Publications

patterns of variation in wing morphology in the cactophilic drosophila buzzatii and its sibling d. koepferae.	drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae are two sibling species that breed on the necrotic tissues of several cactus species and show a certain degree of niche overlap. also, they show differences in several life history traits, such as body size and developmental time, which probably evolved as a consequence of adaptation to different host plants. in this work we investigate the ecological and genetic factors affecting wing morphology variation both within and between species. three wing traits we ...	2006	16780528
reproductive relationships and degree of synapsis in the polytene chromosomes of the drosophila buzzatii species cluster.	the process of speciation occurs through the evolution of any of several forms of reproductive isolation between taxa, including inviability of hybrids. in this work, strains derived from allopatric populations of drosophila buzzatii cluster species were experimentally crossed in order to evaluate their reproductive and cytogenetic relationships, and to contribute toward understanding the reproductive isolation in this group of sibling species. although intrastrain crosses were highly fertile, w ...	2006	16710520
cactophilic drosophila in south america: a model for evolutionary studies.	the drosophila buzzatii cluster is composed of seven cactophilic species and their known geographical distribution encompasses the open vegetation diagonal, which includes the morphoclimatic domains of the caatinga, chaco and cerrado, which are situated between the amazon and the atlantic forests. besides these areas, these cactophilic species are also found in a narrow strip along the atlantic coast from northeastern brazil to the southern tip of the country. the hypothesis of vicariant events, ...	2006	16502085
developmental time and size-related traits in drosophila buzzatii along an altitudinal gradient from argentina.	clinal analysis for fitness-related traits provides a well-known approach to investigate adaptive evolution. several fitness-related traits (developmental time, thorax length, wing length and wing loading) were measured at two laboratory generations (g7 and g33) of d. buzzatii from an altitudinal gradient from northwestern argentina, where significant thermal differences persist. developmental time (dt) was positively correlated with altitude of origin of population. further, dt was negatively c ...	2006	17362338
conservation of pbum-2 satellite dna sequences among geographically isolated drosophila gouveai populations from brazil.	in this study, we have compared 34 repetition units of pbum-2 satellite dna of individuals from six isolated populations of drosophila gouveai, a cactophilic member of drosophila buzzatii cluster (repleta group). in contrast to the results of previous morphological and molecular data, which suggest differentiation among the d. gouveai populations, the sequences and the cluster analysis of pbum-2 monomers showed that this repetitive element is highly conserved among the six d. gouveai populations ...	2006	17028958
altitudinal patterns for longevity, fecundity and senescence in drosophila buzzatii.	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 degrees 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 ...	2006	17028942
aedeagus morphology as a discriminant marker in two closely related cactophilic species of drosophila (diptera; drosophilidae) in south america.	drosophila serido and d. antonietae are sibling species belonging to the drosophila buzzatii cluster. morphologically, they can only be discriminated by quantitative traits. in this paper we analyze the length and equalized average curvature of four regions of the aedeagus of d. antonietae and d. serido. specimens of d. serido and d. antonietae were classified correctly 96.74% of the time. based only on the variable that most contributed to the discrimination of the groups (equalized average cur ...	2006	16710560
genotype by environment interactions in viability and developmental time in populations of cactophilic drosophila.	the genetic and ecological basis of viability and developmental time differences between drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae were analysed using the isofemale line technique. several isofemale lines were sampled from pairs of allopatric/sympatric populations of each species. flies were reared in media prepared with decaying tissues of two of the main natural cactus hosts of each species. this experimental design enabled us to evaluate the relative contribution of phenotypic plasticity, genetic ...	2006	16674586
