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Increase in cold‐shock tolerance by selection of cold resistant lines in Drosophila melanogaster
Author(s) -
CHEN CP.,
WALKER V. K.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1993.tb01088.x
Subject(s) - biology , cold tolerance , shock (circulatory) , drosophila melanogaster , cold stress , cold hardening , zoology , horticulture , genetics , medicine , gene
.1 In Drosophila melanogaster , the cold‐shock tolerance of adult flies at ‐7°C increased 22% after a prior 2h exposure to 4°C as measured by LD 50 , the dose (degree minutes of exposure to subzero temperature) which resulted in 50% mortality. 2 Cold‐shock tolerance was further significantly increased by selecting cold resistant lines by exposure of adults (1) to 4°C for 2 h (short‐term chilling), or (2) to ‐7°C for 80–120 min (cold shock), or (3) to short‐term chilling followed by cold‐shock. 3 After ten generations of selection, the greatest increase in cold‐shock tolerance was found in flies selected using the combined exposure of short‐term chilling and cold shock. LD 50 s increased 33% in comparison with the unselected control strain when no chilling pre‐treatment was given prior to cold shock at ‐7°C. 4 The rapid cold‐hardening response increased 82% in the line selected by the short‐term chilling and cold‐shock regime. 5 The enhanced cold‐shock tolerance was relatively stable since no decrease was observed after four generations without selection. 6 This report shows the role of short‐term adaptation as well as selection in the capacity to survive low temperatures in non‐diapausing stages of insects.