Meeting Abstract

85.4  Thursday, Jan. 7  Ecological genomics of host plant adaptation and stress in desert Drosophila GIBBS, A.G.*; DE OLIVEIRA, C.C.; RAJPUROHIT, S.; ETGES, W.J.; Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; Univ. of Arkansas; Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; Univ. of Arkansas allen.gibbs@unlv.edu

Geographically isolated populations of the desert fruitfly, Drosophila mojavensis, complete their life cycles on different species of cacti. Previous studies have demonstrated that temperature and growth on different hosts affect development time and cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs). CHCs modulate water loss through the cuticle and serve as mate recognition cues, suggesting that host plants can affect both environmental stress resistance and courtship behavior. Based on the recently released whole genome assembly for D. mojavensis, the only desert organism with a sequenced genome, we developed Nimblegen 12-plex microarrays containing probes for all predicted genes. We reared flies from Baja California and Sonoran populations on two host plants at different temperatures identified co-expressed gene sets that differ between sexes and populations reared under different conditions, and assessed responses in expressed CHCs. These gene sets are in the process of annotation, and will then provide candidates to identify physiological processes allowing host plant shifts and adaptation to desert conditions. Supported by NSF award 0723930 to A. G. Gibbs and W. J. Etges.