Mitochondrial-toxin-resistance
Guides
Drosophila busckii
Busck's fruit fly
Drosophila busckii is a cosmopolitan fruit fly species that has evolved a unique ecological specialization among drosophilids: tolerance to and behavioral preference for dimethyldisulfide (DMDS), a neurotoxic sulfur volatile emitted by rotting vegetables and mushrooms. Native to North America, it has spread globally and is strongly associated with human environments as a commensal. The species uses DMDS as a key olfactory cue for locating food and oviposition sites, allowing it to exploit substrates toxic to competing drosophilid species. Its resistance mechanism likely involves insensitivity of the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) enzyme complex, the typical target of DMDS toxicity in other insects.