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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
06:52
An Automated Method to Determine the Performance of Drosophila in Response to Temperature Changes in Space and Time
Published on: October 12, 2018
CONCERNING THE HEREDITARY ADAPTATION OF ORGANISMS TO HIGHER TEMPERATURE.
1Laboratories of The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.
The Journal of General Physiology
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Fruit flies (Drosophila) adapted to cooler temperatures can lay viable eggs across a range of warmer conditions. However, prolonged exposure to high temperatures prevents egg development, with no evidence of hereditary adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Environmental Science
- Genetics
Background:
- Temperature significantly influences insect development and reproduction.
- Understanding thermal tolerance is crucial for predicting insect population dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of temperature acclimation on the reproductive capacity of Drosophila.
- To determine the thermal limits for egg development in Drosophila.
Main Methods:
- Drosophila imagos were raised at various temperatures (12-32.5°C).
- Acclimated imagos were then subjected to different temperature regimes for egg laying and development.
- Egg viability was assessed under controlled temperature conditions.
Main Results:
- Drosophila raised at 12-28.5°C produced normally developing eggs across temperatures from 15-32.5°C.
- Imagos maintained at 29-32.5°C produced non-viable eggs.
- Reversal of high-temperature exposure (28.5-32.5°C to 12-25°C) restored egg viability.
- Temporary exposure to cooler temperatures (15-25°C) allowed subsequent egg development at higher temperatures (28.5-32.5°C).
Conclusions:
- Drosophila reproductive success is highly sensitive to acute and chronic temperature exposure.
- Short-term exposure to cooler temperatures can mitigate the negative effects of prior high-temperature acclimation on egg development.
- No evidence suggests that Drosophila exhibit hereditary adaptation to higher temperatures within the tested range.
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