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Larval mannitol diets increase mortality, prolong development and decrease adult body sizes in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Larval mannitol diets increase mortality, prolong development and decrease adult body sizes in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)

Meghan Barrett, Katherine Fiocca, Edward A. Waddell, Cheyenne McNair, Sean O'Donnell and Daniel R. Marenda
Biology open, v 8(12)
01 Dec 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.047084
PMID: 31822472
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.047084View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Biology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics Science & Technology
The ability of polyols to disrupt holometabolous insect development has not been studied and identifying compounds in food that affect insect development can further our understanding of the pathways that connect growth rate, developmental timing and body size in insects. High-sugar diets prolong development and generate smaller adult body sizes in Drosophila melanogaster. We tested for concentration-dependent effects on development when D. melanogaster larvae are fed mannitol, a polyalcohol sweetener. We also tested for amelioration of developmental effects if introduction to mannitol media is delayed past the third instar, as expected if there is a developmental sensitive-period for mannitol effects. Both male and female larvae had prolonged development and smaller adult body sizes when fed increasing concentrations of mannitol. Mannitol-induced increases in mortality were concentration dependent in 0 M to 0.8 M treatments with mortality effects beginning as early as 48 h post-hatching. Larval survival, pupariation and eclosion times were unaffected in 0.4 M mannitol treatments when larvae were first introduced to mannitol 72 h post-hatching (the beginning of the third instar); 72 h delay of 0.8 M mannitol introduction reduced the adverse mannitol effects. The developmental effects of a larval mannitol diet closely resemble those of high-sugar larval diets.

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4 citations in Web of Science
3 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#2 Zero Hunger

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Web of Science research areas
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