Research
Fruit fly study offers clues to insect survival in a hotter, drier world
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute identified a specialized lipid barrier in the fruit fly pupa.
- The barrier protects against dehydration in dry and hot environments.
- The findings also reveal the barrier's limit, which the source links to insects in some regions of the world.
Why it matters
The study clarifies how insects resist dehydration and where that protection stops working, which bears on how insects may fare in a hotter, drier world.
- #fruit-fly
- #lipid-barrier
- #dehydration
- #insect-physiology
- #climate
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have identified a specialized lipid barrier in the fruit fly pupa that protects against dehydration in dry and hot environments. Their findings also expose the lipid barrier's limit, suggesting that insects in some regions of the world…