TY - JOUR
T1 - Development under predation risk increases serotonin-signaling, variability of turning behavior and survival in adult fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster
AU - Krama, Tatjana
AU - Munkevics, Māris
AU - Krams, Ronalds
AU - Grigorjeva, Tatjana
AU - Trakimas, Giedrius
AU - Jõers, Priit
AU - Popovs, Sergejs
AU - Zants, Krists
AU - Elferts, Didzis
AU - Rantala, Markus J.
AU - Sledevskis, Eriks
AU - Contreras-Garduño, Jorge
AU - de Bivort, Benjamin L.
AU - Krams, Indriķis
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Krama, Munkevics, Krams, Grigorjeva, Trakimas, Jõers, Popovs, Zants, Elferts, Rantala, Sledevskis, Contreras-Garduño, de Bivort and Krams.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - The development of high-throughput behavioral assays, where numerous individual animals can be analyzed in various experimental conditions, has facilitated the study of animal personality. Previous research showed that isogenic Drosophila melanogaster flies exhibit striking individual non-heritable locomotor handedness. The variability of this trait, i.e., the predictability of left-right turn biases, varies across genotypes and under the influence of neural activity in specific circuits. This suggests that the brain can dynamically regulate the extent of animal personality. It has been recently shown that predators can induce changes in prey phenotypes via lethal or non-lethal effects affecting the serotonergic signaling system. In this study, we tested whether fruit flies grown with predators exhibit higher variability/lower predictability in their turning behavior and higher survival than those grown with no predators in their environment. We confirmed these predictions and found that both effects were blocked when flies were fed an inhibitor (αMW) of serotonin synthesis. The results of this study demonstrate a negative association between the unpredictability of turning behavior of fruit flies and the hunting success of their predators. We also show that the neurotransmitter serotonin controls predator-induced changes in the turning variability of fruit flies, regulating the dynamic control of behavioral predictability.
AB - The development of high-throughput behavioral assays, where numerous individual animals can be analyzed in various experimental conditions, has facilitated the study of animal personality. Previous research showed that isogenic Drosophila melanogaster flies exhibit striking individual non-heritable locomotor handedness. The variability of this trait, i.e., the predictability of left-right turn biases, varies across genotypes and under the influence of neural activity in specific circuits. This suggests that the brain can dynamically regulate the extent of animal personality. It has been recently shown that predators can induce changes in prey phenotypes via lethal or non-lethal effects affecting the serotonergic signaling system. In this study, we tested whether fruit flies grown with predators exhibit higher variability/lower predictability in their turning behavior and higher survival than those grown with no predators in their environment. We confirmed these predictions and found that both effects were blocked when flies were fed an inhibitor (αMW) of serotonin synthesis. The results of this study demonstrate a negative association between the unpredictability of turning behavior of fruit flies and the hunting success of their predators. We also show that the neurotransmitter serotonin controls predator-induced changes in the turning variability of fruit flies, regulating the dynamic control of behavioral predictability.
KW - behavioral predictability
KW - Drosophila melanogaster
KW - serotonin
KW - survival under predation
KW - turning behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161455750&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1189301
DO - 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1189301
M3 - Article
C2 - 37304760
SN - 1662-5153
VL - 17
JO - Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
M1 - 1189301
ER -