Effect of dietary aloe vera extract fed at larval stageon life-history traits of Drosophila melanogaster selected for faster pre-adult development

Kagepura Thammaiah Chandrashek

Abstract

We investigated the effects of Aloe vera extract on the life-history traits of two Drosophila melanogaster populations, one of which was maintained on a 21 day egg-to-egg discrete generation cycle and hence presumed to be developmentally non-stressed, while the other was selected for faster per-adult development and hence presumed to be developmentally stressed. The two populations were reared on one of the four diets differing in the amount of A. vera extract (diet with 0 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml or 15 ml per liter of standard media). A. vera extract significantly increased the total body mass and adult-life span of developmentally stressed flies, and total body lipids of developmentally non-stressed flies.