INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Those genes associated with metabolism were upregulated, meaning they showed an increase in activity
An observed loss of body fat and protein reserves was evidently a trade-off for resistance to mites
This suggests there was increased lipolysis, or the breakdown of fats, and proteolysis, the breakdown of proteins, in resistant lines of
flies.The depletion of nutrients could make fruit flies less likely to survive even without mites feeding off them, but their tenaciousness
when it comes to staying up through the night suggests that being parasitized by mites is still the greater risk
Because mite-resistant flies did not sleep, their oxygen consumption and activity also increased during the night to levels no different
from those of control group flies during the day.Keeping mites away involves moving around so the fly can buzz off if mites crawl too close
When the flies were restrained, the mite-resistant flies were as susceptible to mites as the controls
Activity alone was important for resisting mites.Since mites are ectoparasites, or external parasites (as opposed to internal parasites like
tapeworms), potential hosts like flies can benefit from hypervigilance
Sleep is typically beneficial to a host invaded by an internal parasite because it increases the immune response
Unfortunately for the flies, sleeping would only make them an easy meal for mites
recently published in Biological Timing and Sleep
Evidence of shifts in sleep and rest in birds and bats has been shown to happen when there is a risk of parasitism after dark
For the flies, exhaustion has the upside of better fertility if they manage to avoid bites, so a mate must be worth all those sleepless
nights.Biological Timing and Sleep, 2025
