Artificial selection for resistance to copper and off-target physiological and behavioral effects in Drosophila melanogaster

TL;DR

This study explores how fruit flies adapt to copper pollution and how this adaptation affects other traits like lifespan and resistance to other metals.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the effects of artificial selection for copper resistance in Drosophila and its off-target physiological and behavioral consequences.

Findings

Selection for copper resistance increased resistance to copper and slowed resistance loss to cadmium and lead.

Copper selection increased starvation resistance but not enough to explain copper resistance gains.

Lifespan was affected by copper selection in flies from one collection site, indicating life history trait changes.

Abstract

Pollution resulting from mining, industry, and agriculture has played an important role in shaping the evolution of diverse organisms. Heavy metal contamination is of particular concern due to the health effects for humans and cross-tolerance effects that may influence pesticide resistance. We used a replicated artificial selection approach to examine the response to copper selection in Drosophila melanogaster collected from a retired mine and active fruit orchard. We tracked shifts in resistance to the target trait, adult copper resistance, as well as off-target effects on cadmium and lead resistance, starvation resistance, lifespan, and feeding aversion to copper contaminated food. Selection for copper resistance increased the focal trait and slowed the loss of resistance to non-essential heavy metals. Starvation resistance increased in response to copper selection, but was not sufficient to explain the increase in copper resistance. We also found that lifespan responded to copper selection in flies collected from one of the two collection sites, suggesting that life history traits may be influenced by repeated heavy metal exposure. Future genomic analysis will help clarify the genetic control of the selection response. Together, our results underscore the complexity of adaptive shifts in polygenic traits and provide a basis for further exploration of costs and correlative change following copper selection.

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