome, outpacing the long-term effect of diet. Perturbations on these naturally assembled microbiomes to some degree influenced the hosts' resistance against natural parasites.

Dataset Information

The behavioral repertoire of Drosophila melanogaster in the presence of two predator species that differ in hunting mode.

Publications

The behavioral repertoire of Drosophila melanogaster in the presence of two predator species that differ in hunting mode.

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