Desiccation and starvation resistance in Drosophila: Patterns of variation at the species, population and intrapopulation levels

Abstract

A substantial number of Drosophila studies have investigated variation in desiccation and starvation resistance, providing an opportunity to test for consistent patterns of direct and correlated responses across studies and across the species and population levels. In general, responses to laboratory selection for these traits in D melanogaster are rapid and indicate abundant genetic variation in populations. However, slower responses to selection for desiccation resistance occur in other species including D. sumulans. Clines suggest adaptive divergence although specific selection pressures have not been documented empirically. Drosophila species differ markedly in desiccation and starvation..