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Attractive behavior toward human constructions helps to explain the domestic and cosmopolitan status of some Drosophilids

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Summary

Big differences in the Drosophilid adults collected by traps placed within a short distance were observed during a study in tropical Africa. These can be explained mainly by divergent behavior towards man-made constructions. In most cases, adults strictly avoided entering buildings. On the other hand, some species, mainlyD. melanogaster, appeared to concentrate within man-made constructions. This preference can be considered as a preadaptation which allowed exploitation of new, poorly competed food sources and also favored transportations with fruit shipments all over the world.

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References

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Author notes

  1. J. R. David

    Present address: Laboratoire de Biologie et de Génétique évolutives, C.N.R.S., F-91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, (France)

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d'Entomologie expérimentale et de Génétique, Université Claude Bernard, F-69622, Villeurbanne, (France)

    J. R. David

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  1. J. R. David
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David, J.R. Attractive behavior toward human constructions helps to explain the domestic and cosmopolitan status of some Drosophilids. Experientia 35, 1436–1438 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01962769

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01962769

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