The Effect of Multivitamins Supplementation on the Rate of Development and Percentage of Hatchability in Drosophila melanogaster
Author : Kavana HC, Divyashree B, Darshan C, Hemanthgowda M, Kruthik Kumar KP and MS Krishnna
Abstract :
Drosophila melanogaster is a widely used model organism for studying developmental biology, where traits such as developmental rate and hatchability serve as important indicators of pre-adult fitness. Nutritional supplementation plays a crucial role in influencing developmental and physiological processes in organisms. In the present study, flies were reared on wheat cream agar medium (control) and multivitamin powder supplemented media containing T1 (6.75g) and T2 (13.5g) concentrations to investigate the effect of multivitamin supplementation on the rate of development and percentage of hatchability from larva to pupa and pupa to adult in D. melanogaster.
The group receiving T2 (13.5g) multivitamin supplementation exhibited the shortest developmental duration from larva to pupa, followed by the T1 (6.75g) treatment group, whereas the control group showed the slowest larval development. In contrast, during the pupa-to-adult transition, the control group displayed the fastest developmental rate, while flies reared on T1 (6.75g) multivitamin supplementation showed delayed development, followed by the T2 (13.5g) treatment group. These findings indicate that multivitamin supplementation significantly influences developmental timing in D. melanogaster depending on the developmental stage and concentration used.
Hatchability analysis revealed that larva-to-pupa survival percentage was highest in flies supplemented with T1 (6.75g) multivitamin powder, followed by the T2 (13.5g) treatment group, while the control group showed the lowest hatchability. Similarly, pupa-to-adult hatchability was significantly increased in the T1 (6.75g) supplemented group compared to both the control and T2 (13.5g) groups. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test revealed significant differences among the experimental groups.
Overall, the findings suggest that multivitamin supplementation enhances pre-adult fitness parameters in D. melanogaster, particularly by improving hatchability and accelerating larval development at optimal concentrations. The study highlights the importance of dietary micronutrient supplementation in regulating developmental physiology and survival in model organisms.
Keywords :
Drosophila melanogaster, multivitamin supplementation on development rate and percentage of hatchability.
