Genotypic differences in space use and movement patterns in Drosophila melanogaster

We used five Drosophila melanogaster recurrent F1s to investigate genotypic differences in space use and movement patterns, focusing on the behaviour of teneral females and individually marked young adults that were allowed free access to large, structurally complex environments. Teneral females from the five F1s differed in their propensity to hide after emergence and in the height at which they perched above the substrate. During the first 2 weeks of adult life, F1s of both sexes showed consistent differences in site fidelity, the proportion of time spent in areas located far from food items, and their choice of substrate when perching near food items. As larvae, these same five F1s differed with respect to the distances travelled while foraging, distances moved after disturbance at natal fruits, and pupation distance from natal fruits. The results of this study may help to shed light on related questions involving this species, including the effects of natal experience on habitat preference, and the effect of structural features near pupation sites on the ability of teneral females to avoid predators or forced copulations.