Fig. 8

The effect of developmental and adult temperature on the amount of energy stores in adult (8-day-old) flies and the net changes in energy levels. Total stored energy in Drosophila was significantly affected by both developmental and adult temperatures. The optimal adult temperature for maximizing energy reserves was 18–21 °C, with peak energy content achieved at developmental temperatures around 20 °C. The net changes in energy stores were also significantly influenced by both developmental and adult temperatures. The optimal adult temperature for maximizing net energy changes was 18–21 °C, while developmental temperatures around 22–24 °C resulted in the greatest net change. Exposure to temperatures below the lower threshold for zero net change (LT₀: 6–12 °C) and above the upper threshold for zero net change (UT₀: 26–33 °C) led to the depletion of overall energy stores. LT₀ and UT₀ represent the adult temperatures below and above which no net increase in energy reserves is observed. The amounts of energy are expressed as J per fly. The net changes were calculated as the amount of energy in 8-day-old flies (J per fly) minus the amount of energy in freshly eclosed flies (J per fly). The amounts normalized to protein content (expressed as J per mg protein) are depicted in Additional file 1: Fig. S15. Contour lines were computed using Delaunay triangulation, and the contour plot was smoothed with the Thin Plate Spline algorithm (OriginPro 2024 software). For statistical analyses, see Additional file 1: Tables S9, S10