Effects of hypoxia and low temperature on female physiology and reproduction of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>
across multiple genetic backgrounds. We quantified metabolic rate, thermal tolerance, body mass, fertility, oogenesis progression, and oocyte apoptosis to assess organismal responses to environmental stress. Hypoxia generally increased respiratory quotient and body mass, but its effects on thermal tolerance and fertility were highly genotype dependent. Across traits, combined stressors frequently produced responses that differed from those observed under single stressors, including reduced fertility, altered oogenesis, and changes in oocyte cell death. Importantly, these effects were not uniform: some genotypes exhibited increased oocyte production or reduced cell death under combined stress, highlighting pronounced genotype-dependent differences in stress sensitivity and reproductive allocation. Together, our results demonstrate that the interaction between hypoxia and temperature can modulate metabolic and reproductive responses in ways that are not predictable from single-stressor responses alone. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating genetic background and interacting environmental stressors when evaluating organismal tolerance and adaptive potential under ongoing environmental change.
Authors
- Amelia May
- Arthur G. Appel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6858-1900)
- Laurie S. Stevison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7900-5266)
- Emma Saurette
- Natalia Rivera-Rincon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7785-7905)
Institutions
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Auburn University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
- Published
- 2026-04-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.08.717251
- Primary Topic
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Auburn University
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences