Postcopulatory Selection in the Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria (L.) and the Mate‐Now‐Choose‐Later Mechanism of Cryptic Female Choice

Ward, Paul I.

doi:10.1016/s0065-3454(07)37007-1

Cited by 25 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…This result, together with previous findings indicating that the sperm of different males is stored nonrandomly (Hellriegel & Bernasconi, 2000), makes a 'mate-now-choose-later' strategy as proposed by Ward (2007) very plausible. Our study further highlights that, when females mate shortly before oviposition, which is the typical situation in the field (Parker, 1970a), the effects of sperm displacement are likely to overlay more subtle effects of cryptic female choice.…”

Section: Selectionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…The sperm storage organs of the yellow dung fly consist of three, occasionally four, spermathecae, each of which is linked to the bursa copulatrix by a narrow duct (Ward, 2007); for graphical illustration, see Arthur et al (2008). The site of insemination is the bursa copulatrix (Hosken, Meyer & Ward, 1999) and sperm then have to move into the spermathecae before they are used for fertilization .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sperm release and use at fertilization by yellow dung fly females (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Sbilordo

Schäfer

Ward

2009

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Females of many species mate multiple times and store transferred sperm in storage organs. The mechanisms underlying sperm release from the stores at fertilization remain poorly understood, although they are central to an understanding of the female influence on post-copulatory male competition. Using double-mated females of the yellow dung fly, we counted the sperm sticking to the surface of deposited eggs of two successive clutches to obtain insight into the physiological processes associated with fertilization. The number of sperm released to fertilize an egg decreased between the first and second clutches, as well as within clutches from early to late eggs. These results indicate that: (1) sperm are lost from the stores over time independent of egg laying and (2) the number of sperm released depends on the amount of sperm stored. The lower number of sperm on eggs of the second clutches was accompanied by a strong increase of the proportion of sperm adhering to the micropyle region, suggesting that sperm use is more efficient and sperm release better controlled when sperm supply is substantially reduced. Finally, our approach indicates that sperm storage capacity of the female is higher than assumed from counts of spermathecal sperm.

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Section: Selectionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm release and use at fertilization by yellow dung fly females (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Sbilordo

Schäfer

Ward

2009

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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“…Together with the observation that genetic variation encoding the polymorphism remains largely hidden from direct selection in nature (Berger et al . ), our results question that the expression of the 4s phenotype maybe adaptive and trade‐off against costs that females incur from sperm discrimination (Ward , ; Ward, Wilson & Reim ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

The developmental plasticity and functional significance of an additional sperm storage compartment in female yellow dung flies

et al. 2013

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Summary1. The mechanistic basis for and adaptive significance of variation in female sperm storage organs are important for a range of questions concerning sexual selection and speciation, as such variation influences the evolutionary trajectories of male fertilization related traits and may facilitate speciation through its effects on gamete recognition. 2. Female yellow dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) usually develop three sperm storage compartments, and this subdivision may be an adaptation for sorting sperm during postcopulatory choice. 3. Using lines artificially selected to express four spermathecae (4s), we explored the fitness consequences of the novel phenotype relative to the naturally prevalent three-spermatheca (3s) phenotype by manipulating the opportunity for postcopulatory sexual selection (females mated either with three or only one male prior to oviposition). In addition, we examined the developmental plasticity of spermathecal number in response to different larval food environments and estimated its genetic correlation with growth rate. 4. Mating treatments with and without the opportunity for postcopulatory sexual selection revealed no significant fitness differences between alternative spermathecal phenotypes within selection lines despite overall benefits associated with multiple mating, and moderate egg-toadult survival costs in response to artificial selection for 4s. Manipulations of the larval food environment revealed that the expression of 4s is highly plastic and tightly linked to environmental conditions promoting fast somatic growth and development. Likewise, siblings with fast intrinsic (genetic) growth were more likely to express 4s within and across food environments. 5. The present results highlight a great potential for rapid evolutionary change in female sperm storage morphology through indirect selection on life-history traits, and further suggest genetic assimilation as a potential mechanism facilitating phylogenetic transitions in spermatheca number as frequently observed within the Dipterans.

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“…This cryptic bias by the female may be directly affected by the length of courtship or indirectly by the presence of a rival. By reducing the amount of sperm stored by her first suitor, she has more scope for up-or downregulating sperm numbers stored from a subsequent male (Ward 2007). In the absence of material benefits (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Courtship raises male fertilization success through post-mating sexual selection in a spider

Schneider

Lesmono

2009

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Courtship is well known for its positive effects on mating success. However, in polyandrous species, sexual selection continues to operate after copulation. Cryptic female choice is expected under unpredictable mating rates in combination with sequential mate encounters. However, there are very few accounts of the effects of courtship on cryptic female choice, and the available evidence is often correlative. Mature Argiope bruennichi females are always receptive and never attack or reject males before mating, although sexual cannibalism after mating occurs regularly. Still, males usually perform an energetic vibratory display prior to copulation. We tested the hypothesis that beneficial effects of courtship arise cryptically, during or after mating, resulting in increased paternity success under polyandry. Manipulating courtship duration experimentally, we found that males that mated without display had a reduced paternity share even though no differences in post-copulatory cannibalism or copulation duration were detected. This suggests that the paternity advantage associated with courtship arose through female-mediated processes after intromission, meeting the definition of cryptic female choice.

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Postcopulatory Selection in the Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria (L.) and the Mate‐Now‐Choose‐Later Mechanism of Cryptic Female Choice

Cited by 25 publications

References 74 publications

Sperm release and use at fertilization by yellow dung fly females (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Sperm release and use at fertilization by yellow dung fly females (Scathophaga stercoraria)

The developmental plasticity and functional significance of an additional sperm storage compartment in female yellow dung flies

Courtship raises male fertilization success through post-mating sexual selection in a spider

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