Host Preference Among Populations of Drosophila mojavensis (Diptera: Drosophilidae) that Use Different Host Cacti

Previous studies have suggested that all populations of cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis prefer pitaya agria cactus, Stenocereus gummosus, over all other potential hosts for feeding and breeding, including populations that inhabit areas where no agria grows. We sampled five geographically isolated populations of D. mojavensis from nature to assess host choice within and between populations. Host choice tests were performed in a laboratory olfactometer by allowing adult D. mojavensis to choose between plumes of synthetic volatile cocktails of two widespread host cacti. Overall, each population showed significant preference for agria volatiles with one exception: a mainland Sonora population that uses organ pipe cactus in nature exhibited preference for organ pipe volatiles, suggesting a possible shift in host preference. The degree of preference for agria volatiles was greatest in a population from southern California that use California barrel cactus as a host. Since southern Californian populations of D. mojavensis are thought to be derived from those in Baja California, preference for agria volatiles is considered a retained ancestral trait. Three populations from Baja California and mainland Mexico that use agria in the wild expressed lower, but similar preferences for agria volatiles. Because populations of D. mojavensis are ancestral to those in mainland Mexico, Arizona, and California, the shift from agria to alternate hosts has not been accompanied by strong changes in host preference behavior.