Abstract
Locomotion and mobility have been studied extensively in Drosophila melanogaster but less is known about the locomotor capacity of other Drosophila species, while the response to chronic exercise in other species has yet to be examined. We have shown that adult male D. melanogaster adapt to exercise training with improved running endurance, climbing speed, and flight ability compared to unexercised flies. Here, we examine baseline mobility of D. sechellia, D. simulans, and D. virilis, and their response to chronic exercise training. We found significant interspecific differences in mobility and in the response to exercise. Although there is a significant sex difference in exercise adaptations in D. melanogaster, intraspecific analysis reveals few sex differences in other Drosophila species. As octopamine has been shown to be important for exercise adaptations in D. melanogaster, we also asked if any observed differences could be attributed to baseline octopamine levels. We find that octopamine and tyramine levels have the same rank order as baseline climbing speed and endurance in males, but do not predict the response to chronic exercise in males or females. Future research should focus on determining the mechanisms responsible for the inter- and intraspecific differences in mobility and the response to exercise.
Highlights
With worldwide distribution, Drosophila are subject to different environmental challenges, which can significantly influence locomotion and mobility (Dillon and Frazier 2006; Valente et al 2007)
Females followed a similar rank order (D. virilis vs D. sechellia, p < 0.0001; D. sechellia vs D. simulans, p = 0.0005; log-rank test) (Fig. 1b)
There was no difference in climbing speed between D. sechellia and D. simulans
Summary
Drosophila are subject to different environmental challenges, which can significantly influence locomotion and mobility (Dillon and Frazier 2006; Valente et al 2007). Locomotor activity studies have often been conducted in the context of circadian rhythm (Thackeray 1989; Rogers et al 2004; Vanlalhriatpuia et al 2007; Bahn et al 2009; Kauranen et al 2012), while others have focused on mobility in the absence of circadian rhythm or under thermal stress (Bettencourt et al 2009; Kjærsgaard et al 2010; Berman et al 2014) These studies highlight significant intra- and inter-specific differences but the differences in other aspects of mobility, such as climbing speed, running endurance, and flight ability, remain unknown
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