Odor-regulated oviposition behavior in an ecological specialist

Species-specific oviposition preference and rate

To investigate the neurosensory basis of egg-laying behavior in D. sechellia, we first compared the specificity of oviposition site selection of D. sechellia, D. simulans and D. melanogaster in a semi-natural, multi-choice assay in which animals were offered slices of different ripe fruits (noni, banana, apple and grape) within an enclosed arena (Fig. 1b). While D. melanogaster and D. simulans flies avoided using noni fruit as an oviposition substrate (preferring two or three of the other fruits instead), D. sechellia laid eggs almost…