Assessing sexual conflict in the<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>laboratory model system

Rice, William R.; Stewart, Andrew D.; Morrow, Edward H.; Linder, Jodell E.; Orteiza, Nicole; Byrne, Phillip G.

doi:10.1098/rstb.2005.1787

Cited by 113 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

143

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Females from different strains behave differently in similar conditions, perhaps reflecting different adaptations in the natural populations from which they were originally derived, or could have been picked up in the laboratory owing to different levels of genetic heterogeneity among stocks (figures 1, 2 and 4) [36,37]. However, females from the same strain also change reproductive behaviour when housed with a mixture of males, indicating that females can assess male diversity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Drosophila melanogaster females change mating behaviour and offspring production based on social context

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Drosophila melanogaster, biological rhythms, aggression and mating are modulated by group size and composition. However, the fitness significance of this group effect is unknown. By varying the composition of groups of males and females, we show that social context affects reproductive behaviour and offspring genetic diversity. Firstly, females mating with males from the same strain in the presence of males from a different strain are infecund, analogous to the Bruce effect in rodents, suggesting a social context-dependent inbreeding avoidance mechanism. Secondly, females mate more frequently in groups composed of males from more than one strain; this mitigates last male sperm precedence and increases offspring genetic diversity. However, smell-impaired Orco mutant females do not increase mating frequency according to group composition; this indicates that social context-dependent changes in reproductive behaviour depend on female olfaction, rather than direct male-male interactions. Further, variation in mating frequency in wild-type strains depends on females and not males. The data show that group composition can affect variance in the reproductive success of its members, and that females play a central role in this process. Social environment can thus influence the evolutionary process.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Temporal preference in mating may create reproductive barriers between species [40]. We may speculate that strainspecific temporal differences in remating may also limit reproduction between populations, to the extent that patterns of variance observed in laboratory strains reflect differences between wild populations [37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drosophila melanogaster females change mating behaviour and offspring production based on social context

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our study indicates that daughters make a greater compounded contribution to population growth if their mothers had mated more frequently and had greater exposure to Acps. We need to integrate this finding with our understanding of sexual conflict (Arnqvist & Rowe 2005;Rice et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-generational fitness benefits of mating and male seminal fluid

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In many species, the physical act of mating and exposure to accessory gland proteins (Acps) in male seminal fluid reduces female survival and offspring production. It is not clear what males gain from harming their sexual partners or why females mate frequently despite being harmed. Using sterile strains of Drosophila melanogaster that differ in their production of Acps, we found that both the physical act of mating and exposure to male seminal fluid in mothers increase the fitness of daughters. We show that the changes in daughter fitness are mediated by parental effects, not by sexual selection involving good genes or owing to variation in maternal egg production. These results support the idea that male harm of females might partly evolve through cross-generational fitness benefits.

show abstract

“…The logic invoked by Carazo et al [11] and Pizzari et al [10] for behavioural modification driven by kin selection in intra-sexual interactions should also apply for inter-sexual interactions. In a species such as D. melanogaster where there is considerable inter-locus sexual conflict [15][16][17][18][19][20][21], small changes in the intensity of inter-sexual interactions have the potential to dramatically affect male and female LRS. Thus, determining how kinship and social dynamics might influence sexual conflict has important implications for understanding sexual coevolution in this species, as well as for social evolution in general [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In D. melanogaster, males often fight with each other for pre-copulatory access to females [12][13][14], and competition continues in the post-copulatory realm via the effects of the sperm and accessory gland products (ACPs) of rival males, which are transferred in their ejaculates [15]. Females are often harmed by males, as a direct result of harassment by courting males [16][17][18][19][20], the physical harm associated with mating [16,21,22] and/or the toxic side effects of the ACPs [23][24][25][26][27]. With a wide variety of well-documented intra-and inter-sexual interactions, this species is well suited to the study of sexual conflict.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are flies kind to kin? The role of intra- and inter-sexual relatedness in mediating reproductive conflict

Martin

Long

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As individual success often comes at the expense of others, interactions between the members of a species are frequently antagonistic, especially in the context of reproduction. In theory, this conflict may be reduced in magnitude when kin interact, as cooperative behaviour between relatives can result in increased inclusive fitness. Recent tests of the potential role of cooperative behaviour between brothers in Drosophila melanogaster have proved to be both exciting and controversial. We set out to replicate these experiments, which have profound implications for the study of kin selection and sexual conflict, and to expand upon them by also examining the potential role of kinship between males and females in reproductive interactions. While we did observe reduced fighting and courtship effort between competing brothers, contrary to previous studies we did not detect any fitness benefit to females as a result of the modification of male antagonistic behaviours. Furthermore, we did not observe any differential treatment of females by their brothers, as would be expected if the intensity of sexual conflict was mediated by kin selection. In the light of these results, we propose an alternative explanation for observed differences in male-male conflict and provide preliminary empirical support for this hypothesis.

show abstract

Assessing sexual conflict in theDrosophila melanogasterlaboratory model system

Cited by 113 publications

References 52 publications

Drosophila melanogaster females change mating behaviour and offspring production based on social context

Drosophila melanogaster females change mating behaviour and offspring production based on social context

Cross-generational fitness benefits of mating and male seminal fluid

Are flies kind to kin? The role of intra- and inter-sexual relatedness in mediating reproductive conflict

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About