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The Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Favors Dim Light and Times Its Activity Peaks to Early Dawn and Late Dusk

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Christina Fraunholz

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Jochen Popp

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Dominik Bichler

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Rainer Dittmann

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Charlotte Helfrich-Förster

Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, charlotte.foerster{at}biologie.uni-regensburg.de.

The light preferences of fruit flies were tested by 2 different means. First, flies were allowed to choose between different illuminations, and their favorite resting, grooming, and feeding places were determined with an infrared-sensitive camera. Second, the activity levels of the animals during their main daily activity period were determined photoelectrically (via infrared light beams) under different light intensities. Both methods revealed that the flies prefer dim light. They rested, groomed, and fed preferentially in places with a light intensity between 5 and 10 lux, and they showed the highest activity level when the light intensity during the day was kept at 10 lux. Furthermore, when dawn and dusk were simulated by logarithmically increasing/decreasing the light intensity during a 1.5-h interval, the flies' activity maxima occurred at about 7.5 lux during early dawn and late dusk. The results suggest that fruit flies time their clocks by early dawn and late dusk and avoid bright light during the day.

Key Words: diurnal rhythms • dawn and dusk • dim light • Drosophila melanogaster • activity • feeding

Journal of Biological Rhythms, Vol. 22, No. 5, 387-399 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0748730407306198


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