Dispersal and prepupation behavior of Chilean sympatric Drosophila species that breed in the same site in nature

We investigated dispersal patterns of Drosophila larvae searchingfor pupation sites over three substrates to determine the roleof spatial heterogeneity and presence of other species on prepupationbehavior. We used D. melanogaster, D. hydei, and D. pavani whoseparents emerged from apples collected in one orchard. Each speciesshowed different preferences for substrates on which to pupate,particularly in the presence of another Drosophila species.Larval locomotion rate and turning behavior in D. melanogaster,D. hydei, and D. pavani were modified depending this upon thetype of substrate (agar and sand) on which the larvae crawled.These two behaviors are involved in dispersal and aggregationof pupae. Distance between pupae of the same species decreaseswhen larvae of another species pupate on the same substrate.Aggregated distributions over the substrates lead to patcheswith few or no individuals. These could serve as pupation sitesfor other Drosophila species that, in nature, also emerge fromsmall breeding sites.     

COVID-19 threatens faculty diversity: postdoctoral scholars call for action

Despite substantial investment and effort by federal agencies and institutions to improve the diversity of the professoriate, progress is excruciatingly slow. One program that aims to enhance faculty diversity is the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences. IRACDA supports the training of a diverse cohort of postdoctoral scholars who will seek academic research and teaching careers. The San Diego IRACDA program has trained 109 postdoctoral scholars since its inception in 2003; 59% are women and 63% are underrepresented (UR) Black/African-American, Latinx/Mexican-American, and Indigenous scientists. Sixty-four percent obtained tenure-track faculty positions, including a substantial 32% at research-intensive institutions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis threatens to upend IRACDA efforts to improve faculty diversity, and academia is at risk of losing a generation of diverse, talented scholars. Here, a group of San Diego IRACDA postdoctoral scholars reflects on these issues and discusses recommendations to enhance the retention of UR scientists to avoid a “lost generation” of promising UR faculty scholars.