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Effects of microbial floras on the distributions of five domestic Drosophila species across fruit resources

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Summary

The distributions of five Drosophila species and four components of the microflora have been compared across a total of 48 traps baited with four different fruit and vegetable substrates in two domestic compost heaps in Canberra (Australia). Large and consistent differences are found, both among the Drosophila and among the microbial classes, in their distributions across traps baited with different substrates. Moreover the distribution of each Drosophila species shows a unique set of strong associations with the microbial distributions. Thus the distributions of both D. simulans and D. melanogaster are found to be strongly negatively correlated with the abundance of bacteria while D. simulans is also strongly positively correlated with the titre of fermenter yeasts. D. immigrans is strongly positively correlated both with bacteria and with non-fermenter yeasts. D. hydei is positively correlated with nonfermentery yeasts and D. busckii is negatively correlated with fermenter yeasts. Moulds are the only microbial class not consistently associated with the distribution of any of the Drosophila species. The correlations with the other microbial classes are sufficient to explain the majority of the abundance differences of the Drosophila species among the trap types. It is therefore proposed that the clear partitioning of the fruit resources by the Drosophila is due to their differing primary interactions with the microflora.

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Author notes

  1. J. G. Oakeshott

    Present address: CSIRO Division of Entomology, G.P.O. Box 1700, 2601, Canberra City, ACT, Australia

  2. D. C. Vacek

    Present address: Mission Biological Control Laboratories, Moore Air Force Base, Box 1002, 78539, Edinburg, TX, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University, P.O. Box 475, 2601, Canberra City, ACT, Australia

    J. G. Oakeshott, D. C. Vacek & P. R. Anderson

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  1. J. G. Oakeshott
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  2. D. C. Vacek
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  3. P. R. Anderson
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Oakeshott, J.G., Vacek, D.C. & Anderson, P.R. Effects of microbial floras on the distributions of five domestic Drosophila species across fruit resources. Oecologia 78, 533–541 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378745

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378745

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