Host Preferences Shown by Drosophilids (Diptera) in a Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Center Follow the Wild Neotropical Pattern

Abstract

Although drosophilids have been extensively studied in laboratories worldwide, their ecology is still relatively poorly understood. This is unfortunate because some species are currently expanding their geographic distribution and infesting fruit crops. Here, we investigated the relationship between drosophilids and potential plant hosts in a commercial fruit and vegetable distribution center in the Neotropical region. We collected discarded fruits and vegetables from this commercial center during two time periods (2007–2008 and 2017–2018). Resources were weighted and individually monitored in the laboratory. The drosophilids that emerged were identified, and the relationship between them and their resources was explored. From the 99,478 kg of potential hosts collected, we identified 48 plant taxa, from which 48,894 drosophilids of 16 species emerged. On both collecting occasions, drosophilid assemblages were strongly dominated by basically the same exotic species, which explore a broader range of resources, especially those of exotic origin, when compared to neotropical drosophilids. These results are concerning because the studied site, Along with other urban markets around the world, might be acting as sources of generalist widespread species that disperse to surrounding natural vegetation and contribute to biotic homogenization.

A small survey of introduced Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in orchards of the eastern United States

“…Prior attack by D. suzukii facilitates Z. indianus infestation and could also contribute to variation in relative abundance across fruits and orchards ( Bernardi et al 2017 , Pfeiffer et al 2019 , Souza et al 2020 ). The variable abundance of Z. indianus on a range of hosts ( Fanara et al 2022 , Ribeiro et al 2023 ) underscores the need to identify susceptible targets of attack.…”

Dietary Variation Effect on Life History Traits and Energy Storage in Neotropical Species of Drosophila (Diptera; Drosophilidae)

“…The assessment of the Neotropical drosophilid community obtained only from fruits, performed by Valadão et al (2019), showed that D. willistoni is a generalist and associated with anthropic environments, like D. melanogaster, and it is expected to frequently feed on high sugar diets, such as fruits, as expected for species of the Sophophora subgenus (Matzkin et al 2011;Ribeiro et al 2023). On the other hand, D. maculifrons and D. ornatifrons were more restricted regarding fruit exploitation when compared to D. willistoni, as suggested for species of the Drosophila subgenus (Matzkin et al 2011), with the rst being pointed out as more generalist than the second.…”