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Data from: The role of priority access to fruit resources by Drosophila suzukii larvae in interspecific competition with Drosophila melanogaster

Chen, Yong-Zhuo1; Zhang, Min1

Published Sep 23, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mw6m906b5

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Abstract

Drosophila suzukii is a globally invasive fruit pest whose serrated ovipositor enables females to exploit fresh fruit earlier than many saprophagous drosophilids. However, whether this temporal advantage can be translated into a competitive advantage during subsequent larval development remains unclear. Here, we examined oviposition preferences of D. suzukii and D. melanogaster on intact and damaged blueberries and experimentally manipulated the priority access of D. suzukii larvae to artificial medium by introducing them 0, 3, 7, or 10 days before D. melanogaster. Competitive interactions were quantified using a Bayesian Beverton-Holt model and interpreted within a modern coexistence-theory framework. Drosophila suzukii preferentially oviposited on intact blueberries, whereas D. melanogaster oviposition was largely restricted to damaged fruit, providing D. suzukii offspring with earlier access to fruit resources. However, stable coexistence between the two species received little posterior support across all priority treatments. Competitive outcomes varied non-monotonically with priority duration: D. suzukii had a relatively high probability of winning under the 0- and 7-day treatments, whereas priority effects dominated under the 3- and 10-day treatments. These results demonstrate that earlier access to resources does not necessarily translate into progressively stronger competitive superiority as priority duration increases. Instead, the competitive consequences may also be associated with the microbial environment of the medium and the developmental stages of the two Drosophila species. Although our findings suggest that the trait-mediated temporal advantage conferred by the serrated ovipositor can contribute to the establishment and persistence of D. suzukii, future studies are needed to further investigate the potential mechanisms through which other factors influence competitive outcomes.