climatic adaptation of drosophila buzzatii populations in southeast australia.	variation in 19 traits possibly relevant for thermal adaptation was studied in 11 populations of drosophila buzzatii collected in southeast australia. using stepwise multiple regression, the variation was compared to variation in geographic coordinates and to a set of climatic variables estimated for each collection site. for 13 of the traits, a significant part of the variation was explained by climatic variables and/or geographic coordinates, suggesting directional selection for adaptation to ...	2006	16622471
molecular population genetics of the alpha-esterase5 gene locus in original and colonized populations of drosophila buzzatii and its sibling drosophila koepferae.	several studies have suggested that esterase-2 (est-2) may be the target of natural selection in the cactophilic fly drosophila buzzatii. in this work, we analyzed nucleotide variation in a fragment of alpha-esterase5 (alphae5), the gene encoding est-2, in original (argentinian) and colonized (australian) populations of d. buzzatii and in its sibling d. koepferae. estimates of nucleotide heterozygosity in d. buzzatii were similar in australia and argentina, although we detected a loss of singlet ...	2007	17160646
the evolutionary history of drosophila buzzatii. xxxvi. molecular structural analysis of osvaldo retrotransposon insertions in colonizing populations unveils drift effects in founder events.	previous work on transposable element distribution in colonizing populations of drosophila buzzatii revealed a high frequency of occupancy in several chromosomal sites. two explanatory hypotheses were advanced: the founder hypothesis, by which founder genetic drift was responsible, and the unstable hypothesis that assigns this unusual distribution to bursts of transposition toward some chromosomal sites. here, we study the molecular structure of three euchromatic osvaldo clones isolated from sit ...	2007	17151248
low rates of homogenization of the dbc-150 satellite dna family restricted to a single pair of microchromosomes in species from the drosophila buzzatii cluster.	a satellite dna family, termed dbc-150, comprises slightly gc-rich repeat units of approximately 150 bp that were isolated (by dna digestions or pcr) from the genome of all seven drosophila species from the buzzatii cluster (repleta group). the presence of subrepeats suggests that part of the extant dbc-150 monomer originated by the duplication of small sequence motifs. the dbc-150 family is compared to the previously described pbum satdna family, an abundant component of the genome of five spec ...	2007	17551842
testing chromosomal phylogenies and inversion breakpoint reuse in drosophila.	a combination of cytogenetic and bioinformatic procedures was used to test the chromosomal phylogeny relating drosophila buzzatii with d. repleta. chromosomes x and 2, harboring most of the inversions fixed between these two species, were analyzed. first, chromosomal segments conserved during the divergence of the two species were identified by comparative in situ hybridization to the d. repleta chromosomes of 180 bac clones from a bac-based physical map of the d. buzzatii genome. these conserve ...	2007	17028333
molecular characterization and genomic distribution of isis: a new retrotransposon of drosophila buzzatii.	a new transposable element, isis, is identified as a ltr retrotransposon in drosophila buzzatii. dna sequence analysis shows that isis contains three long orfs similar to gag, pol and env genes of retroviruses. the orf1 exhibits sequence homology to matrix, capsid and nucleocapsid gag proteins and orf2 encodes a putative protease (pr), a reverse transcriptase (rt), an rnase h (rh) and an integrase (in) region. the analysis of a putative env product, encoded by the env orf3, shows a degenerated p ...	2007	17039376
evolution of male genitalia: environmental and genetic factors affect genital morphology in two drosophila sibling species and their hybrids.	the rapid evolution of genital morphology is a fascinating feature that accompanies many speciation events. however, the underlying patterns and explanatory processes remain to be settled. in this work we investigate the patterns of intraspecific variation and interspecific divergence in male genitalic morphology (size and shape) in the cactophilic sibling species drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae. genital morphology in interspecific hybrids was examined and compared to the corresponding pare ...	2007	17504529
the impact of genetic parental distance on developmental stability and fitness in drosophila buzzatii.	measures of genetic parental distances (gpd) based on microsatellite loci (d(2) and ir), have been suggested to be better correlated with fitness than individual heterozygosity (h), as they contain information about past events of inbreeding or admixture. we investigated if gpd increased with increasing genetic divergence between parental populations in drosophila buzzatii and if the measures indicate past events of admixture. further we evaluated the relationship between gpd, fitness and fluctu ...	2008	18060507
