LTREB: Population Biology and Ecology of Sonoran Desert Drosophila

四种果蝇是亚利桑那州和墨西哥炎热的索诺兰沙漠特有的。 这些苍蝇生活在巨型柱状仙人掌腐烂的枝和茎上。 为了了解生物如何能够适应恶劣的沙漠环境和某些天然食物中发现的有毒化学物质，我们正在研究这些沙漠苍蝇作为模型系统。 这项工作包括季节性监测作为繁殖地的腐烂仙人掌的可用性以及与之相关的昆虫。 它还使用实验室测试的性状，如耐热性和耐干燥性，以了解适应这些条件的基础。 随着全球变暖的持续，我们必须了解生物体适应不断变化的条件或面临灭绝的能力。 这项工作的结果直接适用于所有生物，包括传播疾病的昆虫和农业害虫。

Four species of fruitfly are endemic to the hot Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico. These flies live in association with decaying arms and stems of giant columnar cacti. In order to understand how organisms are able to adapt to the harsh desert environment and the toxic chemicals found in certain natural foods, we are studying these desert flies as a model system. The work in involves seasonal monitoring of the availability of decaying cacti as breeding sites and the insects associated with them. It also uses laboratory tests of traits such as heat and desiccation resistance to understand the basis for adaptations to these conditions. As global warming continues, it is imperative that we understand the capability of organisms to adapt to changing conditions or face extinction. The results of this work are directly applicable to all organisms, including insects that vector disease and insects that are agriculture pests.