Zemskaya N., Shaposhnikov M., Moskalev A. The role of geographical origin in the formation of stress resistance in 12 species of Drosophila // Principy èkologii. 2026. № 2. P. 26‒45. DOI: 10.15393/j1.art.2026.17122


Issue № 2

Original research

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The role of geographical origin in the formation of stress resistance in 12 species of Drosophila

Zemskaya
   Nadezhda
Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IB Komi SC UB RAS), 28 Kommunisticheskaya St., Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982, Russia, zemskaya@ib.komisc.ru
Shaposhnikov
   Mikhail
PhD, docent, Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IB Komi SC UB RAS), 28 Kommunisticheskaya St., Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982, Russia, shaposhnikov@ib.komisc.ru
Moskalev
   Alexey Alexandrovich
DSc, Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IB Komi SC UB RAS), 119435, Moscow, Abrikosovsky Lane, 2, 1, amoskalev@list.ru
Keywords:
lifespan
stress resistance
Drosophila
geographic distribution
adaptation
Summary: We studied the relationships between stress resistance and ecological adaptation in 12 species of fruit-flies (Drosophila) of different geographical origins (D. ananassae, D. austrosaltans, D. biarmipes, D. erecta, D. kikkawai, D. melanogaster, D. pseudoobscura, D. saltans, D. simulans, D. virilis, D. willistoni, D. yakuba). The resistance of males and females was assessed to the following types of stress: starvation, hyperthermia (35 °C), oxidative stress and acute gamma radiation (864 Gy). Significant interspecific differences were found in all studied parameters. Three clusters of species were identified, differing in stress resistance patterns. The D. virilis species (temperate and boreal latitudes) demonstrated maximum resistance to starvation, heat, and oxidative stress, but it was proved that they were extremely sensitive to radiation. Species of tropical and subtropical origin (D. ananassae, D. austrosaltans, D. erecta, D. kikkawai, D. pseudoobscura, D. saltans, D. willistoni, D. yakuba) showed balanced resistance to stress factors and high radiation resistance. The species D. biarmipes, D. melanogaster, D. simulans were characterized by reduced tolerance to starvation and oxidative stress, occupying an intermediate position between the other two clusters. The obtained data indicate that stress resistance strategies in Drosophila are not universal, but represent specialized adaptive complexes formed under the influence of the ecological and geographical conditions of the historical habitat of the species.

© Petrozavodsk State University

Received on: 23 March 2026
Published on: 09 July 2026

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