Symbiotic bacteria are responsible for diet-induced mating preference in Drosophila melanogaster, providing support for the hologenome concept of evolution

Abstract

Diet-induced mating preference in Drosophila melanogaster results from amplification of the commensal bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum, providing a new role for gut microbiota and support for the hologenome concept of evolution. When the flies were treated with antibiotics prior to changing their diet, mating preference did not occur. These data also indicate that other potentially beneficial bacteria could be irreversibly lost by antibiotic treatment and that their replacement could provide a health benefit. We suggest that D. melanogaster can be a useful model organism to study the activities of gut microbiota and their interaction with the immune system.