Larval Responses to Environmental Ethanol in Three Drosophila Species: an Indicator of Habitat Selection.

Abstract

Newly hatched larvae of the 3 cosmopolitan species Drosophila melanogaster Mg., D. simulans Sturt. and D. immigrans Sturt. from sympatric temperature-zone populations from Victoria, Australia, were tested in the laboratory for attraction to ethanol over a range of concentrations from 0 to 15%. Thresholds between attraction and avoidance occurred in the sequence D. melanogaster>D. simulans>D. immigrans, which was in accordance with adult ethanol tolerances and field data on habitat preferences. The behaviour of newly hatched larvae in response to potential resources, especially ethanol, may therefore provide a good indicator of habitat selection in the wild.