The relationship between mating and oogenesis in monarch butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danainae)

Oberhauser, Karen S.; Hampton, Rachel

doi:10.1007/bf01997239

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Butterflies were kept in glassine envelopes and fed a 20% honey solution ad libitum every other day until they were 4-5-days old. At this time, when females had begun to yolk oocytes and were likely to mate (Oberhauser & Hampton 1995), they were placed in outdoor flight cages (2 x 2 x 2 m 3 ) with males. Males ranged in age from 5 to 11 days, and were either virgins or had mated 1 day previously.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Age at first mating affected fecundity on the first day of egg-laying. Females that mated at age 4-5 days, when they have no or few mature oocytes (Oberhauser & Hampton 1995), laid an average of 4·0 eggs the day after mating (SE = 2·54). Those that mated at age 6-8 days, when they have mature oocytes (Oberhauser & Hampton 1995), laid an average of 48·8 eggs the day after mating (SE = 8·96), while those that mated later laid 12·9 eggs (SE = 7·15).…”

Section: Timing Of Mating and Egg-layingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Females that mated at age 4-5 days, when they have no or few mature oocytes (Oberhauser & Hampton 1995), laid an average of 4·0 eggs the day after mating (SE = 2·54). Those that mated at age 6-8 days, when they have mature oocytes (Oberhauser & Hampton 1995), laid an average of 48·8 eggs the day after mating (SE = 8·96), while those that mated later laid 12·9 eggs (SE = 7·15). The number of eggs laid on day one by the group that mated at age 6-8 days is significantly greater than the other two groups (ANOVA F 2,44 = 8·55, P = 0·0007).…”

Section: Timing Of Mating and Egg-layingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fecundity, lifespan and egg mass in butterflies: effects of male‐derived nutrients and female size

Oberhauser

1997

Functional Ecology

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Summary1. Effects of larval reserves and nutrients received as adults on fecundity and lifespan in female Danaus plexippus (the Monarch Butterfly) were measured to determine the relative importance of different sources of nutrients for reproduction and somatic maintenance. 2. Egg-laying lifespan was correlated with female size but not with the amount of male-derived nutrients or adult food concentration. 3. Lifetime fecundity was higher when females received a large first spermatophore, but was not affected by female size when lifespan was controlled or by adult food concentration. 4. At the end of their lives, females contained unlaid eggs and retained, on average, 88% of their initial mass. This proportion was unchanged in two years, although mean egg-laying lifespan varied from 22·5 to 28·7 days. 5. Egg mass decreased over the female lifespan, and was correlated with female size. 6. These results suggest that larval reserves are more important for somatic maintenance than adult income, but that the protein-rich nutrients received from males contribute to egg production. This supports theoretical predictions and empirical studies of other Lepidoptera showing that larval reserves are less likely to affect fecundity when the adult income can contribute substantially to egg production.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timing Of Mating and Egg-layingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timing Of Mating and Egg-layingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fecundity, lifespan and egg mass in butterflies: effects of male‐derived nutrients and female size

Oberhauser

1997

Functional Ecology

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“…All of the above experiments indicate that polyandrous females have a higher expected nutrient income as adults compared to females in monandrous species, and that females may seek male‐donated nutrients as a way to supplement larval reserves. However, it cannot be ruled out that increased fecundity resulting from multiple matings is the result of male‐induced hormonal stimulation of oviposition or of incorporation of yolk into the growing egg (Gillott 1995, Oberhauser 1995). Thus, the main objective in this study is to quantify the effect of male‐derived nutrients on the female reproductive resource budget in a polyandrous butterfly, and to determine whether the increase in fecundity in multiply mated females is possible only as a result of male‐derived nutrients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nuptial Gifts, Resource Budgets, and Reproductive Output in a Polyandrous Butterfly

