The Circadian Clock Improves Fitness in the Fruit Fly, Drosophila melanogaster

• DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01374
• Publication Date: 2019-11-01T05:02:45Z
• Authors: Melanie Horn; Oliver Mitesser; Thomas Hovestadt; Taishi Yoshii; Dirk Rieger; Charlotte Helfric...
• Keywords: Wild type; Perl

It is assumed that a properly timed circadian clock enhances fitness, but only few studies have truly demonstrated this in animals. We raised each of the three classical Drosophila period mutants for >50 generations laboratory competition with wildtype flies. The populations were either kept under conventional 24-h day or cycles matched mutant's natural cycle, i.e., 19-h case pers and 29-h perl mutants. arrhythmic per0 grown together flies constant light renders similar as In addition, had to compete two summers consecutive years outdoor conditions. found quickly outcompeted mutant conditions, persisted even outnumbered laboratory. contrast, did not win against light, respectively. Our results demonstrate clear fitness advantage terms fertility offspring survival over - revealed appears maximal when endogenous resonates environment. However, experiments indicate persist at low frequencies population day. This may be consequence certain mating preference heterozygous females males time differences activity patterns between