Invasive species of Drosophilidae surpass neotropical species in larval use of fruit in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and Caatinga biomes

Invasive alien species (IAS) exert a negative impact on biodiversity by competing with native species for the same trophic resources. Drosophilids are good models for studying biological invasions. Brazil has 14 IAS drosophilids, with four invasions in the last 30 years. These species cause damage to fruit crops and ecosystems. The relationship between drosophilids, especially in immature stages, and the environment is an under-explored field. Such studies are important in assessing the adaptive success of IAS and its impacts on native species. Here we investigate the use of fruits as larval development sites by neotropical drosophilids and IAS in 12 plant species collected from the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga biomes. Approximately 8 kg of fruits were investigated, from which 5,681 drosophilids emerged (nine neotropical species and eight IAS). Invasive drosophilids accounted for more than 90% of the abundance of the hatchings and occupied more types of fruits compared to neotropical drosophilids. Zaprionus indianus, Drosophila malerkotliana, and D. nasuta stood out among the invasive species, the latter of which invaded Brazil only a decade ago and has high adaptive potential, surpassing neotropical drosophilids in the number of trophic resources used. Neotropical fruits were used less by native drosophilids, and a greater number of interactions occurred between fruits of IAS plants and IAS drosophilids, which is discussed in terms of evolutionary mechanisms. We found high niche overlap within the group of IAS drosophilids as well as between this group and neotropical drosophilids, which results in competitive advantages for the invasive species.