Exploring the influence of individual courtship behaviors on male mating success in a blow fly

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 528-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie D. Jones ◽  
Phillip G. Byrne ◽  
James F. Wallman
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Blow Fly ◽  
Courtship Behaviors

scholarly journals Theyellowgene influencesDrosophilamale mating success through sex comb melanization

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Massey ◽  
Daayun Chung ◽  
Igor Siwanowicz ◽  
David L. Stern ◽  
Patricia J. Wittkopp
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Sex Comb ◽  
Courtship Behaviors ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
As Effects ◽  
Development And Evolution ◽  
Rule Out

AbstractDrosophila melanogastermales perform a series of courtship behaviors that, when successful, result in copulation with a female. For over a century, mutations in theyellowgene, named for its effects on pigmentation, have been known to reduce male mating success. Prior work has suggested thatyellowinfluences mating behavior through effects on wing extension, song, and/or courtship vigor. Here, we rule out these explanations, as well as effects on the nervous system more generally, and find instead that the effects ofyellowon male mating success are mediated by its effects on pigmentation of male-specific leg structures called sex combs. Loss ofyellowexpression in these modified bristles reduces their melanization, which changes their structure and causes difficulty grasping females prior to copulation. These data illustrate why the mechanical properties of anatomy, and not just neural circuitry, must be considered to fully understand the development and evolution of behavior.

scholarly journals The yellow gene influences Drosophila male mating success through sex comb melanization

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H Massey ◽  
Daayun Chung ◽  
Igor Siwanowicz ◽  
David L Stern ◽  
Patricia J Wittkopp
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Yellow Gene ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Sex Combs ◽  
Sex Comb ◽  
Courtship Behaviors ◽  
Male Specific ◽  
Development And Evolution ◽  
Rule Out

Drosophila melanogaster males perform a series of courtship behaviors that, when successful, result in copulation with a female. For over a century, mutations in the yellow gene, named for its effects on pigmentation, have been known to reduce male mating success. Prior work has suggested that yellow influences mating behavior through effects on wing extension, song, and/or courtship vigor. Here, we rule out these explanations, as well as effects on the nervous system more generally, and find instead that the effects of yellow on male mating success are mediated by its effects on pigmentation of male-specific leg structures called sex combs. Loss of yellow expression in these modified bristles reduces their melanization, which changes their structure and causes difficulty grasping females prior to copulation. These data illustrate why the mechanical properties of anatomy, not just neural circuitry, must be considered to fully understand the development and evolution of behavior.

Longevity and Male Mating Success in Drosophila pseudoobscura

1981 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 1035-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Taylor ◽  
Cindra Condra ◽  
Michael Conconi ◽  
Mary Prout
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Drosophila Pseudoobscura ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success

scholarly journals ADAPTATION AT SPECIFIC LOCI. IV. DIFFERENTIAL MATING SUCCESS AMONG GLYCOLYTIC ALLOZYME GENOTYPES OF COLIAS BUTTERFLIES

Genetics ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-175
Author(s):  
Ward B Watt ◽  
Patrick A Carter ◽  
Sally M Blower
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Heterozygote Advantage ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Genotype Distribution ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Fitness Index ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Specific Variation

ABSTRACT Male mating success as a function of genotype is an important fitness component. It can be studied in wild populations, in species for which a given group of progeny has exactly one father, by determining genotypes of wild-caught mothers and of sufficient numbers of their progeny. Here, we study male mating success as a function of allozyme genotype at two glycolytic loci in Colias butterflies, in which sperm precedence is complete, so that the most recent male to mate fathers all of a female's subsequent progeny.—For the phosphoglucose isomerase, PGI, polymorphism, we predict mating advantage and disadvantage of male genotypes based on evaluation of their biochemical functional differences in the context of thermal-physiological-ecological constraints on the insects' flight activity. As predicted, we find major, significant advantage in mating success for kinetically favored genotypes, compared to the genotype distribution of males active with the sampled females in the wild. These effects are repeatable among samples and on different semispecies' genetic backgrounds.—Initial study of the phosphoglucomutase, PGM, polymorphism in the same samples reveals heterozygote advantage in male-mating success, compared to males active with the females sampled. This contrasts with a lack of correspondence between PGI and PGM genotypes in other fitness index or component differences.—Epistatic interactions in mating success between the two loci are absent.—There is no evidence for segregation distortion associated with the alleles of either primary locus studied, nor is there significant assortative mating.—These results extend our understanding of the specific variation studied and suggest that even loci closely related in function may have distinctive experience of evolutionary forces. Implications of the specificity of the effects seen are briefly discussed.

scholarly journals Male competition and the evolution of mating and life-history traits in experimental populations of Aedes aegypti

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1904) ◽  
pp. 20190591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alima Qureshi ◽  
Andrew Aldersley ◽  
Brian Hollis ◽  
Alongkot Ponlawat ◽  
Lauren J. Cator
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Reproductive Control ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Mating Conditions

Aedes aegypti is an important disease vector and a major target of reproductive control efforts. We manipulated the opportunity for sexual selection in populations of Ae . aegypti by controlling the number of males competing for a single female. Populations exposed to higher levels of male competition rapidly evolved higher male competitive mating success relative to populations evolved in the absence of competition, with an evolutionary response visible after only five generations. We also detected correlated evolution in other important mating and life-history traits, such as acoustic signalling, fecundity and body size. Our results indicate that there is ample segregating variation for determinants of male mating competitiveness in wild populations and that increased male mating success trades-off with other important life-history traits. The mating conditions imposed on laboratory-reared mosquitoes are likely a significant determinant of male mating success in populations destined for release.

scholarly journals Male display areas in exploded leks: the importance of food resources for male mating success

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1296-1307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan C. Alonso ◽  
Marina Magaña ◽  
Jose M. Álvarez-Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Male Display
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document