Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.

Drosophila melanogaster adults and larvae, but especially larvae, had profound effects on the densities and community structure of yeasts that developed in banana fruits. Pieces of fruit exposed to adult female flies previously fed fly-conditioned bananas developed higher yeast densities than pieces...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Judy A Stamps, Louie H Yang, Vanessa M Morales, Kyria L Boundy-Mills
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3409142?pdf=render
_version_ 1811330921475866624
author Judy A Stamps
Louie H Yang
Vanessa M Morales
Kyria L Boundy-Mills
author_facet Judy A Stamps
Louie H Yang
Vanessa M Morales
Kyria L Boundy-Mills
author_sort Judy A Stamps
collection DOAJ
description Drosophila melanogaster adults and larvae, but especially larvae, had profound effects on the densities and community structure of yeasts that developed in banana fruits. Pieces of fruit exposed to adult female flies previously fed fly-conditioned bananas developed higher yeast densities than pieces of the same fruits that were not exposed to flies, supporting previous suggestions that adult Drosophila vector yeasts to new substrates. However, larvae alone had dramatic effects on yeast density and species composition. When yeast densities were compared in pieces of the same fruits assigned to different treatments, fruits that developed low yeast densities in the absence of flies developed significantly higher yeast densities when exposed to larvae. Across all of the fruits, larvae regulated yeast densities within narrow limits, as compared to a much wider range of yeast densities that developed in pieces of the same fruits not exposed to flies. Larvae also affected yeast species composition, dramatically reducing species diversity across fruits, reducing variation in yeast communities from one fruit to the next (beta diversity), and encouraging the consistent development of a yeast community composed of three species of yeast (Candida californica, C. zemplinina, and Pichia kluvyeri), all of which were palatable to larvae. Larvae excreted viable cells of these three yeast species in their fecal pools, and discouraged the growth of filamentous fungi, processes which may have contributed to their effects on the yeast communities in banana fruits. These and other findings suggest that D. melanogaster adults and their larval offspring together engage in 'niche construction', facilitating a predictable microbial environment in the fruit substrates in which the larvae live and develop.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T16:11:14Z
format Article
id doaj.art-c19003f5fd65464499e4b0397ff2da89
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T16:11:14Z
publishDate 2012-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-c19003f5fd65464499e4b0397ff2da892022-12-22T02:40:14ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-0177e4223810.1371/journal.pone.0042238Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.Judy A StampsLouie H YangVanessa M MoralesKyria L Boundy-MillsDrosophila melanogaster adults and larvae, but especially larvae, had profound effects on the densities and community structure of yeasts that developed in banana fruits. Pieces of fruit exposed to adult female flies previously fed fly-conditioned bananas developed higher yeast densities than pieces of the same fruits that were not exposed to flies, supporting previous suggestions that adult Drosophila vector yeasts to new substrates. However, larvae alone had dramatic effects on yeast density and species composition. When yeast densities were compared in pieces of the same fruits assigned to different treatments, fruits that developed low yeast densities in the absence of flies developed significantly higher yeast densities when exposed to larvae. Across all of the fruits, larvae regulated yeast densities within narrow limits, as compared to a much wider range of yeast densities that developed in pieces of the same fruits not exposed to flies. Larvae also affected yeast species composition, dramatically reducing species diversity across fruits, reducing variation in yeast communities from one fruit to the next (beta diversity), and encouraging the consistent development of a yeast community composed of three species of yeast (Candida californica, C. zemplinina, and Pichia kluvyeri), all of which were palatable to larvae. Larvae excreted viable cells of these three yeast species in their fecal pools, and discouraged the growth of filamentous fungi, processes which may have contributed to their effects on the yeast communities in banana fruits. These and other findings suggest that D. melanogaster adults and their larval offspring together engage in 'niche construction', facilitating a predictable microbial environment in the fruit substrates in which the larvae live and develop.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3409142?pdf=render
spellingShingle Judy A Stamps
Louie H Yang
Vanessa M Morales
Kyria L Boundy-Mills
Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
PLoS ONE
title Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
title_full Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
title_fullStr Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
title_full_unstemmed Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
title_short Drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate.
title_sort drosophila regulate yeast density and increase yeast community similarity in a natural substrate
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3409142?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT judyastamps drosophilaregulateyeastdensityandincreaseyeastcommunitysimilarityinanaturalsubstrate
AT louiehyang drosophilaregulateyeastdensityandincreaseyeastcommunitysimilarityinanaturalsubstrate
AT vanessammorales drosophilaregulateyeastdensityandincreaseyeastcommunitysimilarityinanaturalsubstrate
AT kyrialboundymills drosophilaregulateyeastdensityandincreaseyeastcommunitysimilarityinanaturalsubstrate