ISSN:
1572-8889
Keywords:
Drosophila melanogaster
;
D. hydei
;
pupation height
;
pH
;
acidity
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract This paper describes the effects of the pH of the larval resource on the pupation height of two cosmopolitan species of Drosophila: D. melanogaster and D. hydei. The pH levels of “artificial media” were modified using solutions of acids (hydrochloric, acetic, and citric) and a positive relationship was found between pupation height and resource pH; i. e., the more acidic the resource, the closer the larvae pupated to the resource surface. The clearest trends were between pupation height and the final pH of the resource, the larvae apparently responding to the pH they encountered just before pupation commenced. When using natural resources a difference in pupation height was found between the types of fruits used but there was no obvious trend linking pupation height with pH. This suggests that some other environmental factor(s) was (were) overriding the effects of pH, and consequently resource pH may play only a minor role in determining pupation behavior in nature.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1020814516158
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