Flying the Fly: Long-range Flight Behavior of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila melanogaster</Emphasis> to Attractive Odors |
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Authors: | Paul G Becher Marie Bengtsson Bill S Hansson Peter Witzgall |
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Affiliation: | (1) Chemical Ecology Group, SLU, 23053, Alnarp, Sweden;(2) Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany |
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Abstract: | The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is a model for how animals sense, discriminate, and respond to chemical signals. However,
with D. melanogaster our knowledge of the behavioral activity of olfactory receptor ligands has relied largely on close-range attraction, rather
than on long-range orientation behavior. We developed a flight assay to relate chemosensory perception to behavior. Headspace
volatiles from vinegar attracted 62% of assayed flies during a 15-min experimental period. Flies responded irrespective of
age, sex, and mating state, provided they had been starved. To identify behaviorally relevant chemicals from vinegar, we compared
the responses to vinegar and synthetic chemicals. Stimuli were applied by a piezoelectric sprayer at known and constant release
rates. Re-vaporized methanol extracts of Super Q-trapped vinegar volatiles attracted as many flies as vinegar. The main volatile
component of vinegar, acetic acid, elicited significant attraction as a single compound. Two other vinegar volatiles, 2-phenyl
ethanol and acetoin, produced a synergistic effect when added to acetic acid. Geosmin, a microbiological off-flavor, diminished
attraction to vinegar. This wind tunnel assay based on a conspicuous and unambiguous behavioral response provides the necessary
resolution for the investigation of physiologically and ecologically relevant odors and will become an essential tool for
the functional analysis of the D. melanogaster olfactory system. |
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