a study of wing morphology and fluctuating asymmetry in interspecific hybrids between drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae.	in this work we investigate the effect of interspecific hybridization on wing morphology using geometric morphometrics in the cactophilic sibling species d. buzzatii and d. koepferae. wing morphology in f1 hybrids exhibited an important degree of phenotypic plasticity and differs significantly from both parental species. however, the pattern of morphological variation between hybrids and the parental strains varied between wing size and wing shape, across rearing media, sexes, and crosses, sugge ...	2008	17647081
sequence analysis, chromosomal distribution and long-range organization show that rapid turnover of new and old pbum satellite dna repeats leads to different patterns of variation in seven species of the drosophila buzzatii cluster.	we aimed to study patterns of variation and factors influencing the evolutionary dynamics of a satellite dna, pbum, in all seven drosophila species from the buzzatii cluster (repleta group). we analyzed 117 alpha pbum-1 (monomer length 190 bp) and 119 composite alpha/beta (370 bp) pbum-2 repeats and determined the chromosome location and long-range organization on dna fibers of major sequence variants. such combined methodologies in the study of satdnas have been used in very few organisms. in m ...	2008	18266060
the foldback-like element galileo belongs to the p superfamily of dna transposons and is widespread within the drosophila genus.	galileo is the only transposable element (te) known to have generated natural chromosomal inversions in the genus drosophila. it was discovered in drosophila buzzatii and classified as a foldback-like element because of its long, internally repetitive, terminal inverted repeats (tirs) and lack of coding capacity. here, we characterized a seemingly complete copy of galileo from the d. buzzatii genome. it is 5,406 bp long, possesses 1,229-bp tirs, and encodes a 912-aa transposase similar to those ...	2008	18287066
the genetics of abnormal abdomen, incomplete abdomen, and bobbed in drosophila buzzatii.	five stocks of drosophila buzzatii with superficially similar abdominal disruptions including partial tergite and sternite loss were isolated by inbreeding. three of the stocks have indistinguishable phenotypes, the inheritance of which is maternally influenced. this phenotype and its mode of inheritance bear similarities with those of abnormal abdomen in d. melanogaster. the phenotype in the fourth stock is slightly different and is due to a single autosomal recessive gene, which we denote inco ...	2008	2620817
wing morphology and fluctuating asymmetry depend on the host plant in cactophilic drosophila.	as in most insect groups, host plant shifts in cactophilic drosophila represent environmental challenges as flies must adjust their developmental programme to the presence of different chemical compounds and/or to a microflora that may differ in the diversity and abundance of yeasts and bacteria. in this context, wing morphology provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the factors that may induce changes during development. in this work, we investigated phenotypic plasticity and developm ...	2008	18081744
bottlenecks, population differentiation and apparent selection at microsatellite loci in australian drosophila buzzatii.	species colonizing new areas disjunct from their original habitat may be subject to novel selection pressures, and exhibit adaptive genetic changes. however, if colonization occurs through a small number of founders, the genetic composition of the colonized population may differ from that of the original population simply due to genetic drift. disentangling the effects of founder drift and selection after colonization is crucial to understanding the adaptive process. drosophila buzzatii colonize ...	2009	19142202
local adaptation of stress related traits in drosophila buzzatii and drosophila simulans in spite of high gene flow.	we addressed the question if local adaptation to a thermal gradient is possible in spite of a high gene flow among closely spaced populations of two species of drosophila from the island of la gomera (canary islands). variation in multiple traits related to stress resistance in different life stages was measured in both species in flies collected from five localities at different altitudes and thereby with different climatic conditions. based on microsatellite loci, the populations were not gene ...	2009	21462416
