Starvation turns herbivorous Drosophila into a carnivore
This article was originally posted at Starvation turns herbivorous Drosophila into a carnivore [toc] Starvation induces cannibalism! Drosophila melanogaster larvae are classified as herbivores. They usually feed on herbivorous diet under normal conditions. During starvation, they are observed to feed on larger larvae of their own species and carcasses of other flies. Interesting thing is they even ate eggs of their own kind. These cannibalistic larvae developed as normal, when they were grown with adequate nutrition. This study suggest that nutritionally stressed Drosophila show distinct and unusual feeding behaviours. These include detritivorous, cannibalistic and/or carnivorous behaviours. [1] But how can that happen? Animals avoid certain food materials due to activation of certain taster receptors that are termed to produce ‘bitter’ taste. What happens to Drosophila’s bitter taste during starvation? Another study gives the answer. Can animals sense ‘taste...