| Title |
Serotoninergic modulation of phototactic variability underpins a bet-hedging strategy in Drosophila melanogaster / |
| Authors |
Krams, Indrikis A ; Krama, Tatjana ; Krams, Ronalds ; Trakimas, Giedrius ; Popovs, Sergejs ; Joers, Priit ; Munkevics, Maris ; Elferts, Didzis ; Rantala, Markus J ; Makrna, Janis ; de Bivort, Benjamin L |
| DOI |
10.3389/fnbeh.2021.659331 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience.. Lausanne : Frontiers Media SA. 2021, vol. 15, art. no. 659331, p. [1-8].. ISSN 1662-5153 |
| Keywords [eng] |
adaptive strategies ; Drosophila melanogaster ; phototaxis ; serotonin ; variation |
| Abstract [eng] |
When organisms' environmental conditions vary unpredictably in time, it can be advantageous for individuals to hedge their phenotypic bets. It has been shown that a bet-hedging strategy possibly underlies the high inter-individual diversity of phototactic choice in Drosophila melanogaster. This study shows that fruit flies from a population living in a boreal and relatively unpredictable climate have more variable variable phototactic biases than fruit flies from a more stable tropical climate, consistent with bet-hedging theory. We experimentally show that phototactic variability of D. melanogaster is regulated by the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT), which acts as a suppressor of the variability of phototactic choices. When fed 5-HT precursor, boreal flies exhibited lower variability, and they were insensitive to 5-HT inhibitor. The opposite pattern was seen in the tropical flies. Thus, the reduction of 5-HT in fruit flies' brains may be the mechanistic basis of an adaptive bet-hedging strategy in a less predictable boreal climate. |
| Published |
Lausanne : Frontiers Media SA |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2021 |
| CC license |
|
