How Drosophila males make eggs: it is elemental

Abstract

Oogenesis in Drosophila requires a signi¢cant amount of phosphorus. Oocytes mature in follicles, each of which contains 15 highly polyploid, transcriptionally active chromosomes. We show that the demand for phosphorus is met in part from the male's ejaculate following mating. Females incorporate phosphorus-32 from radiolabelled males into their ovaries, speci¢cally into their nucleic acids. Male-derived phosphorus is also present in signi¢cant amounts in mature oocytes. The mechanism by which phosphorus uptake from the female reproductive tract occurs must di¡er from that previously reported for radiolabelled carbon and hydrogen derived from ejaculatory proteins, as phosphorus uptake is observed in species not showing female incorporation of radiolabel derived from ejaculate proteins.

Sex-specific nutrient use and preferential allocation of resources to a sexually selected trait in Hyalella amphipods

“…In fact, the age×sex interaction observed is driven primarily by changes in female, not male, acquisition from late juvenility to adulthood. Late-stage juveniles differ from adults in that they must allocate resources to both a high overall growth rate and the development of reproductive traits, both processes that are highly C and P intensive (Bertram et al, 2009;Cothran et al, 2012;Elser et al, 1996Elser et al, , 2000Markow et al, 2001;Speakman, 2008;Visanuvimol and Bertram, 2010). One possible explanation for the observed age×sex interaction is that males are foraging at their maximum rate in both late juvenility and adulthood, because selection on these traits may be consistent across these two life stages.…”

Subsidy–stress response of macroinvertebrate community biomass to a phosphorus gradient in an oligotrophic wetland ecosystem

“…Nutrients derived from males through mating represent a prezygotic investment in reproduction (Zeh andSmith 1985, Boggs 1990) and can influence the number and quality of eggs produced. Markow et al (2001) demonstrated that males do contribute to the P content of Drosophila eggs during mating. Male contributions to the nutrient content of eggs also have been shown in butterflies (Boggs andGilbert 1979, Boggs 1990) and beetles (Rooney and Lewis 1999).…”

“…P content of invertebrates that produce a single (usually large) batch of eggs (semelparous taxa) may increase as larvae mature. Percent P of somatic tissue is less than that of gametes (especially eggs) in the few taxa examined (Andersen and Hessen 1991, Markow et al 1999, 2001, but see Faerøvig and Hessen 2003). P content of iteroparous taxa (reproduce multiple times, fewer eggs) probably declines as larvae grow because adults can feed and supply nutrients necessary for maintenance and reproduction.…”

The gifts that keep on giving: physiological functions and evolutionary dynamics of male seminal proteins in Drosophila

“…Additional experiments showed that the full spectrum and magnitude of the changes requires that the female have received seminal fluid and sperm from her mate (Manning, 1962;Hihara, 1981;Kalb et al, 1993;Harshman and Prout, 1994;Chapman et al, 1995;Wolfner, 1998, 1999;Xue and Noll, 2000;Heifetz et al, 2001). [Males have also been reported to donate cuticular hydrocarbons, and elemental phosphorus, to their mates (for reviews, see Antony and Jallon, 1982;Jallon, 1984; also see Markow et al, 2001). Consideration of these, and of the contributions of the male's ejaculatory duct and bulb (eg Gilbert et al, 1981;Cavener and MacIntyre, 1983;Ludwig et al, 1991;Lung et al, 2001b) is beyond the scope of this review.]…”