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Behavioral and genomic sensory adaptations underlying the pest activity of Drosophila suzukii

View ORCID ProfileSylvia M. Durkin, View ORCID ProfileMahul Chakraborty, View ORCID ProfileAntoine Abrieux, View ORCID ProfileKyle M. Lewald, View ORCID ProfileAlice Gadau, View ORCID ProfileNicolas Svetec, View ORCID ProfileJunhui Peng, Miriam Kopyto, View ORCID ProfileJoanna C. Chiu, View ORCID ProfileJ.J. Emerson, View ORCID ProfileLi Zhao
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341594
Sylvia M. Durkin
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
2Department of Integrative Biology & Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Mahul Chakraborty
3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Antoine Abrieux
4Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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Kyle M. Lewald
4Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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Alice Gadau
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Nicolas Svetec
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Junhui Peng
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Miriam Kopyto
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Joanna C. Chiu
4Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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J.J. Emerson
3Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Li Zhao
1Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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  • For correspondence: lzhao@rockefeller.edu
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ABSTRACT

Studying how novel phenotypes originate and evolve is fundamental to the field of evolutionary biology as it allows us to understand how organismal diversity is generated and maintained. However, determining the basis of novel phenotypes is challenging as it involves orchestrated changes at multiple biological levels. Here, we aim to overcome this challenge by using a comparative species framework combining behavioral, gene expression and genomic analyses to understand the evolutionary novel egg-laying substrate-choice behavior of the invasive pest species Drosophila suzukii. First, we used egg-laying behavioral assays to understand the evolution of ripe fruit oviposition preference in D. suzukii as compared to their closely related species: D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes, as well as D. melanogaster. We show that D. subpulchrella and D. biarmipes lay eggs on both ripe and rotten fruits, suggesting that the transition to ripe fruit preference was gradual. Secondly, using two-choice oviposition assays, we studied how D. suzukii, D. subpulchrella, D. biarmipes and D. melanogaster differentially process key sensory cues distinguishing ripe from rotten fruit during egg-laying. We found that D. suzukii’s preference for ripe fruit is in part mediated through an aversion to acetic acid and preference for stiff substrates. Lastly, we identified candidate genes involved in D. suzukii’s ability to seek out and target ripe fruits. Our results provide detail to the stepwise evolution of pest activity in D. suzukii, indicating important cues used by this species when finding a host, and the molecular mechanisms potentially underlying their adaptation to a new ecological niche.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted October 15, 2020.
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Behavioral and genomic sensory adaptations underlying the pest activity of Drosophila suzukii
Sylvia M. Durkin, Mahul Chakraborty, Antoine Abrieux, Kyle M. Lewald, Alice Gadau, Nicolas Svetec, Junhui Peng, Miriam Kopyto, Joanna C. Chiu, J.J. Emerson, Li Zhao
bioRxiv 2020.10.15.341594; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341594
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Behavioral and genomic sensory adaptations underlying the pest activity of Drosophila suzukii
Sylvia M. Durkin, Mahul Chakraborty, Antoine Abrieux, Kyle M. Lewald, Alice Gadau, Nicolas Svetec, Junhui Peng, Miriam Kopyto, Joanna C. Chiu, J.J. Emerson, Li Zhao
bioRxiv 2020.10.15.341594; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.15.341594

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