Hardening capacity in the Drosophila melanogaster species group is constrained by basal thermotolerance

Abstract

1. To determine the relationship between basal thermotolerance and hardening capacity across related taxa, these traits were quantified for eight Drosophila species: D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. sechellia and D. yakuba of the melanogaster subgroup and D. auraria, D. vulcana, D. serrata and D. birchii of the montium subgroup. The effects of pretreatment temperature and recovery time between pretreatment and heat shock on thermotolerance were also assessed. 2. For any given species, all elevated temperature pretreatments (31°C, 33°C and 35°C) equally increased thermotolerance. 3. For any given species, increasing recovery time between pretreatment and heat shock increased thermotolerance, ..