Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner

The dietary habits of fruit flies profoundly influence their fitness, morphology, and physiology yet the mechanisms underlying these effects remain incompletely understood. To address this gap, the relationship between dietary regimens and the composition and function of adult <i>Drosophila me...

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Main Authors: Repac Jelena, Trajković Jelena, Rakić Marija, Lunić Tanja, Savić Tatjana, Božić Bojan, Božić Nedeljković Biljana, Sofija Pavković-Lučić
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Insects
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/2/141
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author Repac Jelena
Trajković Jelena
Rakić Marija
Lunić Tanja
Savić Tatjana
Božić Bojan
Božić Nedeljković Biljana
Sofija Pavković-Lučić
author_facet Repac Jelena
Trajković Jelena
Rakić Marija
Lunić Tanja
Savić Tatjana
Božić Bojan
Božić Nedeljković Biljana
Sofija Pavković-Lučić
author_sort Repac Jelena
collection DOAJ
description The dietary habits of fruit flies profoundly influence their fitness, morphology, and physiology yet the mechanisms underlying these effects remain incompletely understood. To address this gap, the relationship between dietary regimens and the composition and function of adult <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> microbiota was investigated in the present study. The adult fly microbiota communities that were reared for long time on five different diets were characterized by means of 16S rRNA sequencing. Obtained results revealed distinct community structures associated with each dietary regimen, which was additionally corroborated through machine learning-based analysis. In general, sugar-rich diets correlate with microbial ecosystems of higher richness/diversity. Dominance of the phyla <i>Proteobacteria</i> and <i>Firmicutes</i> in the microbiota was confirmed irrespective of diet, with the varying proportions of the most abundant families: <i>Acetobacteraceae</i>, <i>Lactobacillaceae</i>, <i>Moraxellaceae</i>, <i>Bradyrhizobiaceae</i>, and <i>Leucostonocaceae</i>. Bacterial families of lower abundance also emerged as differentially present among the studied fly groups. Additionally, functional prediction provided initial clues into how nutrient availability might modulate the metabolic traits of adult fly microbiota in a sex-specific manner to meet host metabolic needs. Overall, the presented findings highlight the intricate interplay between diet, microbiota composition, and host phenotype in fruit flies, underscoring the importance of diet as a determinant of host-microbiota interactions.
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spelling doaj-art-dac859ae4b4f4f3dbd4be287678be6652025-08-20T02:45:00ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-02-0116214110.3390/insects16020141Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific MannerRepac Jelena0Trajković Jelena1Rakić Marija2Lunić Tanja3Savić Tatjana4Božić Bojan5Božić Nedeljković Biljana6Sofija Pavković-Lučić7Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaThe dietary habits of fruit flies profoundly influence their fitness, morphology, and physiology yet the mechanisms underlying these effects remain incompletely understood. To address this gap, the relationship between dietary regimens and the composition and function of adult <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> microbiota was investigated in the present study. The adult fly microbiota communities that were reared for long time on five different diets were characterized by means of 16S rRNA sequencing. Obtained results revealed distinct community structures associated with each dietary regimen, which was additionally corroborated through machine learning-based analysis. In general, sugar-rich diets correlate with microbial ecosystems of higher richness/diversity. Dominance of the phyla <i>Proteobacteria</i> and <i>Firmicutes</i> in the microbiota was confirmed irrespective of diet, with the varying proportions of the most abundant families: <i>Acetobacteraceae</i>, <i>Lactobacillaceae</i>, <i>Moraxellaceae</i>, <i>Bradyrhizobiaceae</i>, and <i>Leucostonocaceae</i>. Bacterial families of lower abundance also emerged as differentially present among the studied fly groups. Additionally, functional prediction provided initial clues into how nutrient availability might modulate the metabolic traits of adult fly microbiota in a sex-specific manner to meet host metabolic needs. Overall, the presented findings highlight the intricate interplay between diet, microbiota composition, and host phenotype in fruit flies, underscoring the importance of diet as a determinant of host-microbiota interactions.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/2/141<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>adult fly microbiotametabolismnutritionsex
spellingShingle Repac Jelena
Trajković Jelena
Rakić Marija
Lunić Tanja
Savić Tatjana
Božić Bojan
Božić Nedeljković Biljana
Sofija Pavković-Lučić
Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
Insects
<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>
adult fly microbiota
metabolism
nutrition
sex
title Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
title_full Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
title_fullStr Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
title_full_unstemmed Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
title_short Different Long-Term Nutritional Regimens of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Shape Its Microbiota and Associated Metabolic Activity in a Sex-Specific Manner
title_sort different long term nutritional regimens of i drosophila melanogaster i shape its microbiota and associated metabolic activity in a sex specific manner
topic <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>
adult fly microbiota
metabolism
nutrition
sex
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/2/141
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