TY - JOUR
T1 - Hoverfly locomotor activity is resilient to external influence and intrinsic factors
AU - Thyselius, Malin
AU - Nordstrom, Karin
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Hoverflies are found across the globe, with approximately 6000 species described worldwide. Many hoverflies are being used in agriculture and some are emerging as model species for laboratory experiments. As such it is valuable to know more about their activity. Like many other dipteran flies, Eristalis hoverflies have been suggested to be strongly diurnal, but this is based on qualitative visualization by human observers. To quantify how hoverfly activity depends on internal and external factors, we here utilize a locomotor activity monitoring system. We show that Eristalis hoverflies are active during the entire light period when exposed to a 12 h light:12 h dark cycle, with a lower activity if exposed to light during the night. We show that the hoverflies’ locomotor activity is stable over their lifetime and that it does not depend on the diet provided. Surprisingly, we find no difference in activity between males and females, but the activity is significantly affected by the sex of an accompanying conspecific. Finally, we show that female hoverflies are more resilient to starvation than males. In summary, Eristalis hoverflies are resilient to a range of internal and external factors, supporting their use in long-term laboratory experiments.
AB - Hoverflies are found across the globe, with approximately 6000 species described worldwide. Many hoverflies are being used in agriculture and some are emerging as model species for laboratory experiments. As such it is valuable to know more about their activity. Like many other dipteran flies, Eristalis hoverflies have been suggested to be strongly diurnal, but this is based on qualitative visualization by human observers. To quantify how hoverfly activity depends on internal and external factors, we here utilize a locomotor activity monitoring system. We show that Eristalis hoverflies are active during the entire light period when exposed to a 12 h light:12 h dark cycle, with a lower activity if exposed to light during the night. We show that the hoverflies’ locomotor activity is stable over their lifetime and that it does not depend on the diet provided. Surprisingly, we find no difference in activity between males and females, but the activity is significantly affected by the sex of an accompanying conspecific. Finally, we show that female hoverflies are more resilient to starvation than males. In summary, Eristalis hoverflies are resilient to a range of internal and external factors, supporting their use in long-term laboratory experiments.
KW - Age
KW - Circadian rhythm
KW - Diet
KW - Sexual dimorphism
KW - Starvation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84952975310&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00359-015-1051-2
DO - 10.1007/s00359-015-1051-2
M3 - Article
SN - 0340-7594
VL - 202
SP - 45
EP - 54
JO - Journal of Comparative Physiology A-Neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology
JF - Journal of Comparative Physiology A-Neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology
IS - 1
ER -