Female multiple mating for fertility assurance in red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum)

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 913-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Pai ◽  
Lauren Bennett ◽  
Guiyun Yan

The costs of mating with multiple partners include expenditure of energy and time and a reduction in lifespan, but females of many taxa mate with several different partners shortly after their first copulation. Often it is not clear what females gain from this behaviour. In this study, we used the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst, 1797) to test the hypothesis that females mate with multiple males for fertility assurance because the first copulation often does not lead to offspring production. We found that the probability of producing offspring, as measured by the proportion of females that produced offspring, was not affected by multiple mating when females were mated to virgin partners. However, when females were mated to nonvirgin partners, multiple mating led to an increased probability of producing offspring. To establish the mechanism through which multiple mating enhanced the probability of producing offspring, we further investigated whether this result was observed because multiple mating provided genetically compatible sperm or because it provided sufficient sperm. Viability of larvae from multiply mated females was higher than that of larvae from singly mated females, but the total number of adult offspring produced was not significantly different between the two groups. The capacity of males to inseminate females decreased in successive matings after the initial copulation, suggesting that ineffective copulations between virgin females and nonvirgin males are likely due to male sperm depletion. Therefore, mating with multiple males increased the probability that females would produce offspring and served as fertility assurance.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e53356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Ridley ◽  
Seymour Magabe ◽  
David I. Schlipalius ◽  
Michelle A. Rafter ◽  
Patrick J. Collins

1990 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1187-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.D.G. White ◽  
R.N. Sinha

AbstractExposure of adult rusty grain beetles, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), saw-toothed grain beetles, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), and red flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), to filter papers treated with the organophosphorus insecticides malathion or chlorpyrifos-methyl often affected offspring production in survivors. Groups of five male and five female survivors were placed on ground wheat at 30°C and C. ferrugineus and O. surinamensis adults produced fewer offspring with prolonged exposure to chlorpyrifos-methyl; malathion had no effect. Tribolium castaneum adults produced significantly more offspring with increasing exposure to both malathion and chlorpyrifos-methyl indicating stimulation of oviposition or a selection for increased fitness in survivors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos G. Athanassiou ◽  
Nickolas G. Kavallieratos ◽  
Frank H. Arthur ◽  
Christos T. Nakas

AbstractKnockdown and mortality of adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, were assessed after exposure to two contact insecticides, chlorfenapyr and cyfluthrin, on a concrete surface. Individuals were rated on a scale for knockdown of exposed adults according to their mobility from 1, representing immobilized adults to 5, representing normally moving (similar to the controls). Only cyfluthrin gave immediate knockdown. Adults were rated at 1, 3 and 7 days post-exposure. After the final assessment, adults were discarded and the same procedure was repeated for 5 consecutive weeks with new adults exposed on the same treated surfaces. Despite initial knockdown, many individuals did not eventually die after exposure to cyfluthrin. In contrast, adults exposed to chlorfenapyr were not initially knocked down after exposure but most died after 7 days. These trends were similar during the entire 5-week residual testing period. The storage of the treated dishes in illuminated or non-illuminated conditions did not affect the insecticidal effect of either insecticide. The results of the present study can be further implemented towards the design of a “lethality index” that can serve as a quick indicator of knockdown and mortality rates caused after exposure to insecticides.


2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 888-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Pai ◽  
Guiyun Yan

Many female insects mate with multiple males within a single fertile period despite costs such as expenditure of energy and time and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. In the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, females remate with different males within minutes of the first copulation. If rapid multiple mating is adaptive then multiply mated females should have higher fitness than singly mated females. In this study, we determined the remating frequency of female beetles, characterized female mating behavior, and examined the fitness consequences of female multiple mating. We found that female T. castaneum mated, on average, with 4–6 nonvirgin males within a 1-h observation period. The number of males present in a mating arena did not significantly affect copulation frequency or the intermating interval. However, number of males present significantly affected the length of a single copula as a result of disturbance by rival males when more males were present. Female mating with multiple males in 24 h did not significantly improve egg production, F1-adult production, egg-to-adult viability, fertility retention, and female survivorship. Thus, multiple mating did not enhance long-term female fitness. Polyandrous mating behavior may have evolved through other mechanisms such as fertility assurance and increased offspring genetic diversity or fitness.


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank H. Arthur ◽  
Steve L. Brown

Runner variety peanuts treated with four rates of diatomaceous earth (28.4, 56.8, 85.2, and 113.6 g per 12.7 kg peanuts) and Virginia variety peanuts treated with four Bacillus thuringiensis formulations (Dipel, Foil, M-Trak and Trident) were held for 8 months at ambient conditions in south Georgia and infested with stored-product insect pests. No red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), adults were found in peanuts treated with diatomaceous earth until six months after treatment. After 8 months, red flour beetle populations in peanuts treated with diatomaceous earth ranged from 5.7 ± 1.9 to 32.8 ± 12.0 per kg, as compared to 221.2 red flour beetles per 12.7 kg peanuts in untreated controls. The effect of diatomaceous earth on red flour beetles was described by non-linear regression. Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), and almond moth, Cadra cautella (Walker), populations were not abundant in untreated controls or the diatomaceous earth treatments. After 8 months, red flour beetle populations in peanuts treated with the four biological insecticides were not significantly different from the untreated controls. Low levels of Indianmeal moth and almond moth were present in all treatments.


1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank H. Arthur ◽  
Hagen B. Gillenwater

An aerosol containing 0.25% AI esfenvalerate, 1.25% piperonyl butoxide synergist, 18.50% oil solvent and 80.00% freon was tested against adults of some of the major insect pest species infesting stored peanuts and stored tobacco. Application at 0.03 g AI per 28.3 m3 killed at least 99% of the almond moths, Cadra cautella (Walker), Indianmeal moths, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), and tobacco moths, Ephestia elutella (Hübner). Red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) mortality was 100% at application rates of 0.03 and 0.05 g per 28.3 m3. This was the least susceptible beetle species that was tested. Red flour beetles were knocked down at a rate of 0.013 g per 28.3 m3, and a second application of the same rate killed all survivors. The biological effectiveness of esfenvalerate compares favorably with dichlorvos, which is currently used as an aerosol control in peanut and tobacco storages.


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