eLife · 18 September 2026 · From issue 39
Environmental temperature is a strong driver of subspecies competition in the Drosophila microbiome
In fruit flies, warmth or cold decided which version of a gut bacterium won out.
Juan Bosco Gracia Alvira, Stefanie Migotti et al.
Fruit flies naturally carry three different genetic types of one key gut bacterium. Scientists kept flies at two temperatures for more than 10 years and watched which type won out. Temperature strongly decided which type of bacterium thrived. This shows that tiny genetic differences within one bacterial species can matter as much as differences between species.
The length of time flies were tracked at two temperatures to see which bacterial subtype won.
Fruit flies only, lab conditions, not yet tested in other animals.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 22 September 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (eLife). Read the source
This screen checks process signals. It does not tell you the findings are true.