Meeting Abstract

71.6  Thursday, Jan. 6  The contribution of desiccation and starvation to cold mortality in Drosophila melanogaster KOBEY, R.L.*; MONTOOTH, K.L.; Indiana University; Indiana University rkobey@indiana.edu

In order to better understand how organisms acclimate and adapt to low temperatures, we are investigating the physiological basis for cold tolerance in fruit flies. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has recently expanded its geographic range out of tropical Africa. Cosmopolitan populations that now inhabit temperate regions have had to adapt to lower temperatures than those experienced by the ancestral population. To examine differences in cold tolerance, we have generated survival curves for five genetic lines of D. melanogaster across a range of low temperatures. We have identified complex patterns of cold survival across genotypes and temperatures which suggest multiple physiological causes for cold mortality across temperatures. In order to determine the contribution of desiccation and starvation to cold mortality, we are comparing the water contents and energy stores of flies exposed to desiccation, starvation, and a range of low temperatures. These comparative data shed light on the causes of cold-induced mortality in D. melanogaster.