EFFECT OF DIET ON EYE-COLOR DEVELOPMENT IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

¹ From the School of Biological Sciences, Stanford University

The production of v⁺ eye-color hormone and development of pigment in the double recessive vermilion brown of D. melanogaster may be brought about by feeding the larvae on sub-optimal levels of dead yeast under aseptic conditions.

With a given concentration of yeast, culture of larvae at low temperature (17° C.) greatly increases the intensity of the starvation effect. High temperature (28° C.), on the other hand, decreases the intensity of the starvation effect.

Carbohydrates and related substances (acetate, fat, and ethyl alcohol) added to the low yeast diet, under aseptic conditions, completely inhibit the starvation effect by their direct action on larval metabolism and development.

Proteins and amino-acids have very little influence on the starvation effect, but greatly lower the carbohydrate level required to completely inhibit pigment production.

The starvation effect is always associated with prolongation of larval life, but great prolongation of life is possible under certain conditions without any modification of eye color.

The inhibition by carbohydrates may be due to a direct influence on processes proceeding during starvation or to a specific acceleration of development during the period sensitive to starvation, or to both.