| dc.description.abstract | Foraging behavior in animals is based on the interaction among different factors,
such as their nutritional requirements, satiety, reproductive state, food composition and
presence of various chemicals in the immediate environment. Food preference depends
on complex interactions between environmental and physiological cues, and is affected
by sensory experience and metabolism during lifespan. In fruit flies, olfaction is considered
as one of the main mechanisms used in detection of environmental cues and further
behavior adjustment, including food choice. In this work, preference for a particular food
in Drosophila melanogaster reared on standard cornmeal substrate was investigated. Virgin
males and females were tested individually and in the groups, separated by sex, for food
choice. Starving flies had the opportunity to choose between standard cornmeal, tomato,
banana, carrot and apple substrates, for one hour. Food choice was monitored in transparent
plastic boxes (dimensions: 220 × 140 × 90 mm), containing five Petri dishes (30 mm
in diameter), filled with five above mentioned substrates. Males and females did not significantly
differ in food choice, both when tested individually or in groups. However, flies
chose standard cornmeal, tomato and banana substrates significantly more often than carrot
and apple substrates. We previously determined that apple substrate had the lowest
quality. Since flies live, eat, mate and lay eggs on fruits and vegetables, avoiding low quality
food has certain advantages in fitness components. | sr |
