R. Godoyherrera et al., THE DEVELOPMENT OF LARVAL BEHAVIORS IN SYMPATRIC CHILEAN POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER AND DROSOPHILA-SIMULANS, Behaviour, 134, 1997, pp. 105-125
The patterns of movement and foraging were investigated in larvae of t
he Chilean sympatric species D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Frequenc
ies of 'rover', 'sitter' and 'digger' larvae, as well as locomotion an
d the angle size of turning were recorded in nutritive and non-nutriti
ve environments. In these environments the sibling species differ in f
requencies of 'rover', 'sitter' and 'digger' larval phenotypes. There
are also differences in these frequencies between the populations of e
ach species and across larval age. As development proceeds, the larvae
of D. melanogaster and D. simulans become more diverse in their behav
iours. Depending on larval age, strain and species, larval locomotion
may be: i) similar in the presence and in the absence of food (D. simu
lans), ii) lower in yeast suspension than on agar (D. melanogaster), i
ii) higher in the presence of food than on agar (D. simulans). The ang
le size of larval turning also shows variability which depends on larv
al age, strain and species. Statistical significance of the correlatio
n between locomotion and turning, and the regression of turning on loc
omotion in larvae of D. melanogaster and D. simulans depends on larval
age, strain, species and the environment in which the larvae grow.