Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
10-25-2022
Year of Publication
2022
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Document Type
Master's Thesis
College
Agriculture, Food and Environment
Department/School/Program
Entomology
First Advisor
Dr. Zainulabeuddin Syed
Abstract
Massive economic damage by spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, results from their unique egg laying behavior. Gravid SWD flies employ a complex suite of behaviors to find fruit with the optimum firmness and chemistry. We tested for SWD attraction to various fruits and found overripe raspberries to be most attractive to gravid flies which was unexpected since they oviposit in ripe fruit. We next tested the same choice assay in a T-maze and found that the results were comparable. We also found discrete odor profiles among the ripening stages. When testing for sugars and CO2 concentrations from field-collections, overripe fruit was found to be the most sugar rich and that there are increased proteins in ripe and overripe fruit. We then raised SWD on three isocaloric diets that differ in proteins and carbohydrates and a Bloomington control. We found that flies reared on the four diets pupate and emerge as adults significantly from one another and that the diets had an impact on activity levels and antennal responses to two yeast-associated odorants. Together, these results indicate that there are more complexities to Drosophila suzukii females than simply choosing overripe fruits as virgins and ripe fruit for oviposition as gravids.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2022.97
Recommended Citation
Littler, Aerianna Shindindowi, "EFFECTS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGE AND DIET ON DROSOPHILA SUZUKII OLFACTION" (2022). Theses and Dissertations--Entomology. 63.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_etds/63
