A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
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, Jõers Priit, Munkevics Maris, Elferts Didzis, Rantala Markus J, Makrna Janis, de Bivort Benjamin L
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
Publishing place: Lausanne
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
Journal name in source: FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
Journal acronym: FRONT BEHAV NEUROSCI
Article number: ARTN 659331
Volume: 15
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 1662-5153
eISSN: 1662-5153
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.659331
Web address : https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.659331
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/57559309
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.
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