Heat- and cold-shock responses and temperature adaptations in subtropical and temperate species of Drosophila

Abstract

Accumulation of Hsp70 mRNA was investigated with relation to heat and cold tolerance in adult males of three Drosophila species. The subtropical lowland species ( D. watanabei) and the cool-temperate species ( D. triauraria) were more tolerant to heat than the subtropical highland species ( D. trapezifrons), and the cool-temperate species were much more tolerant to cold than the two subtropical species. Thus, heat and cold tolerance was related to temperature conditions in the habitats. The threshold temperatures for the induction of Hsp70 mRNA at heat and cold were higher in D. watanabei than in D. trapezifrons or D. triauraria, but were not different between the latter two species in spite of the difference in their heat and cold tolerance. In D. trapezifrons, exposures to 0°C for 12 h and 6°C for 24 h killed about 40% of individuals, but the former treatment induced Hsp70 mRNA while the latter one did not. Thus, the relation between the heat- and cold-shock responses and temperature tolerance was not rigid in the species studied. In D. triauraria, the threshold temperatures for the induction of Hsp70 mRNA at heat and cold were lower when reared at a lower temperature.