Skip to main content
Log in

Behavioral analysis of the choice of oviposition site by single females ofDrosophila Melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

  • Published:
Journal of Insect Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The oviposition behavior of single females of Drosophila melanogasterwas studied in population cages over 24 h. Each female shows a different behavior, but they can be arbitrarily separated into those which concentrate their egg laying in only one tube and those which spread it over more than two tubes. A comparison is made between females extracted from the Valdivian population and flies from lines selected for high and low aggregation. When “one-tube” females were grouped and compared with “more-than-one-tube” females, the aggregation indices between these groups were significantly different.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Atkinson, W. D. (1983). Gregarious oviposition inDrosophila melanogaster is explained by surface texture.Austral. J. Zool. 31: 925–929.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayala, F. J. (1970). Competition, coexistence and evolution. In Hecht, M. K., and Steere, W. C. (eds.),Essays in Evolution and Genetics in Honor of Th. Dobzhansky, Appleton Century Crofts, New York, pp. 121–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayala, F. J., and Ayala, M. (1969). Oviposition preferences inDrosophila melanogaster.Dros. Inform. Serv. 44: 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brncic, D. (1988). Coexistencia de diferentes especies de Drosophila en frutos fermentados naturalmente.Medio Ambiente 8(2): 33–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brncic, D., and da S. Valente, V. L. (1978). Dinamica das comunidades de Drosophila que se establecem em frutos silvestres no Rio Grande du Sull.Ciencia Cultura (Brasil) 30: 1104–1111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budnik, M., and Brncic, D. (1983). Preadult competition between colonizing population ofD. subobscura and established population of D. simulans in Chile.Oecologia (Berlin) 58: 137–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burla, H., Jurgen, H., and Baschli, G. (1986). Population structure ofDrosophila subobscura: Nonrandom microdispersion of inversion polymorphism on a mountain slope.Genetica 70: 9–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • David, J. (1970). Oviposition chezDrosophila melanogaster importance des caracteristiques de la surface de ponte.Rev. Comp. Animal. 4: 70–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Frutos, R., and Prevosti, A. (1984). Temporal changes of chromosomal polymorphism in natural population ofD. subobscura.Genetica 63: 181–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • del Solar, E. (1968). Selection for and against gregariousness in the choice of oviposition sites byD. pseudoobscura.Genetics 58: 275–282.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • del Solar, E., and Palomino, H. (1966). Choice of oviposition inDrosophila melanogaster.Am. Nat. 100: 127–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fogelman, J. C. (1979). Oviposition site preference for substrate temperature inDrosophila melanogaster.Behav. Genet. 9: 407–412.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossfield, J. (1978). Nonsexual behavior in Drosophila. In M., Ashburner, and Wright, T. R. F. (eds.),The Genetics and Biology of Drosophila, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gruwez, G., Hoste, C., Lints, C. V., and Lints, F. A. (1972). Oviposition rhythm inDrosophila melanogaster and its alteration by changes in the photoperiodicity.Experientia 27: 1414–1416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kambysellis, M. P., Starmer, T., Smather, G., and Heed, W. B. (1980). Studies on oogenesis in natural population of Drosophilidae. II. Significance of Microclimatic changes on oogenesis ofD. mimica.Am. Nat. 115: 67–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kekic, V., Taylor, C. E., and Andjelkovic, M. (1980). Habitat choice and resource specialization byD. subobscura.Genetika (Beograd) 12: 219–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krimbas, C. B., and Alevizos, V. (1973). The genetics ofDrosophila subobscura populations IV. Further data on inversion polymorphism in Greece, evidence of microdifferentiation.Egypt. J. Genet. Cytol. 2: 121–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mainardi, M. (1968). Gregarious oviposition and pheromones inDrosophila melanogaster.Boll. Zool. 35: 135–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunney, L. (1990). Drosophila on oranges: Colonization, competition and coexistence.Ecology 7(5): 1904–1915.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinsker, W., and Sperlich, D. (1979). Allozyme variation in natural population of Drosophila subobscura along a north-south gradient.Genetica 50: 207–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosewell, J., Shorrocks, B., and Edwards, K. (1990). Competition on a divided and ephemeral resource: Testing the assumption. I. Aggregation.J. Anim. Ecol. 59: 977–1001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruíz, G., and del Solar, E. (1986). Effect of selection on oviposition site preference inDrosophila melanogaster.Austral. J. Biol. Sci. 39: 155–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiger, M. B., and Khamis, H. J. (1987). A multifactorial behavioral study of coexisting Drosophilid species in nature.Evolution 41: 209–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shorrocks, B., Atkinson, W., and Charlesworth, P. (1979). Competition on a divided and ephemeral resource.J. Anim. Ecol. 48: 899–908.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shorrocks, B., and Nigro, I. (1981). Microdistribution and habitats selection inDrosophila subobscura.Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 16: 293–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takamura, T., and Fuyama, Y. (1980). Behavior genetics of choice of oviposition sites inDrosophila melanogaster. I. Genetic variability and analysis of behavior.Behav. Genet. 10: 105–120.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, C. E., and Powell, J. R. (1983). Population structure of Drosophila: Genetics and ecology. In Ashburner, M., Carson, H. L., and Thompson, J. N. (eds.),The Genetics and Biology of Drosophila, Vol. 3d, Academic Press, New York, pp. 29–59.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

del Solar, E., Ruiz, G. Behavioral analysis of the choice of oviposition site by single females ofDrosophila Melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae). J Insect Behav 5, 571–581 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048005

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048005

Key words

Navigation