DESICCATION AND STARVATION TOLERANCE OF ADULT DROSOPHILA: OPPOSITE LATITUDINAL CLINES IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF THREE DIFFERENT SPECIES.

Desiccation and starvation tolerance were measured along latitudinal transects in three Drosophilid species (Drosophila ananassae, D. melanogaster, and Zaprionus indianus) of the Indian subcontinent. In each case, significant latitudinal clines were observed; desiccation tolerance increased with latitude while starvation tolerance decreased.