Summary
Individuals of Drosophila melanogaster were maintained as larvae and/or as adults on media made from one of the following natural breeding sties: apple, tomato, banana, or squash. The oviposition site preference of adults was not affected by the type of food they had developed on as larvae. However, prior exposure to either apple or tomato enhanced their preference for that food when subsequently given a choice between apple and tomato for oviposition. In a second experiment, adult flies were kept on media made from either apples, oranges, grapes, tomatoes, or onions; their oviposition site preferences were subsequently tested in a 5-choice situation. Prior exposure to a particular food did in some cases increase the acceptability of that food to flies. More remarkably, it sometimes modified the flies' responses to other foods, a phenomenon referred to here as cross-induction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkinson W, Shorrocks B (1977) Breeding site specificity in the domestic species of Drosophila. Oecologia (Berlin) 29:223–232
Cavener D (1979) Preference for ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster associated with the alcohol dehydrogenase polymorphism. Behav Genet 9:359–365
Craighead FC (1921) Hopkins host-selection principle as related to certain cerambycid beetles. J Agric Res U S 22:189–220
Del Solar E (1968) Selection for and against gregariousness in the choice of oviposition sites by Drosophila pseudoobscura. Genetics 58:275–282
Hopkins AD (1917) A discussion of C.G. Hewitt's paper on “Insect Behaviour.” J Econ Entomol 10:92–93
Hovanitz W, Chang VCS (1963) Ovipositional preference tests with Pieris. J Res Lepid 2:185–200
Jaenike J (1982) Environmental modification of oviposition behavior in Drosophila. Amer Natur 119:784–802
Jaenike J, Grimaldi D (1983) Genetic variation for host preference within and among populations of Drosophila tripunctata. Evolution (in press)
Mark G (1982) Induced oviposition preference, periodic environments, and demographic cycles in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus Fab. Ent exp appl (in press)
Martinez Pico M, Maldonado C, Levins R (1965) Ecology and genetics of Puerto Rican Drosophila: I. Food preference of sympatric species. Carib J Science 5:29–38
Montieth LH (1962) Apparent continual changes in the host preferences of Drino bohemica Mesn. (Dipteta: Tachinidae), and their relation to the concept of host-conditioning. Anim Behav 10:292–299
Papaj DR, Rausher MD (1983) Individual variation in host location by photophagous insects. In: Herbivore insects: hostseeking behavior and mechanisms Ahmad S (ed) Academic Press, New York (in press)
Phillips PA, Barnes MM (1975) Host race formation among sympatric apple, walnut, and plum populations of the coddling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella. Ann Entomol Soc Amer 68:1053–1060
Prokopy RJ, Averill AL, Cooley SS, Roitberg CA (1982) Associative learning in egglaying site selection by apple magot flies. Science 218:76–77
Rausher MD (1983) Conditioning and genetic variation as causes of individual variation in the oviposition behaviour of the tortoise beetle Deloyala guttata. Anim Behav (in press)
Richmond RC, Gerking JL (1979) Oviposition site preference in Drosophila. Behav Genet 9:233–241
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1969) Biometry, Freeman, San Francisco
Sturtevant AH (1921) The North American species of Drosophila. Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.
Tabashnik BE, Wheelock H, Rainbolt JD, Watt WB (1981) Individual variation in oviposition preference in the butterfly, Colias eurytheme. Oecologia (Berlin) 50:224–230
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jaenike, J. Induction of host preference in Drosophila melanogaster . Oecologia 58, 320–325 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385230
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00385230