Entomology Commons^™

Cold Rearing Improves Cold-Flight Performance In Drosophila Via Changes In Wing Morphology, Melanie R. Frazier, Jon F. Harrison, Scott D. Kirkton, Stephen P. Roberts

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

We Use a Factorial Experimental Design to Test Whether Rearing at Colder Temperatures Shifts the Lower Thermal Envelope for Flight of Drosophila Melanogaster Meigen to Colder Temperatures. D. Melanogaster that Developed in Colder Temperatures (15°C) Had a Significant Flight Advantage in Cold Air Compared to Flies that Developed in Warmer Temperatures (28°C). at 14°C, Cold-Reared Flies Failed to Perform a Take-Off Flight ∼47% of the Time Whereas Warm-Reared Flies Failed ∼94% of the Time. at 18°C, Cold- and Warm-Reared Flies Performed Equally Well. We Also Compared Several Traits in Cold- and Warm-Developing Flies to Determine If Cold-Developing Flies Had Better …