Efecto del origen geográfico en la tolerancia a la inanición, desecación y contenido de metabolitos en adultos de Anastrepha fraterculus

Climate significantly influences the geographic distribution of species. Understandinghow species adapt to climatic stressors often involves analysing phenotypic variabilityacross different regions. Insects exhibit diverse strategies to cope with environmentalchallenges; among these, the accumulation and use of metabolic reserves play a pivotalrole in enhancing tolerance to stress. Anastrepha fraterculus is a major fruit pest in SouthAmerica. Despite the significant progress achieved in the study of many biological traits,this fly’s ability to withstand climatic stress has not been analysed yet. The present studyexamines the tolerance of A. fraterculus to starvation and desiccation in adult fliesderived from diverse geographical origins. It also explores the role of metabolic reservesin stress tolerance. Wild flies from five geographic locations in Argentina were reareduntil F9 from F1 on mango (Mangifera indica) under laboratory conditions. Starvation anddesiccation tolerance were evaluated in both sexes and in sexually immature and matureflies. Protein, lipid and glycogen levels were quantified to assess their association withstress tolerance. Significant differences in adult longevity and nutritional metabolitelevels under starvation and desiccation stresses were observed between flies derived from different geographical areas. However, no clear correlation was found betweennutrient content and stress tolerance. These findings suggest that, beyond physiologicaltraits, local environmental conditions may have shaped population-specific adaptiveresponses, as documented in other insect species. The observed variability highlights thepotential role of small-scale environmental heterogeneity in enhancing adaptive capacity.This study provides a foundation for understanding the interplay between metabolicreserves, environmental history and physiological mechanisms underlying stress toler-ance in A. fraterculus.