title: Internal states drive nutrient homeostasis by modulating exploration-exploitation trade-off.
abstract: Internal states can profoundly alter the behavior of animals. A quantitative understanding of the behavioral changes upon metabolic challenges is key to a mechanistic dissection of how animals maintain nutritional homeostasis. We used an automated video tracking setup to characterize how amino acid and reproductive states interact to shape exploitation and exploration decisions taken by adultDrosophila melanogaster. We find that these two states have specific effects on the decisions to stop at and leave proteinaceous food patches. Furthermore, the internal nutrient state defines the exploration-exploitation trade-off: nutrient-deprived flies focus on specific patches while satiated flies explore more globally. Finally, we show that olfaction mediates the efficient recognition of yeast as an appropriate protein source in mated females and that octopamine is specifically required to mediate homeostatic postmating responses without affecting internal nutrient sensing. Internal states therefore modulate specific aspects of exploitation and exploration to change nutrient selection.
authors: Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal.|Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Verónica María
authors: 0000-0002-3813-5790
authors: VM
authors: Corrales-Carvajal
authors: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.|Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.|Integrative Biology Division, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Aldo A
authors: AA
authors: Faisal
authors: Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors: Carlos
authors: 0000-0002-9542-7335
authors: C
authors: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005518:Food Preferences; D006706:Homeostasis; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D012903:Smell; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: D. melanogaster; behavior; feeding; homeostasis; internal states; neurogenetics; neuroscience; nutrition