Drosophila mojavensis (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Drosophila mojavensis

Caption

formation of niches and, ultimately, the evolution of new species (OIKOS, doi: 10.1111/oik.07180). Drosophila mojavensis, the vinegar fly species native to the Mojave Desert in the southwest of the USA, lives on plants that are typical of the barren living conditions in a desert: cacti. Adult flies and their larvae live on and feed on necrotic tissue: diseased parts of the plant. Yeast fungi contribute to the decomposition of the cactus tissue and at the same time represent the food substrate for the insects.

Credit

Sarah Koerte and Benjamin Fabian, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

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