Sex- And Food-Deprived Fruit Flies Feast before Flirting

Press/Media: Press / Media

Description

Animals make behavioral choices every day. But how do they prioritize one need over another—especially when those choices are both necessary for survival and reproduction? Researchers at the University of Birmingham used Drosophila melanogaster to study this behavioral conflict. They found that sex- and food-deprived male flies prioritize feeding over courtship initiation. They also showed that this decision can be fine-tuned by changes to the quality of the food or the animal’s internal state and pinpoint the neuronal impulses triggered in flies’ brains when faced with the critical choices of feeding or mating.

Period6 Aug 2021

Media coverage

1

Media coverage

  • TitleSex- And Food-Deprived Fruit Flies Feast before Flirting
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outlethttps://www.genengnews.com/
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Date6/08/21
    DescriptionAnimals make behavioral choices every day. But how do they prioritize one need over another—especially when those choices are both necessary for survival and reproduction? Researchers at the University of Birmingham used Drosophila melanogaster to study this behavioral conflict. They found that sex- and food-deprived male flies prioritize feeding over courtship initiation. They also showed that this decision can be fine-tuned by changes to the quality of the food or the animal’s internal state and pinpoint the neuronal impulses triggered in flies’ brains when faced with the critical choices of feeding or mating.

    PersonsCarolina Rezaval