The Effect of Cerelac on the Starvation Resistance in Drosophila melanogaster
Author : Rokhiya Begum, Santhosh GD, Sandya BN and Krishna MS
Abstract :
D.melanogaster serves as a prominent model organism for investigating physiological traits such as starvation resistance. Among various external factors, dietary composition plays a pivotal role in influencing this trait. In the present study, flies were cultured on wheat cream agar and diets supplemented with 10%, 20%, and 30% cerelac to evaluate the impact of nutritional enhancement on starvation resistance. Results demonstrated a clear dose-dependent relationship between cerelac concentration and starvation resistance. Flies reared on 30% Cerelac exhibited the highest starvation resistance, followed by those on 20% Cerelac with moderate resistance. Flies maintained on 10% Cerelac showed lower resistance, and those cultured on wheat cream agar alone had the least starvation tolerance. Sex-specific differences were also observed: female flies consistently showed greater starvation resistance than males across all diet types. Furthermore, within both sexes, mated and unmated individuals differed significantly in starvation resistance depending on the dietary condition. These findings suggest that increasing Cerelac concentration in the diet likely due to its high nutritional and protein content can effectively enhance starvation resistance in D. melanogaster.
Keywords :
Cerelac, Starvation Resistance, Drosophila melanogaster, Dietary composition, Nutritional Enhancement etc.
