EXPERIMENT
D. mojavensis populations from Baja California and Sonora were raised on three different culture media:
artificial medium, agria cactus (the Baja host plant), and organ pipe cactus (the Sonoran host plant).
From each culture medium, Etges collected 15 male and female Baja D. mojavensis pairs and 15 Sonoran pairs and observed the numbers of matings
between males and females from the two populations.
RESULTS When D. mojavensis had been raised on artificial medium, females from the Sonoran population showed a strong preference for Sonoran males (a). When D. mojavensis had been raised on cactus medium, the Sonoran females mated with Baja and Sonoran males in approximately equal frequency (b).
CONCLUSION The difference in mate selection shown by females that developed on different diets indicates that mate choice by females of Sonoran populations of D. mojavensis is strongly influenced by the dietary environment in which larvae develop. 1