biostudies-literatureUnknown69(12)Kain JSOrganisms use various strategies to cope with fluctuating environmental conditions. In diversified bet-hedging, a single genotype exhibits phenotypic heterogeneity with the expectation that some individuals will survive transient selective pressures. To date, empirical evidence for bet-hedging is scarce. Here, we observe that individual Drosophila melanogaster flies exhibit striking variation in light- and temperature-preference behaviors. With a modeling approach that combines real world weather and climate data to simulate temperature preference-dependent survival and reproduction, we find that a bet-hedging strategy may underlie the observed interindividual behavioral diversity. Specifically, bet-hedging outcompetes strategies in which individual thermal preferences are heritable. AnimaEvolution; international journal of organic evolution3171-85https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5063146biostudies-literatureVariability in thermal and phototactic preferences in Drosophila may reflect an adaptive bet-hedging strategy.PMC5063146Samuel ADKlein Mde Bivort BLZhang SKain JSAkhund-Zade JfalseVariability in thermal and phototactic preferences in Drosophila may reflect an adaptive bet-hedging strategy.Organisms use various strategies to cope with fluctuating environmental conditions. In diversified bet-hedging, a single genotype exhibits phenotypic heterogeneity with the expectation that some individuals will survive transient selective pressures. To date, empirical evidence for bet-hedging is scarce. Here, we observe that individual Drosophila melanogaster flies exhibit striking variation in light- and temperature-preference behaviors. With a modeling approach that combines real world weather and climate data to simulate temperature preference-dependent survival and reproduction, we find that a bet-hedging strategy may underlie the observed interindividual behavioral diversity. Specifically, bet-hedging outcompetes strategies in which individual thermal preferences are heritable. Anima2015-01-01T00:00:00Z2015 Dec2025-04-04T09:20:32.982Z2019-03-27T02:26:37ZS-EPMC50631462653116510.1111/evo.12813