Meta-analysis of Diets Used in Drosophila Microbiome Research and Introduction of the Drosophila Dietary Composition Calculator (DDCC)

Nutrition is a major factor influencing many aspects ofDrosophila melanogasterphysiology. However, a wide range of diets, many of which are termed standard in the literature, are utilized forD. melanogasterresearch, leading to inconsistencies in reporting of nutrition-dependent phenotypes across the field. This is especially evident in microbiome studies, as diet has a pivotal role in microbiome composition and resulting host-microbe interactions. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of diets used in fly microbiome research and provide a web-based tool for researchers to determine the nutritional content of diets of interest. While our meta-analysis primarily focuses on microbiome studies, our goal in developing these resources is to aid the broader community in contextualizing past and future studies across the scope ofD. melanogasterresearch to better understand how individual lab diets can contribute to observed phenotypes.