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Exploring the nutritional basis of starvation resistance in D rosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
Lee Kwang Pum,
Jang Taehwan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
functional ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.272
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2435
pISSN - 0269-8463
DOI - 10.1111/1365-2435.12247
Subject(s) - starvation , biology , carbohydrate , zoology , endogeny , drosophila melanogaster , reproduction , food science , biochemistry , ecology , endocrinology , gene
Summary Food limitation is the most common environmental challenge faced by animals and the capacity of animals to survive prolonged periods of starvation is linked to their diet and nutritional status. The fruit flies of the genus D rosophila have been widely used to study the ecology and evolution of starvation resistance (SR), but the nutritional basis of their resistance to starvation has not yet been fully explored. We have taken a nutritionally explicit approach to investigate the quantitative and qualitative effects of nutrition on SR in D rosophila melanogaster using state‐space geometric models of nutrition. Experimental flies were given ad libitum access to artificial diets differing in concentrations and ratios of protein and carbohydrate for 5 days before they were assayed for starvation time, body composition and life‐history parameters. The main objectives of this study were to determine the most critical nutritional factor of SR and to understand the utilization patterns of endogenous metabolic fuels during starvation in D rosophila . Starvation resistance in D rosophila was greatly influenced by the dietary protein : carbohydrate ( P : C ) ratio, but neither by the caloric content of the diet nor by carbohydrate alone. SR was strongest at the lowest P : C ratio and decreased with rising P : C ratio. When fed on low P : C diets, D rosophila not only deposited more lipids, but also lowered the minimum body weight required for tolerating starvation. During starvation, D rosophila exhibited a dramatic transition in the utilization of endogenous fuels. In the early phase of starvation, Drosophila exclusively used nonlipid substrates, but switched to the late phase during which they mobilized lipids to maintain life under starvation. Our results highlight the important role that nutrition plays in determining the phenotypic expression of SR in D rosophila and provide broad implications for understanding starvation responses in other species, including humans. This study introduces how the recent advances in nutritional physiology can offer new insights into the ecology and evolution of starvation responses.