Lead retards development of Drosophila melanogaster

1. Lead (Pb) is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant which has been reported to have growth-retarding effects. That premise was examined in the current study of the effects of developmental exposure to Pb on the maturation of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. 2. Flies were raised from egg to adulthood in media to which 0, 100, 250, or 500 ppm Pb acetate added. 3. There was a dose-dependent delay of maturation but no apparent effect on survival to adulthood. There were no significant differences in this effect between male and female flies. 4. Weights of fly offspring and their fecundity were not related to increasing exposure levels, suggesting that the delays were not due to gross nutritional deficits. 5. Analyses of Pb content indicated exposure-dependent body burdens of Pb in flies. Timed analyses of the Pb content of media itself indicated a heterogeneous distribution of Pb in the media, suggesting some precipitation of Pb at the highest exposure, occurring primarily during the first hour. 6. The mechanistic bases of the Pb-induced retardation of D. melanogaster development remain unknown, but it is concluded that because of the extensive body of knowledge on D. melanogaster genetics, molecular biology, and developmental biology, this procedure could serve as a model system for further study of the developmental consequences of exposure to Pb or other toxicants. 7. Environmental Pb exposure resulting in retarded development could have deleterious repercussions for insect populations exposed chronically to high levels of Pb.