Longevity in Drosophila melanogaster and its Ebony Mutant in the Absence of Food

Abstract

The duration of life of 1,550 newly emerged imagoes of D. m. and its ebony mutant, under the conditions of: (1) starvation without water; (2) constant temp. of 25[plus or minus].05[degree]C; (3) constant humidity of 79.3%; and (4) population density of one, was determined. The mean duration of life of the ebony mutant (66.76 [plus or minus] 0.420 hrs.) significantly exceeds the mean duration of life of the wild-type fly (49.89 [plus or minus] 0.353 hrs.). The mean length of life of the wild-type dtf (51.51 [plus or minus]0.492 hrs.) is significantly greater than the mean length of life of the wild-type [female][female] (48.91 [plus or minus] 0.507 hrs.). The difference in the mean life duration of the ebony [female][female] (66.80 [plus or minus] 0.609 hrs.) and the ebony [male] (66.89 [plus or minus] 0.702 hrs.) is statistically nonsignificant. The death curves for the wild-type fly and its ebony mutant, when placed upon a relative time base, are sharply peaked, unimodal frequency curves. The hypothesis advanced by Pearl and Miner (Quart. Rev. Biol., 10: 60r79. 1925) is used as a basis for the statement that starvation in this investigation acted like an externally administered poison. The survivorship curves of the wild-type fly and its ebony mutant, when placed upon a relative time base, were found to have the same configuration.