Drosophila melanogaster females restore their attractiveness after mating by removing male anti-aphrodisiac pheromones

Laturney, Meghan; Billeter, Jean‐Christophe

doi:10.1038/ncomms12322

Cited by 82 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(125 reference statements)

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“…Recent findings indicate females may use several countermeasures to subvert male attempts to maximize their own fitness through LMSP. Females can actively shed AAPs to restore their sexual attractiveness (Laturney & Billeter, 2016). Moreover, although LMSP is extensively documented for twice-mated females, LMSP is reduced when females mate with three or more males (Billeter, Jagadeesh, Stepek, Azanchi, & Levine, 2012).…”

Section: Future Research On Irscmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making sense of intralocus and interlocus sexual conflict

Schenkel

Pen

Beukeboom

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Sexual conflict occurs because males and females are exposed to different selection pressures. This can affect many aspects of female and male biology, such as physiology, behavior, genetics, and even population ecology. Its broad impact has caused widespread interest in sexual conflict. However, a key aspect of sexual conflict is often confused; it comprises two distinct forms: intralocus and interlocus sexual conflict (IASC and IRSC). Although both are caused by sex differences in selection, they operate via different proximate and ultimate mechanisms. Intralocus sexual conflict and IRSC are often not clearly defined as separate processes in the scientific literature, which impedes a proper understanding of each form as well as of their relative impact on sexual conflict. Furthermore, our current knowledge of the genetics of these phenomena is severely limited. This prevents us from empirically testing numerous theories regarding the role of these two forms of sexual conflict in evolution. Here, we clarify the distinction between IASC and IRSC, by discussing how male and female interests differ, how and when sex‐specific adaptation occurs, and how this may lead to evolutionary change. We then describe a framework for their study, focusing on how future experiments may help identify the genetics underlying these phenomena. Through this, we hope to promote a more critical reflection on IASC and IRSC as well as underline the necessity of genetic and mechanistic studies of these two phenomena.

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Section: Future Research On Irscmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making sense of intralocus and interlocus sexual conflict

Schenkel

Pen

Beukeboom

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Therefore, there may be selection pressure on females to accept males with less pheromone or less saturated pheromone components to minimize the chemical mate guarding effects, as unsaturated compounds are more volatile. Recently, Drosophila melanogaster females were found to actively eject the male pheromone a few hours after copulation, resulting in increased attractiveness and remating6. Such an active process is unlikely to occur in moths, as this pheromone is deposited on the outside of abdomen and we never observed females to actively groom her abdomen after mating.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Within the framework of sexual selection, anti-aphrodisiacs can be receptivity-inhibiting “matedness factors” that are transferred by the male in the seminal fluid and affect the female’s physiology, e.g. refs 3, 4, 5, 6, or they can be odor-based and thus perceived through the chemosensory organs of nearby males4.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental evidence for chemical mate guarding in a moth

Hosseini

Wijk

Gao

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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In polyandrous species, males seek to maximize their reproductive output by monopolizing their mate. Often the male transfers substances to the female that suppress her sexual receptivity or antagonize the behavior of competing males; both are usually transferred in seminal fluids and represent forms of chemical mate guarding. In moths, more long-range female sex pheromones have been identified than in any other animal group, and males often display with close-range sex pheromones, yet odor-based post-copulatory mate guarding has not been described in moths so far. We tested the hypothesis that the male sex pheromone in the noctuid moth Heliothis virescens perfumes the female and functions as an anti-aphrodisiac. Indeed, virgin females perfumed with male pheromone extract, or with its main component, mated significantly less than control virgin females, and this effect persisted for two successive nights. This chemical mate guarding strategy was disadvantageous for H. virescens females, because the reproductive output of twice-mated females was significantly higher than that of once-mated females. Since the female and male sex pheromones are biosynthetically related in this and other moth species, chemical mate guarding may also impose selection pressure on the long-range female sex pheromone channel and consequently affect the evolution of sexual communication.

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“…Dependency of adoption of a given ART on male age and density (Sato et al, ,) renders the explanation of ART‐specific cues left on T‐females more likely than the two other explanations. Males leaving chemical marks on their mates have been observed in various animals such as butterflies (Estrada et al, ) and fruit flies (Laturney & Billeter, ). Sneaker cues left on T‐females should disproportionally attract sneakers because indicating a socially benign micro‐environment regarding male competition, whereas fighter cues left on T‐females should disproportionally attract fighters and repel sneakers because indicating a male‐competitive environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dependency of adoption of a given ART on male age and density (Sato et al, 2014(Sato et al, ,2016 renders the explanation of ART-specific cues left on T-females more likely than the two other explanations. Males leaving chemical marks on their mates have been observed in various animals such as butterflies (Estrada et al, 2011) and fruit flies (Laturney & Billeter, 2016).…”

Section: Proximate Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental effects of male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) on ARTs of haploid sons

Schausberger

Sato

2019

Functional Ecology

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Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) represent distinct behavioural phenotypes to maximize reproductive success within the same sex, primarily males, and may be genetically and/or conditionally determined. Across animals, intragenerational determinants of conditional ARTs are relatively well understood but transgenerational (non‐genetic) effects of parental ARTs on filial ARTs are largely unknown. Here, we assessed parental effects of conditional male ARTs on sons' ARTs in arrhenotokous spider mites Tetranychus urticae. Arrhenotoky, that is, males arising from unfertilized and females from fertilized eggs, sets the stage for sexual and transgenerational conflicts between male mates and females and their sons. Male ARTs of T. urticae are dichotomous, fighting and sneaking, and apparent in male–male combat and pre‐copulatory guarding behaviour. Due to haplodiploidy, male ARTs can only exert non‐genetic effects on sons of their mates. We hypothesized that parental ART effects are likely to occur in T. urticae because maternal ART mating status (unmated, sneaker‐ or fighter‐mated) is indicative of the offspring' social environment and ART flexibility rather prevails in younger than older males. Fighter‐mated mothers produced more offspring than unmated mothers and had a more daughter‐biased offspring sex ratio than unmated and sneaker‐mated mothers. Sons of fighter‐mated mothers were more likely to guard and did so earlier than sons of unmated and sneaker‐mated mothers. Unmated and sneaker‐mated, but not fighter‐mated, mothers produced sneaker sons that were quicker to start guarding than were fighter sons. Proximately, parental ART effects on sons' ARTs were most likely mediated by differences in seminal fluids. Ultimately, observed alterations of sons' ARTs represent adaptive maternal responses to ART phenotypes rather than manipulation by male mates. Fighter‐mated mothers tuned filial ARTs to male‐competitive environments whereas unmated and sneaker‐mated mothers tuned them to benign environments. Observed alterations in reproductive traits of fighter‐mated mothers suggest adaptive manipulation by the fighter phenotype or aligned male and female interests. Overall, our study documents previously unknown transgenerational ART effects on haploid sons' ARTs. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Drosophila melanogaster females restore their attractiveness after mating by removing male anti-aphrodisiac pheromones

Cited by 82 publications

References 67 publications

Making sense of intralocus and interlocus sexual conflict

Making sense of intralocus and interlocus sexual conflict

Experimental evidence for chemical mate guarding in a moth

Parental effects of male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) on ARTs of haploid sons

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