

It took roughly 197 min for 50% of the population to feed at least once during this time of the day.

(F) Event-time distribution that represents the fraction of the population that has experienced at least one feeding at a given elapsed time from a randomized point between 12pm-2pm (N = 21). Each point represents the average value over a 24 hr period (N = 21). (E) Among-fly variability in the average feeding duration and average time between feeding events. Each plot represents values from a single fly, and distributions for the same three flies as in panel C are presented. (D) Histograms representing the size of the intervals between successive feeding behaviors over a 24 hr measurement period. N represents the number of behavior events observed. Each plot represents values from a single fly, and distributions for three flies are presented. (C) Histograms representing the distribution of durations for individual feeding behavior events (an event is a set of contiguous signals above baseline) over a 24 hr measurement period. Close-up signal patterns representative of two distinct classes of feeding behavior events are presented as insets. (B) Representative signals from each of two feeding wells within a single feeding arena taken from a 90 min subset of a 24-hour feeding measurement.
Tech flic Pc#
Analog signals from all DFMs are collected by the Master Control Unit (MCU), which relays the information to the PC where the signals are visualized and recorded by the real-time monitoring software. (A) Cartoon of the Drosophila Feeding Monitor (DFM) from the top- and side-view along with a flowchart of data collection and processing. We believe that the FLIC system will work hand-in-hand with modern molecular techniques to facilitate mechanistic studies of feeding behaviors in Drosophila using modern, high-throughput technologies. Furthermore, FLIC experiments can persist indefinitely without disturbance, and we highlight this ability by establishing a detailed picture of circadian feeding behaviors in the fly. The FLIC system performs as well or better than popular methods for simple assays, and it provides an unprecedented opportunity to study novel components of feeding behavior, such as time-dependent changes in food preference and individual levels of motivation and hunger. Signal characteristics effectively distinguish between different types of behaviors, such as feeding and tasting events. The FLIC (Fly Liquid-Food Interaction Counter) detects analog electronic signals as brief as 50 µs that occur when a fly makes physical contact with liquid food.
Tech flic software#
We present a complete hardware and software system for collecting and quantifying continuous measures of feeding behaviors in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.
