Spontaneous locomotor activity of Drosophila subobscura under controlled laboratory conditions

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the temporal patterns of spontaneous locomotor activity in Drosophila subobscura virgin females and males from isofemale lines collected from beech and oak forests and maintained in controlled laboratory conditions for five full-sib inbreeding generations. The flies were monitored in a circular open field arena for 30 min in the morning (8:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM). The distance travelled and the mobility of the flies decreased along with the registration time, whereby the slowest decreasing was observed at 8:00 AM. Females showed a greater range of variability in both parameters compared to males. In addition, there was a greater range of variability in the locomotor activities of flies from the oak forest compared to the beech. These findings could be attributed to their specific genetic background.