Figure 1. Morinda increases egg production in D. sechellia.

(A–C) Egg production (egg/female/day) (N > 20) (A) and its relative change (N > 5) (B and C) in D. sechellia (14021–0248.25, sec) and D. melanogaster wild-type Berlin (wtB) fed a standard diet (sd), or morinda diet (md), or banana diet (bd), or diets supplemented with morinda carboxylic acids (+OA:HA). (D) Confocal images showing the surface (top) or the interior (middle) of ovarioles stained with nucleic acid specific dyes (sytox orange (SO) and TOTO) of D. sechellia (14021–0248.25) fed a standard diet (sec-sd) or a morinda diet (sec-md). The follicle cells (f) surrounding the oocyte (o) or stretched over the nurse cells (n) (arrow) are indicated for early (<S8) or vitellogenic cysts (>S8). Scale bar 100 μm. (E) Rate of vitellogenesis (>S8/<S8, top graph) and number of cysts (total cysts, lower graph) (N > 8) in D. sechellia (14021–0248.25, sec) and D. melanogaster wild-type Berlin (wtB) fed a standard diet (sd), or a morinda diet (md), or a diet supplemented with morinda carboxylic acids (+OA:HA). Different letters denote significant differences (p < 0.01) using ANOVA followed by Tukey's test (B–E); ****p < 0.00001 using Student's t test to compare species (A). Error bars represent s.e.m.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03785.003

Figure 1—figure supplement 1. Morinda stimulates egg production in D. sechellia.

Egg production (egg/female/day) in D. sechellia 14021–0248.25 (sec.25, N = 3), D. sechellia 14021–0248.31 (sec.31, N = 3), D. melanogaster wild-type Berlin (wtB, N = 3) and D. melanogaster Canton-S (CS, N = 3), fed a standard diet (sd) or morinda diet (md). ns = non-significant, *p < 0.05 using Student's t test to compare diets in each group. Error bars represent s.e.m.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03785.004

Figure 1—figure supplement 2. Apoptosis in D. sechellia ovaries.

Confocal fluorescent images (right) and light transmission images (left) of D. sechellia (14021–0248.25, sec) ovaries of flies fed a standard diet (sd) (top) or morinda diet (md) (bottom), stained with the vital die acridine orange to label apoptosis (Arama and Steller, 2006). The number of apoptotic cysts per ovary (average ± s.e.m.) is indicated for a standard diet (N = 11) and morinda diet (N = 10). Insets show in detail apoptosis occurring at the germanium (top) and an example of the occasional apoptotic cysts in ovaries of flies fed morinda (bottom). Scale bar 20 μm.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03785.005

Figure 1—figure supplement 3. Feeding behavior in D. sechellia.

(A) Individual weight (mg/fly) (N > 20) of D. sechellia (14021–0248.25) mated females and males grown on standard diet (sd) or morinda diet (md). (B) Food intake (N = 3) measured as light absorbance (a. u., arbitrary units) of ingested sulforhodamine B added to a standard diet (sd) or morinda diet (md). *p < 0.01 using Student's t test to compare diets in each group. Error bars represent s.e.m.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03785.006