We examined the effects of mating on reproductive investment and the timing of oogenesis in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis by exposing females to males or not. All females exposed to males were mated within a few days and we found that mating affected reproductive investment. Virgin females not exposed to males produced a large clutch of eggs ( approximately 91), but females exposed to males and mated produced 10% more. There was no effect of mating on egg length or mass. There was also no effect of mating on the timing of oogenesis. Females in both treatments provisioned their eggs at the same rate with yolk first becoming visible in the oocytes on day three of adulthood and complete provisioning of eggs occurring by the seventh day of adulthood. We examined the biochemical basis of egg provisioning by identifying the yolk proteins and quantifying their blood titer during the oogenic period in both, females exposed to males and mated and those not exposed to males. There was no difference in the timing of the first appearance, peak titer, or disappearance of yolk proteins in the blood between the two treatments. However, consistent with our observation of greater egg production in mated females, these females contained a greater peak yolk protein titer.
1. The flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis, is anautogenous and largely relies on adult-acquired income resources for reproduction, but allocates some larvally derived capital into the first clutch. Therefore, the timing of adult resource acquisition may be important for both reproductive timing and magnitude of capital vs. income resources allocated to reproduction. Specifically, we predict that flesh flies that wait longer to acquire adult income resources will allocate greater quantities of larvally derived capital to the first clutch.2. To test how reproductive allocation in flesh flies responds to the timing of adult protein availability, we provided pulses of protein only on day 3, 6, 9, or 12 after eclosion, a series of times equivalent to the onset of oogensis and early, middle and late oogenic development in individuals fed ad libitum. Protein pulses contained isotopically distinct carbon ( 13 C), allowing us to distinguish between larval capital and adult-income resources allocated towards reproduction.3. Neither the timing of oocyte development nor reproductive allotment (egg number by egg size) was altered by the timing of protein availability.4. There was no effect of adult protein acquisition timing on the quantity of larvally derived somatic capital vs. adult-acquired income carbon allocated to reproduction. While flesh flies have remarkable pre-feeding plasticity in reproductive timing, they appear to have little post-feeding plasticity in allocation of stored reserves towards reproduction.
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