the transposon galileo generates natural chromosomal inversions in drosophila by ectopic recombination.	transposable elements (tes) are responsible for the generation of chromosomal inversions in several groups of organisms. however, in drosophila and other dipterans, where inversions are abundant both as intraspecific polymorphisms and interspecific fixed differences, the evidence for a role of tes is scarce. previous work revealed that the transposon galileo was involved in the generation of two polymorphic inversions of drosophila buzzatii.	2009	19936241
evolutionary dynamics and sites of illegitimate recombination revealed in the interspersion and sequence junctions of two nonhomologous satellite dnas in cactophilic drosophila species.	satellite dna (satdna) is a major component of genomes but relatively little is known about the fine-scale organization of unrelated satdnas residing at the same chromosome location, and the sequence structure and dynamics of satdna junctions. we studied the organization and sequence junctions of two nonhomologous satdnas, pbum and dbc-150, in three species from the neotropical drosophila buzzatii cluster (repleta group). in situ hybridization to microchromosomes, interphase nuclei and extended ...	2009	19259119
cloning and sequencing of the breakpoint regions of inversion 5g fixed in drosophila buzzatii.	chromosomal inversions are ubiquitous in drosophila both as intraspecific polymorphisms and interspecific differences. many gaps still remain in our understanding of the mechanisms that generate them. previous work has shown that in drosophila buzzatii, three polymorphic inversions were generated by ectopic recombination between copies of the transposon galileo. in this study, we have characterized the breakpoint regions of inversion 5g, fixed in d. buzzatii and absent in drosophila koepferae an ...	2009	19198866
developmental acclimation affects clinal variation in stress resistance traits in drosophila buzzatii.	patterns of clinal genetic variation in drosophila are often characterized after rearing at constant temperatures. however, clinal patterns might change after acclimation if populations differ in their plastic response to fluctuating environments. we studied longevity, starvation and heat knock-down resistance after development at either constant or fluctuating temperatures in nine drosophila buzzatii populations collected along an altitudinal gradient in tenerife, spain. flies that developed at ...	2010	20298441
characterization of the shsp genes in drosophila buzzatii and association between the frequency of valine mutations in hsp23 and climatic variables along a longitudinal gradient in australia.	the small heat shock gene (shsp) cluster of drosophila buzzatii was sequenced and the gene order and dna sequence were compared with those of the shsps in drosophila melanogaster. the d. buzzatii shsp cluster contains an inversion and a duplication of hsp26. a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on hsp26 genes from several drosophila species of the sophophora and drosophila subgenera. the tree shows first a separation of the sophophora and the drosophila subgenera and then the drosophila sub ...	2010	19806471
ontogenetic stage-dependent effect of temperature on developmental and metabolic rates in a holometabolous insect.	different hypotheses attempt to explain how different stages of organisms with complex life cycles respond to environmental changes. most studies have focused at the among-species level showing similar responses to temperature throughout ontogeny. however, there is no agreement about the pattern expected at the intraspecific scale where a strong selective effect is expected. in this paper, we studied the effects of thermal treatments on a life history trait (developmental rate) and a physiologic ...	2010	20615413
geographic patterns of inversion polymorphism in the second chromosome of the cactophilic drosophila buzzatii from northeastern argentina.	the inversion polymorphisms of the cactophilic drosophila buzzatti patterson and wheeler (diptera: drosophilidae) were studied in new areas of its distribution in argentina. a total of thirty-eight natural populations, including 29 from previous studies, were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. the results showed that about 23% of total variation was accounted for by a multiple regression model in which only altitude contributed significantly to population variation, despite the fact th ...	2010	21062144
a biophysical interpretation of temperature-dependent body size in drosophila aldrichi and d. buzzatii.	the temperature-size rule, the observation that most ectotherms grow faster but reach smaller size at higher temperatures, has defied a general explanation. here, the temperature-size rule in drosophila aldrichi and drosophila buzzatii is investigated, using data on development rate and adult dry weight at nine temperatures. in both species the linear regression of dry weight on temperature is negative. the data are used to infer the potential for a description of temperature dependent size by b ...	2010	28799917
