Replication Data for "Responses to Temperatures of Different Drosophila Species"

Temperature is a critical environmental variable that affects the distribution, survival, and reproduction of most animals. Although temperature receptors have been identified in different animals, how these receptors respond to temperatures is largely unknown. Here we use modified single-fly thermotactic assays to analyze movements and temperature preferences of 9 Drosophila species. The ability to move varies among these species and at different temperatures. Importantly, different species prefer various ranges of temperatures. While wild-type D. melanogaster flies avoid the warm temperature in the warm avoidance assay and the cool temperature in the cool avoidance assay, D. bipectinate and D. yakuba avoid neither warm nor cool temperatures and D. biarmipes and D. mojavensis only avoid the cool temperature in the cool avoidance assay. These results demonstrate that Drosophila species have different mobilities and temperature preferences, thereby benefiting the research on molecular mechanisms of temperature responsiveness.