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Drosophila C virus and Drosophila hosts: a good association in various environments
Author(s) -
GomarizZilber Eliane,
ThomasOrillard Michèle
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1993.6050677.x
Subject(s) - biology , drosophila (subgenus) , host (biology) , population , drosophila melanogaster , zoology , larva , virus , drosophilidae , genetics , evolutionary biology , ecology , gene , demography , sociology
To discover whether the beneficial effects observed when Drosophila C virus (DCV C ) infects Drosophila larvae should be considered as a specific case or, as a general rule, the DCV C ‐ Drosophila association was studied in different environments (3 host‐populations, 2 temperatures, 2 viral dose). We measured pre‐adult mortality, developmental time and number of ovarioles per fly. In all experiments, and, in all contaminated populations, DCV C could be considered, either a parasite since it increased pre‐adult mortality, or a symbiont since it decreased developmental time and increased mean number of ovarioles. The viral dose necessary for the appearance of beneficial effects varied with population, temperature and life‐cycle parameters. A sufficient number of viral particles appears necessary at a specific point in the host life‐cycle for a beneficial DCV C effect on the host. DCV C does not affect the variance of any of these parameters. The observed changes in DCV C ‐contaminated populations were thus not a response to the selection pressure of DCV C . Two arguments support the association as an example of the “cohabitation‐without‐struggle model” and will be discussed.