The Biochemical Adaptations of Spotted Wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) to Fresh Fruits Reduced Fructose Concentrations and Glutathione-S Transferase Activities

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is an invasive and economically damaging pest in Europe and North America. The females have a serrated ovipositor that enables them to infest almost all ripening small fruits. To understand the physiological and metabolic basis of spotted wing drosophila food preferences for healthy ripening fruits, we investigated the biological and biochemical characteristics of spotted wing drosophila and compared them with those of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen. We found that the susceptibility to oxidative stressors was significantly increased in spotted wing drosophila compared with those of D. melanogaster. In addition, we found that spotted wing drosophila had significantly reduced glutathione-S transferase (GST) activity and gene numbers. Furthermore, fructose concentrations found in spotted wing drosophila were significantly lower than those of D. melanogaster. Our data strongly suggest that the altered food preferences of spotted wing drosophila may stem from evolutionary adaptations to fresh foods accompanied by alterations in carbohydrate metabolism and GST activities.