LAUSR

Significance Organisms face many new threats in the Anthropocene Epoch. We examine exposure to elevated concentrations of heavy metals as a paradigmatic threat, using fruit flies as a model organism. Release of metals into the biosphere has increased sharply due to human activities. We found that flies are capable of using their gustatory system to avoid feeding or laying eggs on nine metal ions. Such avoidance is conserved in the mosquito Aedes albopictus, which is a vector of disease. We define molecular and cellular underpinnings of the avoidance response. Our results suggest that mechanisms of taste avoidance provide a first line of defense against these stressors in the Anthropocene.