Polyandry and female control: the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum as a case study

Abstract

Females of many animal species are polyandrous, and there is evidence that they can control pre-and post-mating events. There has been a growing interest in consequences of polyandry for male and female reproductive success and offspring fitness, and its evolutionary significance. In several taxa, females exhibit mate choice both before and after mating and can influence the paternity of their offspring, enhancing offspring number and quality, but potentially countering male interests. Studying female mating biology and in particular post-copulatory female control mechanisms thus promises to yield insights into sexual selection and the potential of male-female coevolution. Here, we highlight the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), a storage pest, as a model system to study polyandry, and review studies addressing the effects of polyandry on male sperm competitive ability and female control of post-mating events. These studies show that the outcome of sperm competition in the red flour beetle is influenced by both male and female traits. Furthermore, recent advances suggest that sexual conflict may have shaped reproductive traits in this species.

Strain-specific priming of resistance in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

“…Recently, T. castaneum has been further developed into a model system for embryonic development and pesticide resistance (Lorenzen et al 2005;, population genetics (Zhong et al 2004;Demuth & Wade 2007), mate choice (Bernasconi & Keller 2001;Pai & Yan 2002;Pai et al 2007;Pai & Bernasconi 2008) and for the study of host-parasite coevolution (Pai & Yan 2003;Fischer & Schmid-Hempel 2005). As its genome sequence has been completed, it is likely that other fields of biology will adopt this model system as well (Richards et al 2008; http://www.hgsc.bcm.tmc.edu/projects/tribolium/ ).…”

Elevated temperature changes female costs and benefits of reproduction

“…Here we use Tribolium castaneum, a highly promiscuous beetle (Pai and Bernasconi 2008), to test whether the potential cost-benefit balance of reproduction prevailing under constant conditions is shifted towards more fitness costs if temperature is elevated abruptly (Tanaka 1996). To achieve this, we performed mating experiments at the standard temperature of our lab strain (maintained at 30°C for [30y.)…”

Biological Activity of Insecticidal Toxins: Structural Basis, Site-Directed Mutagenesis and Perspectives

“…They contain species of harvest pests that produce major losses around the world . Some examples of coleopteran pests follow: Dectes texanus [Coleoptera (order): Cerambycidae (family)], attacks soybeans; Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a biological problem of stored products; Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), an entomological problem of coffee crops; and Premnotrypes vorax (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a potato pest in South America (Abdelghany et al, 2010;Tindall et al, 2010;López-Pazos et al, 2009b;Pai & Bernasconi, 2008;Damon, 2000). Lepidopteran species constitute an important group of harmful harvest pests that affect commercial agriculture.…”