genetics and linkage mapping of drosophila buzzatii.	of 51 visible mutants isolated from natural or laboratory populations of drosophila buzzatii, or x-ray induced, 42 have been assigned to chromosomes, and linkage maps have been constructed. about half of the autosomal mutants map to chromosome 2, with only two on chromosome 3 and none on chromosome 4. for the whole repleta group, chromosome 2 also exhibits much greater inversion variability than other chromosomes, which suggests variation among chromosomes in apparent mutability. the chromosomes ...	2010	8228173
effective population size of natural populations of drosophila buzzatii, with a comparative evaluation of nine methods of estimation.	allozyme and microsatellite data from numerous populations of drosophila buzzatii have been used (i) to determine to what degree n(e) varies among generations within populations, and among populations, and (ii) to evaluate the congruence of four temporal and five single-sample estimators of n(e) . effective size of different populations varied over two orders of magnitude, most populations are not temporally stable in genetic composition, and n(e) showed large variation over generations in some ...	2011	21951766
variations on a theme: diversification of cuticular hydrocarbons in a clade of cactophilic drosophila.	we characterized variation and chemical composition of epicuticular hydrocarbons (chcs) in the seven species of the drosophila buzzatii cluster with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. despite the critical role of chcs in providing resistance to desiccation and involvement in communication, such as courtship behavior, mating, and aggregation, few studies have investigated how chc profiles evolve within and between species in a phylogenetic context. we analyzed quantitative differences in chc p ...	2011	21699713
adaptation of the aflp technique as a new tool to detect genetic instability and transposition in interspecific hybrids.	an adapted amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) protocol is presented for detection of hybrid instability in the genome of interspecific hybrids between drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae species. analyses of 15 aflp instability markers (new bands detected in hybrids) show that up to 81% are the result of transposable element (te) activity. twenty tes associated with aflp instability markers have been detected by this method in backcross hybrids and segmental hybrids, demonstrating it ...	2011	21548908
testing chromosomal phylogenies and inversion breakpoint reuse in drosophila. the martensis cluster revisited.	the chromosomal relationships of the four martensis cluster species are among the most complex and intricate within the entire drosophila repleta group, due to the so-called sharing of inversions. here, we have revised these relationships using comparative mapping of bacterial artificial chromosome (bac) clones on the salivary gland chromosomes. a physical map of chromosome 2 of drosophila uniseta (one of the cluster members) was generated by in situ hybridization of 82 bac clones from the physi ...	2011	21394512
characterization and genomic organization of peri, a repetitive dna in the drosophila buzzatii cluster related to dine-1 transposable elements and highly abundant in the sex chromosomes.	transposable elements (tes) are dynamic components of eukaryotic genomes. we aimed to characterize tes to help elucidate their impact on the genomic architecture, diversity and evolution of chromosomes in the d. buzzatii cluster of species (repleta group).	2011	20938165
altitudinal and seasonal variation in microsatellite allele frequencies of drosophila buzzatii.	variation in climate, particularly temperature, is known to affect the genetic composition of populations. although there have been many studies of latitudinal variation, comparisons of populations across altitudes or seasons, particularly for animal species, are less common. here, we study genetic variation (microsatellite markers) in populations of drosophila buzzatii collected along altitudinal gradients and in different seasons. we found no differences in genetic variation between 2 years or ...	2011	21091575
osvaldo and isis retrotransposons as markers of the drosophila buzzatii colonisation in australia.	transposable elements (tes) constitute an important source of genetic variability owing to their jumping and regulatory properties, and are considered to drive species evolution. several factors that are able to induce te transposition in genomes have been documented (for example environmental stress and inter- and intra-specific crosses) but in many instances the reasons for te mobilisation have yet to be elucidated. colonising populations constitute an ideal model for studying te behaviour and ...	2011	21513573
