The genetic effects of competition in seaweed flies

Leggett, M.

doi:10.1006/bijl.1995.0001

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…3). The nonlinear influence of larval density on female fecundity is a novel finding and indicates potential facilitation between larvae during development, as has been reported in other insect species (e.g., Leggett et al 1996; Fletcher 2009; Ronnas et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Sex‐specific effects of developmental environment on reproductive trait expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Edward

Chapman

2012

Ecology and Evolution

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Variation in the expression of reproductive traits provides the raw material upon which sexual selection can act. It is therefore important to understand how key factors such as environmental variation influence the expression of reproductive traits, as these will have a fundamental effect on the evolution of mating systems. It is also important to consider the effects of environmental variation upon reproductive traits in both sexes and to make comparisons with the environment to which the organism is adapted. In this study, we addressed these issues in a systematic study of the effect of a key environmental factor, variation in larval density, on reproductive trait expression in male and female Drosophila melanogaster. To do this, we compared reproductive trait expression when flies were reared under controlled conditions at eight different larval densities that covered a 20-fold range. Then, to place these results in a relevant context, we compared the results to those from flies sourced directly from stock cages. Many reproductive traits were surprisingly insensitive to variation in larval density. A notable exception was nonlinear variation in female fecundity. In contrast, we found much bigger differences in comparisons with flies from stock cages—including differences in body size, latency to mate, copulation duration, fecundity, and male share of paternity in a competitive environment. For a number of traits, even densities of 1000 larvae per vial (125 larvae per mL of food) did not phenocopy stock cage individuals. This study reveals novel patterns of sex-specific sensitivity to environmental variation that will influence the strength of sexual selection. It also illustrates the importance of comparisons with the environment to which individuals are adapted.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Sex‐specific effects of developmental environment on reproductive trait expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Edward

Chapman

2012

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Coelopa frigida favour Laminaria digitata whereas C. pilipes prefer Fucus serratus (Phillips et al ., 1995a). Both trends equate to the material on which the larvae of each species develop optimally, and this behaviour has presumably evolved through inter‐specific larval competition avoidance (see also Phillips et al ., 1995b; Leggett et al ., 1996; Day & Gilburn, 1997). It can therefore be predicted that willingness to mate may be affected by differences in algae species, especially in coelopids with a more vigorous competitor in localities in which favoured algae are relatively rare.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All coelopids are reproductively dependent on clumps of beached marine algae (wrack beds), which form the sole larval food resource (Cullen et al ., 1987; Phillips et al ., 1995a,b; Leggett et al ., 1996). Males and females are attracted strongly to some chemical components of decomposing algae (Kanmiya, 1987), which can result in very high densities of individuals in and around wrack beds (Day & Gilburn, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of exposure to seaweed on willingness to mate, oviposition, and longevity in seaweed flies

Dunn

Crean

Gilburn

2002

Ecological Entomology

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Abstract. 1. Large male seaweed flies (Diptera: Coelopidae) are more likely to mate than smaller males. This is due to sexual conflict over mating, by which females physically resist male attempts to copulate. In some species, large males are simply more efficient at overpowering female resistance.2. Female reluctance to mate is likely to have evolved due to the costs of mating to females. In many dipterans, males manipulate female behaviour through seminal proteins that have evolved through sperm competition. This behavioural manipulation can be costly to females, for example forcing females to oviposit in sub-optimal conditions and increasing their mortality.3. Previous work has failed to identify any ubiquitous costs of mating to female coelopids. The work reported here was designed to investigate the effects of exposure to oviposition sites (Fucus algae) on the reproductive behaviour of four species of coelopid. Algae deposition in nature is stochastic and females mate with multiple males in and around oviposition sites. Spermatogenesis is restricted to the pupal stage and there is last-male sperm precedence. It was predicted that males would avoid wasting sperm and would be more willing to mate, and to remain paired with females for longer, when exposed to oviposition material compared with control males. Females were predicted to incur longevity costs of mating if mating increased their rate of oviposition, especially in the presence of algae.4. The behaviour of males of all four species concurred with the predictions; however mating did not affect female receptivity, oviposition behaviour, or longevity. Exposure to algae induced oviposition and increased female mortality in all species independently of mating and egg production. The evolutionary ecology of potential costs of mating to female coelopids are discussed in the light of these findings.

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“…As it is currently not possible to identify the inversion genotype of C. frigida before eclosion as an adult, cultures were established that had the same, but unknown, initial proportions of each inversion genotype at the same larval density. To achieve this, the following procedure was adapted from Leggett et al (1996).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

MALE-SPECIFIC GENOTYPE BY ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS INFLUENCE VIABILITY SELECTION ACTING ON A SEXUALLY SELECTED INVERSION SYSTEM IN THE SEAWEED FLY,COELOPA FRIGIDA

Edward

Gilburn

2012

Evolution

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In the seaweed fly, Coelopa frigida, a large chromosomal inversion system is affected by sexual selection and viability selection. However, our understanding of the interaction between these two selective forces is currently limited as research has focused upon a limited range of environments. We allowed C. frigida larvae to develop in two different algae, Fucus and Laminaria, and then measured viability and body size for each inversion genotype. Significant male-specific genotype-by-environment interactions influenced viability and body size. For males developing in Laminaria, the direction of viability selection acts similarly on the inversion system as the direction of sexual selection. In contrast, for males developing in Fucus, viability selection opposes sexual selection. These results demonstrate that through considering viability selection in different environments, the costs and benefits associated with sexual selection can be found to vary. K E Y W O R D S :Coelopid, Fucus, Laminaria, natural selection, sexual selection, viability selection.

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The genetic effects of competition in seaweed flies

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Sex‐specific effects of developmental environment on reproductive trait expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Sex‐specific effects of developmental environment on reproductive trait expression in Drosophila melanogaster

The effects of exposure to seaweed on willingness to mate, oviposition, and longevity in seaweed flies

MALE-SPECIFIC GENOTYPE BY ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS INFLUENCE VIABILITY SELECTION ACTING ON A SEXUALLY SELECTED INVERSION SYSTEM IN THE SEAWEED FLY,COELOPA FRIGIDA

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