Altitudinal patterns for longevity, fecundity and senescence in Drosophila buzzatii

NORRY, FABIÁN MARCELO; SAMBUCETTI, PABLO; SCANNAPIECO, ALEJANDRA CARLA; LOESCHCKE, VOLKER

GENETICA

Springer Netherlands

Lugar: Dordrecht, Holanda; Año: 2006 vol. 128 p. 81 - 93

0016-6707

We tested for variation in longevity, senescence rate and early fecundity of Drosophila buzzatii along an elevational transect in Argentina, using laboratory-reared flies in laboratory tests performed to avoid extrinsic mortality. At 25 _C, females from lowland populations lived longer and had a lower demographic rate of senescence than females from highland populations. Minimal instead of maximal temperature at the sites of origin of population best predicted this cline. A very different pattern was found at higher test temperature. At 29.5 _C, longevity of males increased with altitude of origin of population. No clinal trend was apparent for longevity of females at 29.5 _C. There was evidence for a trade-off between early fecundity and longevity at non-stressful temperature (25 _C) along the altitudinal gradient. This trait association is consistent with evolutionary theories of aging. Population-by-temperature and sex-by-temperature interactions indicate that senescence patterns are expressed in environment specific ways.