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Description

Understanding how host plant availability influences behavior in Drosophila species provides valuable insight into ecological specialization and speciation. This study examines the effects of different host plants on the reproductive and oviposition behavior of Drosophila silvestris and Drosophila grimshawi. The primary objective of this project is to determine whether females exhibit host-plant preferences during egg-laying. A secondary aim is to assess whether sex and mating status influence host plant preference, specifically comparing male, unmated female, and mated female behavior with two host plants. To test these hypotheses, newly emerged flies were divided into three treatment groups: male-only, female-only, and mixed male-female groups expected to mate. After three weeks of housing these flies, each group was introduced into an observation chamber containing two food vials: one spiked with Clermontia extract and the other with Akia extract. In the mated group, males were removed after mating to isolate mated females for oviposition observations. Each day, fly positions were recorded as either on Clermontia, Akia, or not associated with either (NA). Weekly egg counts were also recorded from the vials of mated females under a microscope. The results are expected to reveal species-specific and sex-dependent host plant preferences that may correspond to ecological divergence and reproductive isolation mechanisms within Hawaiian Drosophila. By combining controlled behavioral assays with quantitative observation, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how host plant choice shapes reproductive behavior and drives evolutionary diversification. These findings will also provide broader implications for understanding the mechanisms of adaptive radiation.

Publisher Location

Las Vegas (Nev.)

Publication Date

Fall 11-21-2025

Publisher

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Keywords

Drosophila silvestris; Drosophila grimshawi; Reproduction; Clermontia; Akia

Disciplines

Biology | Life Sciences

File Format

PDF

File Size

1200 KB

Permissions

Google Drive\Institutional Repository\OUR_OfficeOfUGResearch\Symposia\2025 Fall Symposium

Comments

Mentor: Donald Price

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Hawaiian Drosophila Host Plant Preferences


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