[Ecological imprinting and protein biosynthesis. Experiments with Drosophila melanogaster Meigen].

Abstract

According to the "host selection principle", butterflies and other herbivorous insects preferentially lay their eggs on those plant races that they fed on when young. This is also true for karpophagic and parasitic insects. The selection of specific chemical conditions could be either inherited or acquired. If learned information determines host selection, we have a case of imprinting, as a) reception and use of the information are not simultaneous, b) there is no reward. In experiments with Drosophila melanogaster we marked the egg deposition medium with ethanol, acetic acid, peppermint oil, or benzaldehyd. The flies spontaneously prefer mediums with ethanol and acetic acid, and reject peppermint oil and benzaldehyd. If they are reared in one of these media, the preference for it is increased, or the rejection rate lowered. Rearing with actinomycin C neutralizes the effect of the other markers. It is concluded that actinomycin C blocks imprinting on the egg deposition substrate in Drosophila melanogaster.