Effects of Experience on Oviposition and Attraction in Drosophila: Comparing Apples and Oranges

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Abstract
Adult D. melanogaster were kept on a medium made from rotting oranges or apples. The oviposition behavior of these flies for the same media was tested in large lighted population cages. Flies showed a weak tendency to oviposit on of the fruit type to which they had not been exposed; counts of adults on the media also showed a negative association. A 2nd oviposition experiment with flies held in petri dishes revealed a strong positive association regardless of whether dishes were placed in the light or dark. The effect of experience on adult olfactory response was tested in a wind tunnel; flies were slightly attracted to the medium to which they had not been exposed. The effect of experience depends on the paradigm used; findings with one behavioral assay may necessarily be extrapolated to host responses in the field.