aedeagal divergence in sympatric populations of two sibling species of cactophilic drosophila (diptera: drosophilidae): evidence of character displacement?	aedeagal morphology of two sibling cactophilic species, drosophila buzzatii patterson & wheeler and drosophila koepferae fontdevila & wasserman, was analyzed in nine allopatric and three sympatric locations throughout south america. morphological differences were detected for both aedeagus size and shape between sympatric and allopatric populations of d. buzzatii, despite the significant variability within both groups. populations of d. buzzatii sympatric with d. koepferae displayed smaller aede ...	2012	23950045
chemical cues influence pupation behavior of drosophila simulans and drosophila buzzatii in nature and in the laboratory.	in the wild, larvae of several species of drosophila develop in heterogeneous and rapidly changing environments sharing resources as food and space. in this scenario, sensory systems contribute to detect, localize and recognize congeners and heterospecifics, and provide information about the availability of food and chemical features of environments where animals live. we investigated the behavior of d. simulans and d. buzzatii larvae to chemicals emitted by conspecific and heterospecific larvae ...	2012	22737236
segmental duplication, microinversion, and gene loss associated with a complex inversion breakpoint region in drosophila.	chromosomal inversions are usually portrayed as simple two-breakpoint rearrangements changing gene order but not gene number or structure. however, increasing evidence suggests that inversion breakpoints may often have a complex structure and entail gene duplications with potential functional consequences. here, we used a combination of different techniques to investigate the breakpoint structure and the functional consequences of a complex rearrangement fixed in drosophila buzzatii and comprisi ...	2012	22328714
multiple paternity and sperm competition in the sibling species drosophila buzzatii and drosophila koepferae.	sperm competition (sc) is a major component of sexual selection that enhances intra- and intersexual conflicts and may trigger rapid adaptive evolution of sexual characters. the actual role of sc on rapid evolution, however, is poorly understood. besides, the relative contribution of distinctive features of the mating system to among species variation in the strength of sc remains unclear. here, we assessed the strength of sc and mating system factors that may account for it in the closely relat ...	2013	23952173
effects of dietary composition on life span of drosophila buzzatii and its short-lived sibling species d. koepferae.	two sibling drosophila species dramatically divergent in longevity, drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae, were examined for possible effects of both developmental culture medium and dietary composition (dc) on longevity. longevity was greatly increased in the longer lived d. buzzatii when flies were reared and fed on a rich-in-nutrient and cactus-based culture (r-cbc) as compared to longevity in a poor nutrient culture (pnc). in d. buzzatii, life span was further increased by exposing flies to s ...	2013	23835870
inter and intraspecific variation in female remating propensity in the cactophilic sibling species drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae.	post-mating sexual selection by means of sperm competition or cryptic female choice occurs in species in which females remate before exhausting sperm supplied by previous mates. thus, sperm competition is expected to be stronger when inseminated females remate more frequently or take longer to deplete sperm load. previous studies comparing oviposition behavior in the pair of closely related species drosophila buzzatii and drosophila koepferae suggest that inseminated females of the latter deplet ...	2013	23542152
striking structural dynamism and nucleotide sequence variation of the transposon galileo in the genome of drosophila mojavensis.		2013	23374229
selection at the esterase-2 locus of drosophila buzzatii? perturbation-reperturbation experiments.	apparent selection affecting starch gel electrophoretic alleles at the esterase-2 locus of drosophila buzzatii has been detected in laboratory and natural populations. perturbation-reperturbation of allele frequencies in replicated laboratory populations attempts to test direct selective effects at the locus versus effects of linked loci. sequential gel electrophoresis has identified more alleles within starch classes, and three of these alleles (within the a, b and c starch alleles) were used i ...	2014	25250904
