''Drosophila sechellia'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of
fruit fly, used in lab studies of
speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution withi ...
because it can mate with ''
Drosophila simulans''.
''Drosophila sechellia'' is endemic to (some of) the Seychelles, and was one of 12 fruit fly genomes sequenced for a large comparative study.
''Morinda'' fruit
''Drosophila sechellia'' are known to preferentially lay eggs on toxic ''
Morinda'' fruits. Research has shown that a mutation in the gene that inhibits egg production is associated with a reduction in
L-DOPA
-DOPA, also known as levodopa and -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is an amino acid that is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans. Humans, as well as a portion of the other animals that utilize -DOPA ...
; L-DOPA is a precursor of the fertility-regulating hormone
dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine constitutes about 80% o ...
. ''Morinda'' fruits are rich in L-DOPA, owing to their usually insecticidal capacities. ''Drosophila sechellia'' fertility is reliant on the L-DOPA found in ''Morinda'' fruit, and as a result ''Drosophila sechellia'' reproduces solely on these toxic fruits. Recent research found that reduced expression of a newly discovered gene, ''Esterase 6'' (''Est6''), is an important element of the genetic underpinnings behind the adaptation of ''D. Sechellia'' to feed on ''Morinda'' fruits.
References
External links
''Drosophila sechellia'' at FlyBase''Drosophila sechellia'' at Ensembl Genomes Metazoa*
sechellia
{{Drosophilidae-stub