Chronotype differences in Drosophila are enhanced by semi-natural conditions

Morning and evening chronotypes of sleep/wake cycles in humans are often metaphorically termed as 'larks' and 'owls'. We derived Drosophila populations early and late, displaying lark- and owl-like emergence chronotypes by imposing selection for adult emergence during morning and evening hours. Preference for morning and evening emergence in these populations was accompanied by divergence in their circadian period (τ) and photic phase response curve. To test if lark- and owl-like emergence chronotypes displayed by these flies under weak environmental cycles of the laboratory would also persist in nature where several zeitgebers are present in the strongest form, we examined the emergence rhythm of early and late flies under semi-natural conditions. The early and late flies not only continued to exhibit divergent emergence waveforms under semi-natural conditions, the differences became even more prominent. However, phases of early and late emergence waveforms did not match natural morning and evening transitions, unlike that observed under laboratory conditions. These results thus provide evidence consistent with the notion that chronotypes are the result of interactions between circadian clocks and natural environmental cycles.