interspecific hybridization as a genomic stressor inducing mobilization of transposable elements in drosophila.	transposable elements (tes) are dna sequences able to be mobilized in host genomes. they are currently recognized as the major mutation inducers because of their insertion in the target, their effect on neighboring regions, or their ectopic recombination. a large number of factors including chemical and physical factors as well as intraspecific crosses have traditionally been identified as inducers of transposition. besides environmental factors, interspecific crosses have also been proposed as ...	2014	25136509
genome-wide dissection of hybrid sterility in drosophila confirms a polygenic threshold architecture.	to date, different studies about the genetic basis of hybrid male sterility (hms), a postzygotic reproductive barrier thoroughly investigated using drosophila species, have demonstrated that no single major gene can produce hybrid sterility without the cooperation of several genetic factors. early work using hybrids between drosophila koepferae (dk) and drosophila buzzatii (db) was consistent with the idea that hms requires the cooperation of several genetic factors, supporting a polygenic thres ...	2014	24489077
structural and sequence diversity of the transposon galileo in the drosophila willistoni genome.	galileo is one of three members of the p superfamily of dna transposons. it was originally discovered in drosophila buzzatii, in which three segregating chromosomal inversions were shown to have been generated by ectopic recombination between galileo copies. subsequently, galileo was identified in six of 12 sequenced drosophila genomes, indicating its widespread distribution within this genus. galileo is strikingly abundant in drosophila willistoni, a neotropical species that is highly polymorph ...	2014	25218200
drosophila adult and larval pheromones modulate larval food choice.	insects use chemosensory cues to feed and mate. in drosophila, the effect of pheromones has been extensively investigated in adults, but rarely in larvae. the colonization of natural food sources by drosophila buzzatii and drosophila simulans species may depend on species-specific chemical cues left in the food by larvae and adults. we identified such chemicals in both species and measured their influence on larval food preference and puparation behaviour. we also tested compounds that varied be ...	2014	24741012
genomics of ecological adaptation in cactophilic drosophila.	cactophilic drosophila species provide a valuable model to study gene-environment interactions and ecological adaptation. drosophila buzzatii and drosophila mojavensis are two cactophilic species that belong to the repleta group, but have very different geographical distributions and primary host plants. to investigate the genomic basis of ecological adaptation, we sequenced the genome and developmental transcriptome of d. buzzatii and compared its gene content with that of d. mojavensis and two ...	2014	25552534
host alkaloids differentially affect developmental stability and wing vein canalization in cactophilic drosophila buzzatii.	host shifts cause drastic consequences on fitness in cactophilic species of drosophila. it has been argued that changes in the nutritional values accompanying host shifts may elicit these fitness responses, but they may also reflect the presence of potentially toxic secondary compounds that affect resource quality. recent studies reported that alkaloids extracted from the columnar cactus trichocereus terscheckii are toxic for the developing larvae of drosophila buzzatii. in this study, we tested ...	2014	25366093
changes of osvaldo expression patterns in germline of male hybrids between the species drosophila buzzatii and drosophila koepferae.	hybridization between different genomes is a source of genomic instability, sometimes associated with transposable element (te) mobilization. previous work showed that hybridization between the species drosophila buzzatii and drosophila koepferae induced mobilization of different (tes), the osvaldo retrotransposon being the most unstable. however, we ignore the mechanisms involved in this transposition release in interspecific hybrids. in order to disentangle the mechanisms involved in this proc ...	2015	25711309
drosophila females undergo genome expansion after interspecific hybridization.	genome size (or c-value) can present a wide range of values among eukaryotes. this variation has been attributed to differences in the amplification and deletion of different noncoding repetitive sequences, particularly transposable elements (tes). tes can be activated under different stress conditions such as interspecific hybridization events, as described for several species of animals and plants. these massive transposition episodes can lead to considerable genome expansions that could ultim ...	2016	26872773
