Seminal Fluid Protein Allocation and Male Reproductive Success

Wigby, Stuart; Sirot, Laura K.; Linklater, Jon R.; Buehner, Norene A.; Calboli, Federico C. F.; Bretman, Amanda; Wolfner, Mariana F.; Chapman, Tracey

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.03.036

Cited by 331 publications

(406 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Again, we found no correlation in the SP expression levels in males and the amount of SP that is retained in females after mating. Males can differentially allocate the amount of SP that they transfer to females during copulation (Wigby et al, 2009). SP expression levels may then correlate with the amount of SP (protein) produced by males, yet differential male allocation of SP stocks (that is, not transferring all their stock at once) could potentially mean there is no correlation to SP expression levels and the amount of SP delivered and retained in females.…”

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confidence: 99%

The consequences of genetic variation in sex peptide expression levels for egg laying and retention in females

et al. 2012

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The accessory gland proteins (Acps) that male Drosophila melanogaster produce and transfer to females during copulation are key to male and female fitness. One Acp, the sex peptide (SP), is largely responsible for a dramatic increase in female egg laying and decrease in female receptivity after copulation. While genetic variation in male SP expression levels correlate with refractory period duration in females, it is unknown whether male SP expression influences female egg laying or if any effect of SP is mediated by SP retention in the female reproductive tract. Here we measured the amount of SP retained in the female reproductive tract after mating and female egg laying after copulating with virgin males. We found no correlation between male SP expression levels and egg laying, or the amount of SP in the female reproductive tract after mating. Additionally, the amount of SP retained in the female did not influence egg laying. These finding suggests that additional factors, such as variation in other Acps, are important for the retention of SP in females and its quantitative effects on egg laying. It also shows that egg laying and refractory period response to SP is at least partially uncoupled.

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confidence: 99%

The consequences of genetic variation in sex peptide expression levels for egg laying and retention in females

et al. 2012

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“…Following a series of environmental manipulations of condition, there is now considerable empirical evidence for condition dependence in several types of sexually selected traits, including secondary sexual morphology, ornaments and pigmentation, and acoustic signals (Andersson 1994;Cotton et al 2004 and references therein; Bonduriansky & Rowe 2005;Punzalan et al 2008). Recent evidence suggests that male ejaculates are also sexually selected (Eberhard & Cordero 1995;Ramm et al 2007;Simmons & Kotiaho 2007;Martin-Coello et al 2009;Wigby et al 2009) and costly (e.g. Dewsbury 1982).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Condition-dependent ejaculate size and composition in a ladybird beetle

Perry

Rowe

2010

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Sexually selected male ejaculate traits are expected to depend on the resource state of males. Theory predicts that males in good condition will produce larger ejaculates, but that ejaculate composition will depend on the relative production costs of ejaculate components and the risk of sperm competition experienced by low-and high-condition males. Under some conditions, when low condition leads to poorer performance in sperm competition, males in low condition may produce ejaculates with higher sperm content relative to their total ejaculate and may even transfer more sperm than high-condition males in an absolute sense. Previous studies in insects have shown that males in good condition transfer larger ejaculates or more sperm, but it has not been clear whether increased sperm content represents a shift in allocation or simply a larger ejaculate, and thus the condition dependence of ejaculate composition has been largely untested. We examined condition dependence in ejaculate by manipulating adult male condition in a ladybird beetle (Adalia bipunctata) in which males transfer three distinct ejaculate components during mating: sperm, non-sperm ejaculate retained within the female reproductive tract, and a spermatophore capsule that females eject and ingest following mating. We found that high condition males indeed transferred larger ejaculates, potentially achieved by an increased rate of ejaculate transfer, and allocated less to sperm compared with low-condition males. Low-condition males transferred ejaculates with absolutely and proportionally more sperm. This study provides the first experimental evidence for a condition-dependent shift in ejaculate composition.

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“…By contrast, male fitness under female polyandry depends on both pre-and post-copulatory sexual selection, which involves sperm competition and cryptic female choice of sperm [1]. Post-copulatory sexual selection can be intense, driving the evolution of, for example, increased testes size and unusual ejaculate properties [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme cost of rivalry in a monandrous species: male–male interactions result in failure to acquire mates and reduced longevity

et al. 2014

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Mating system variation is profound in animals. In insects, female willingness to remate varies from mating with hundreds of males (extreme polyandry) to never remating (monandry). This variation in female behaviour is predicted to affect the pattern of selection on males, with intense pre-copulatory sexual selection under monandry compared to a mix of pre-and post-copulatory forces affecting fitness under polyandry. We tested the hypothesis that differences in female mating biology would be reflected in different costs of pre-copulatory competition between males. We observed that exposure to rival males early in life was highly costly for males of a monandrous species, but had lower costs in the polyandrous species. Males from the monandrous species housed with competitors showed reduced ability to obtain a mate and decreased longevity. These effects were specific to exposure to rivals compared with other types of social interactions (heterospecific male and mated female) and were either absent or weaker in males of the polyandrous species. We conclude that males in monandrous species suffer severe physiological costs from interactions with rivals and note the significance of male-male interactions as a source of stress in laboratory culture.

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Seminal Fluid Protein Allocation and Male Reproductive Success

Cited by 331 publications

References 46 publications

The consequences of genetic variation in sex peptide expression levels for egg laying and retention in females

The consequences of genetic variation in sex peptide expression levels for egg laying and retention in females

Condition-dependent ejaculate size and composition in a ladybird beetle

Extreme cost of rivalry in a monandrous species: male–male interactions result in failure to acquire mates and reduced longevity

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