Desiccation tolerance of the adipose60 mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

Components of water balance in Drosophila melanogaster bearing wild and mutant alleles of adipose (adp) were investigated. Flies from stocks with two different co-isogenic residual genetic backgrounds were employed, allowing an unusual level of control of the genetic background. Results show that under desiccating conditions there is a survival advantage of adp+/adp60 genotypes in all genetic backgrounds. This may in part be explained by the larger size and lower transpiration rates of adp+/adp60 and adp60/adp60 flies compared to wild-type, and the lower tolerance of low body water content of the adp60 homozygotes. Additional experiments suggest that Drosophila regulate water loss by adjusting spiracular aperture.