Karlsson

1998

Ecology

119

105

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Many female insects receive material during mating, referred to as “nuptial gifts,” that may increase the female’s resource budget. This investigation examines how nuptial gifts influence female nitrogen and carbon budgets in a polyandrous butterfly, Pieris napi. During mating, a virgin male of this species transfers a large and nutritious ejaculate containing 14% nitrogen by dry mass. The amount of nitrogen transferred is equivalent to that in ∼70 eggs. Females use the male‐transferred nutrients to increase their pool of nutrients used for egg production and show a positive relationship between amount of ejaculate material received and lifetime reproductive output. It is clear that for multiply mated females, nitrogen derived from male nuptial gifts is essential for a balanced nitrogen budget. As in earlier studies, female thorax mass decreased with age, indicating that old females of P. napi are able to use more of the resources from their thorax than young females. Since male‐transferred material also increases female longevity, multiply mated females also use more of their resources from the thorax. Consequently, multiply mated females have a relatively higher reproductive investment than singly mated females, i.e., they transform a larger part of their body reserves to egg production. These results are important for studies that involve male‐transferred nutrients in female life history patterns as well as for investigations of links between nuptial gifts and sexual selection theory. When the value of nuptial gifts is determined only on the nutritional value of the gift itself rather than the function within the female, there is an obvious risk for incorrect conclusions.

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“…Females of Kalotermes flavicollis must be paired with a reproductive male (Vieau, 1990), whereas primary females of Hodotermes mossambicus (Hewitt & Nel, 1969) only require contact with another individual, independent of sex, to complete their development. Nestmates could provide a female a number of different stimuli, such as individual‐specific odours, tactile contact through antennal palpation or allogrooming, trophallactic feeding (Shellman‐Reeve, 1990), the transfer of promoting substances (Lüscher, 1972) and the neural stimulus accompanying copulation or insemination (Engelmann, 1959, 1970; Roth, 1970; Ehrlich & Ehrlich, 1978; Oberhauser & Hampton, 1995), to promote ovarian maturation. Any or all of these stimuli may be necessary to elicit reproductive activity in primary females of a particular species of termite.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of sex‐specific stimuli on ovarian maturation in primary and secondary reproductives of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis

Brent

Traniello

2001

Physiological Entomology

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Abstract. It was hypothesized that female primary and secondary reproductives of the termite Zootermopsis angusticollis Hagen require sex‐specific stimuli from a reproductive male to trigger ovarian maturation. To test this hypothesis, experimental laboratory colonies were established that contained female primary or secondary reproductives nesting: alone; with a male; with a female; and with three third‐ to fourth‐instar larvae. Following colony initiation, we measured changes in body mass, ovariole number and fecundity over 60 days. Results indicate that the reproductive maturation of female primaries was promoted by contact with a male but inhibited by the presence of another female. Secondary females were not affected by the presence of another reproductive, regardless of sex, but the development of reproductive competency of primary females appeared to depend on male‐specific stimulation. Reliance on male–female interaction to induce female reproductive development may ensure that the resources of newly dealate females are not wasted on producing larvae that would have a poor chance of surviving in the absence of a male. By contrast, secondary females maturing within established colonies are likely to have a mate and immediate assistance with non‐reproductive tasks, and therefore do not delay ovarian maturation and reproduction until they perceive male‐specific stimuli. These results demonstrate that male‐specific stimuli affect only the reproductive development of primary females, and suggest that the degree to which primary and secondary females depend on mate assistance may have shaped their physiological responses to the presence of a reproductive male.

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The relationship between mating and oogenesis in monarch butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danainae)

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Fecundity, lifespan and egg mass in butterflies: effects of male‐derived nutrients and female size

Fecundity, lifespan and egg mass in butterflies: effects of male‐derived nutrients and female size

Nuptial Gifts, Resource Budgets, and Reproductive Output in a Polyandrous Butterfly

Influence of sex‐specific stimuli on ovarian maturation in primary and secondary reproductives of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis

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