transcriptome modulation during host shift is driven by secondary metabolites in desert drosophila.	high-throughput transcriptome studies are breaking new ground to investigate the responses that organisms deploy in alternative environments. nevertheless, much remains to be understood about the genetic basis of host plant adaptation. here, we investigate genome-wide expression in the fly drosophila buzzatii raised in different conditions. this species uses decaying tissues of cactus of the genus opuntia as primary rearing substrate and secondarily, the necrotic tissues of the columnar cactus t ...	2016	27483442
exploration of the drosophila buzzatii transposable element content suggests underestimation of repeats in drosophila genomes.	many new drosophila genomes have been sequenced in recent years using new-generation sequencing platforms and assembly methods. transposable elements (tes), being repetitive sequences, are often misassembled, especially in the genomes sequenced with short reads. consequently, the mobile fraction of many of the new genomes has not been analyzed in detail or compared with that of other genomes sequenced with different methods, which could shed light into the understanding of genome and te evolutio ...	2016	27164953
first record of drosophila buzzatii (patterson & wheeler) (diptera: drosophilidae) emerging from a non-cactus host.	drosophila buzzatii (patterson & wheeler), a typical cactophilic species of the repleta group, is registered for the first time emerging from melon (cucumis melo) in western argentina. the analysis of inversion polymorphism and genetic diversity of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit i gene (mtcoi) provided additional evidence that corroborated the presence of a high proportion of d. buzzatii among the flies emerged from melon. this finding set the scenario for a broader range of possible h ...	2016	26960546
transposable element misregulation is linked to the divergence between parental pirna pathways in drosophila hybrids.	interspecific hybridization is a genomic stress condition that leads to the activation of transposable elements (tes) in both animals and plants. in hybrids between drosophila buzzatii and drosophila koepferae, mobilization of at least 28 tes has been described. however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this te release remain poorly understood. to give insight on the causes of this te activation, we performed a te transcriptomic analysis in ovaries (notorious for playing a major role in te si ...	2017	28854624
pupal emergence pattern in cactophilic drosophila and the effect of host plants.	drosophila buzzatii and d. koepferae are sibling cactophilic species. the former breeds primarily on prickly pears (genus opuntia) whereas the latter breeds on columnar cacti of the genera cereus and trichocereus, although with certain degree of niche overlapping. we examined the interspecific differences in diurnal temporal patterns of adult emergence from puparia and evaluated whether this behavior is affected by rearing in the different cactus hosts available in nature. we detected important ...	2017	28544122
phenotypic plasticity in drosophila cactophilic species: the effect of competition, density, and breeding sites.	changes in the environmental conditions experienced by naturally occurring populations are frequently accompanied by changes in adaptive traits allowing the organism to cope with environmental unpredictability. phenotypic plasticity is a major aspect of adaptation and it has been involved in population dynamics of interacting species. in this study, phenotypic plasticity (i.e., environmental sensitivity) of morphological adaptive traits were analyzed in the cactophilic species drosophila buzzati ...	2017	27061856
the role of courtship song in female mate choice in south american cactophilic drosophila.	courtship songs have undergone a spectacular diversification in the drosophila buzzatii cluster. accordingly, it has been suggested that sexual selection has played a significant role in promoting rapid diversification, reproductive isolation and speciation. however, there is no direct evidence (i.e., song playback experiments with wingless males) supporting this tenet. moreover, several studies have showed that the courtship song in the genus drosophila is not always used in female mate choice ...	2017	28467464
enhanced fertility and chill tolerance after cold-induced reproductive arrest in females of temperate species of the drosophila buzzatii complex.	long-term exposure to low temperatures during adult maturation might decrease fertility after cold recovery as a consequence of carry-over effects on reproductive tissues. this pattern should be more pronounced in tropical than in temperate species as protective mechanisms against chilling injuries are expected to be more effective in the latter. we initially determined the lower thermal thresholds to induce ovarian maturation in four closely related drosophila species, two inhabiting temperate ...	2017	27956482