Data from: Hypergravity exposure leads to persistent effects on geotaxis and activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Gravity is a fundamental environmental force influencing locomotion and energy use across biological systems. This dataset presents behavioral and metabolic measurements from Drosophila melanogaster exposed to altered gravity using a centrifuge-based hypergravity simulator. Adult flies were subjected to acute, developmental, or multigenerational exposure at 1g, 4g, 7g, 10g, or 13g and subsequently assayed at Earth’s gravity (1g) across a range of post-exposure time points. The dataset includes time-resolved measures of spontaneous and startle-induced climbing, distance traveled, velocity, activity counts, and directional movement, together with whole-body triacylglyceride measurements. Behavioral data were extracted from video tracking and activity monitoring assays and processed to produce time-series data for individual flies and group averages. The dataset documents differential locomotor patterns across gravity levels and assay types, including reduced spontaneous climbing following acute 4g exposure, while startle-induced climbing remains largely intact. We also found more pronounced locomotor alterations after exposure to higher gravity levels, and gravity-dependent changes in daily activity measured over one week following exposure. Longitudinal measurements further capture delayed recovery and persistent locomotor alterations after developmental or multigenerational hypergravity exposure, as well as gravity- and time-dependent modulation of energy storage.