Larval behavioral response to environmental ethanol in relation to alcohol dehydrogenase activity level inDrosophila melanogaster

FourDrosophila melanogaster strains characterized by different alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity levels are compared for the behavior of their larvae in response to environmental ethanol. The larvae are attracted by ethanol if they are able to convert rapidly the acetaldehyde resulting from the metabolic oxidation of ethanol. A comparison is made with the oviposition behavior of flies of the same strains in response to environmental ethanol. A similarity between oviposition behavior and larval behavior is found only for a strain lacking both alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase (AO).