
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Parsons, PA 
T1  - Longevity of Cosmopolitan and Native Australian Drosophila in Ethanol Atmospheres.
JF  - Australian Journal of Zoology
JO  - Aust. J. Zool.
Y1  - 1981
VL  - 29
IS  - 1
SP  - 33
EP  - 39
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO9810033 
N2  - The longevity of adults exposed to ethanol vapour over solutions of ethanol in water is increased in Drosophila species that are normally collected by attraction to fermented-fruit baits. These include species of subgenera Drosophila, Dorsilopha, Sophophora and Scaptodrosophila. The increase occurs up to a threshold where ethanol becomes a metabolic cost rather than a benefit. Except for a temperatezone population of D. melanogaster with a threshold of about 12%, the remainder cluster between 1.6 and 5.1%. These latter include several species utilizing resources additional to fruits, in particular various vegetables and flowers. Also included is the specialist species D. buzzatii which exploits the cactus Opuntia as a resource. In contrast, D. (Scaptodrosophila) inornata, a species collected by sweeping in southern temperate rain forests, has a threshold of <1% ethanol, while in D. (Scaptodrosophila) hibisci, which utilizes endemic Hibiscus flowers as a resource, longevity is not increased. The frequency and level of ethanol resource utilization in species not attracted to fermented-fruit baits is an open question. However, it is likely that all species attracted to fermented-fruit baits are able to utilize gaseous ethanol. 
ER  -

