Fat storage in Drosophila suzukii is influenced by different dietary sugars in relation to their palatability

Abstract

The peripheral sensitivity and palatability of different carbohydrates was evaluated and their nutritional value assessed in adult females of D. suzukii by means of an electrophysiological, behavioural and metabolic approach. The electrophysiological responses were recorded from the labellar “l” type sensilla stimulated with metabolizable mono- and disaccharides (glucose and maltose) and a non-metabolizable sugar (sucralose); the response rating and the palatability to the same sugars, evaluated by recording the proboscis extension reflex (PER), was maltose>glucose>sucralose. The nutritional value of carbohydrates was assessed by means of survival trials and fatty acids profile. Flies fed on a diet containing maltose had a longer lifespan than flies on monosaccharides, while flies fed on a diet containing sucralose had a shorter one. In addition, the ability to store fat seems to be influenced by the different sugars in the diet and is in relationship with their palatability. In fact, data showed a higher synthesis of palmitic and palmitoleic acids, most likely derived from de-novo lipogenesis with glucose as precursor, in flies fed with maltose and glucose than with non-metabolizable sucralose. In conclusion, these results suggest that the ability to select different sugars on the basis of their palatability may favour the storage of energy reserves such as fat by de-novo lipogenesis, determining a longer survival capability during prolonged periods of fasting.

Taste sensitivity and divergence in host plant acceptance between adult females and larvae ofPapilio hospiton

“…This time frame was selected as representative of the phasic/phasic-tonic portions of the GRN response (Dethier & Crnjar, 1982;Inoue et al, 2009). Spike sorting and counting were obtained by means of the Clampfit 10.0 software, on the basis on earlier work (Dolzer et al, 2003;Sollai et al, 2014Sollai et al, , 2017bBiolchini et al, 2017).…”

“…In insects, multiple behaviors such as the choice of oviposition site, the acceptance of a food source and the recognition of conspecifics for mating are strongly dependent on the input arising from their chemical senses (Feeny et al, 1989;Nishida, 2005;Solari et al, 2007;Sollai et al, 2007Sollai et al, , 2010Masala et al, 2008Masala et al, , 2009Dangles et al, 2009;Ozaki et al, 2011;Biolchini et al, 2017). Gustatory chemoreceptors respond to various chemicals present in potential hosts and their integrated activity plays a role Correspondence: Giorgia Sollai, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Cagliari, SP 8 Km 0.700, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy.…”

Octopamine modulates the activity of motoneurons related to calling behavior in the gypsy moth Lymantria dispar

“…Invertebrates rely on chemical senses to mediate a number of complex behaviors such as courtship, aggregation, associative learning, and food searching (Dethier, ; Merivee et al ., ; Masala et al ., ; Yarmolinsky et al ., ; Solari et al ., ; Thiel & Breithaupt, ; Zhang et al ., ; Solari et al ., ; Walker et al ., ; Biolchini et al ., ; Lebreton et al ., ; Sollai et al ., ; Solari et al ., ). In particular, insects use both pheromones and kairomones present in their environment to select conspecific partners for mating and oviposition sites for egg laying (Feeny et al ., ; Sollai et al ., ; Solari et al ., ; Yu et al ., ).…”

“…Invertebrates rely on chemical senses to mediate a number of complex behaviors such as courtship, aggregation, associative learning, and food searching (Dethier, 1976;Merivee et al, 2002;Masala et al, 2009;Yarmolinsky et al, 2009;Solari et al, 2010;Thiel & Breithaupt, 2011;Zhang et al, 2013;Solari et al, 2015a;Walker et al, 2016;Biolchini et al, 2017;Lebreton et al, 2017; Correspondence: Paolo Solari, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Physiology, University of Cagliari, University Campus, S.P. 8, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy.…”

Association between olfactory sensitivity and behavioral responses of Drosophila suzukii to naturally occurring volatile compounds

“…Four‐to‐ten‐day adult females of D. suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) were obtained from a lab‐reared colony at the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Cagliari (Italy). In the larval stage, flies were fed on Drosophila standard diet (Dalton et al, 2011) under controlled conditions (23°C, 70% of relative humidity, 14L/10D photoperiodic regime; Biolchini et al, 2017).…”