The ecology of yeast flora associated with cactiphilic Drosophila and their host plants in the Sonoran desert

Abstract

Yeasts were isolated from the rotting stems of 7 species of cereoid cacti and 4 species ofDrosophila which utilize them as host plants. The yeast most common among 132 nonidentical isolates from the cacti and 187 nonidentical isolates from the flies, respectively, were:Pichia membranaefaciens (59 and 126),Candida ingens (22 and 8),Torulopsis sonorensis (16 and 20), andCryptococcus cereanus (11 and 14). Isolates capable of utilizingD-xylose were recovered primarily fromD. pachea andL. schotti. Adult flies were present on the substrates whenP. membranaefaciens was at high concentrations. As the pH of the substrates increased, the percent ofC. ingens cells increased relative to other yeast species. Larvae were detected mainly in alkaline substrates, and since adults did not yieldC. ingens to the extent the substrates did,C. ingens may be important in larval nutrition.Torulopsis sonorensis was recovered mainly fromD. mojavensis and its host plants,M. gummosus andL. thurberi. The concentration ofT. sonorensis in the substrates was negatively correlated with the temperature of the substrate.Cryptococcus cereanus was found in high concentrations in suitable tissues for adult flies but most adults did not yield this species to any extent. The yeast habitat diversities from the substrates had the following order:L. thurberi > C. gigantea > C. gigantea soils ≫ M. gummosus > L. schotti > others. Habitat diversity is discussed in relation to the variation of the physical conditions and chemical composition of the substrates. The yeast habitat diversities from the flies had the orderD. pachea > D. mojavensis ≫ D. nigrospiracula > undescribed Species M. The degree of habitat diversity is possibly a function of the surface feeding behavior of the flies.