Food preferences in Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and their relationship with niche overlap and competition

Date

10-1983

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Biology

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Victor P. Gapud

Abstract

MANAOG, HILARIO, MATEO and ORTEGA, MARIA VICTORIA, ARANAS, University of the Philippines at Los Banos, October 1983. Food preferences in Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and their relationship with niche over-lap and competition. Major Professor: Dr. Victor P. Gapud. Species of Drosophila collected from field traps were reared in the laboratory to study their niche relationships with respect to food selection, niche breadth and overlap, and extent of interspecific competition. Banana was the most preferred food bait by eight successfully reared species of Drosophila, followed by mango, caimito, chico, guava and papaya, in decreasing order of preference. Feeding preference patterns appeared to vary from one species to the other. Drosophila (Sophophora) bipectinata Duda was the most abundant and widespread of the laboratory-reared species, followed by D. (S.) eugracilis Bock and Wheeler and D. (S.) parabipectinata Bock. Among the species captured from field baits, D. bipectinata was similarly the most common, followed by D. (S.) pseudoananassae Bock and D. (Drosophila) immigrans sp. 2. Larval food preference patterns differed from adult food preference patterns. The first three species with the highest niche breadth values coincided with the most abundant and 0 widespread species, for reared species as well as for baited species. Overlaps of niches were observed from relatively abundant and widespread species. The patterns of niche overlaps differed between the reared species and the baited species. A direct relationship between niche overlap and competition coefficient values was not observed from the reared or baited species. Drosophila bipectinata exerted competitive pressure on all other species. Species with relatively wider niche breadths generally exerted competitive pressure on species with narrow niche breadths. Whether actual competition among reared species occurred is not certain. Competition among species captured from baits was considered more probable. Drosophila parabipectinata performed very well and much better than D. bipectinata in separate (single-species) rearings. Poor performance of D. bipectinata was attributed to sensitiveness to mechanical handling, bacterial and fungal contamination of cultures, and differential reproductive success of individual females. Food preference patterns of D. bipectinata and 0 D. parabipectinata differed considerably from patterns of the same species in mixed cultures. Separate rearings tended to favor females over males in D. bipectinata and males over females in D. parabipectinata. The niche breadth of D. parabipectinata was higher than that of D. bipectinata, when reared separately, a situation which was reverse in mixed cultures.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

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