Expression of a life-history trade-off in a seed beetle depends on environmental context

Within populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), female longevity is positively correlated with fecundity, both phenotypically and genetically. Yet manipulations of egg-laying rate (through deprivation of seeds or mates) consistently suggest a trade-off between these traits. In this study, females were exposed to four levels of seed availability and the relationship between fecundity and longevity was examined both across and within environments. The expected trade-off was observed across environments, as females with few or no seeds laid fewer eggs and lived longer than females with many seeds. Within environments, however, the relationship was inconsistent; individual longevity and fecundity were positively correlated when seeds were abundant, uncorrelated when seeds were few and negatively correlated when seeds were absent. Body mass at adult emergence was positively correlated with fecundity, but its effect was stronger when seeds were present than when they were absent. After the effects of mass were statistically controlled, longevity and fecundity remained positively correlated among females with many seeds and negatively correlated among those without seeds. Thus, even a single technique (phenotypic correlation) can produce divergent conclusions about the ‘cost of reproduction’ in insects. The reversal in the correlation appears to depend on variation in reproductive allocation; when seeds are scarce or absent, differences in reproductive effort among individuals may be large enough to overwhelm differences in resource acquisition.     

Sperm competition and maternal effects differentially influence testis and sperm size in Callosobruchus maculatus

The evolutionary factors affecting testis size are well documented, with sperm competition being of major importance. However, the factors affecting sperm length are not well understood; there are no clear theoretical predictions and the empirical evidence is inconsistent. Recently, maternal effects have been implicated in sperm length variation, a finding that may offer insights into its evolution. We investigated potential proximate and microevolutionary factors influencing testis and sperm size in the bruchid beetle Callosobruchus maculatus using a combined approach of an artificial evolution experiment over 90 generations and an environmental effects study. We found that while polyandry seems to select for larger testes, it had no detectable effect on sperm length. Furthermore, population density, a proximate indicator of sperm competition risk, was not significantly associated with sperm length or testis size variation. However, there were strong maternal effects influencing sperm length.     

A QUANTITATIVE GENETIC ANALYSIS OF OVIPOSITION PREFERENCE AND LARVAL PERFORMANCE ON TWO HOSTS IN THE BRUCHID BEETLE,CALLOSOBRUCHUS MACULATUS

The presence of positive genetic correlations between oviposition or feeding preference for hosts, and performance on those hosts, is of fundamental importance to models of host race formation, sympatric speciation, and the maintenance of genetic variation within phytophagous insect populations. In this paper, I estimate the amount of genetic variation in oviposition preference and larval performance present in two California populations of a cosmopolitan pest of stored legumes, Callosobruchus maculatus (Bruchidae: Coleoptera), and examine whether positive genetic correlations exist between preference and performance. High levels of genetic variation in both preference and performance were detected in one population (Bay Area population, h² = 0.73 for oviposition preference), but not in another population (Davis population). A second estimate of the amount of genetic variation for oviposition preference in the Bay Area population, after three generations of laboratory rearing, supports the hypothesis that the absence of significantly nonzero heritabilities in the Davis population is probably due to the three generations of laboratory rearing prior to the start of the experiment. No positive genetic correlations were detected between preference and any performance character measured. Data are also presented on the genetic correlations between performance on azuki (Vigna angularis) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Genetic correlations were found to be positive for all characters in both populations of C. maculatus (range 0.132 to 0.542).     

Insecticidal activity of Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) seed oil against cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus F.) in stored cowpea

In this study, the insecticidal effect of Poppy (Papaver somniferum) seed oil was investigated against Callosobruchus maculatus (Bruchidae) in cowpea, at different concentrations and exposure time. The Poppy seed oil at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10?ml/kg was tested against adults of C. maculatus, and the mortality was counted after 24, 48 and 72?h of exposure. All tests were conducted at 27–30?°C and 65?±?5% r.h. The experiments were carried out based on the factorial experiment by randomized complete design with four replications. Twenty-five insects with 0–24?h old were used for each replication. The effect of Poppy seed oil on the reduction of emergence of insects in next generation (F₁) was also assayed. The results of experiments indicate the significant differences between concentrations and exposure time (p?<?0.0001), and the increase of concentrations and exposure time increased mortality. The amount of mortality at high concentrations was remarkable, and highest mortality rate (96.91%) was recorded at 10?ml/kg, after 72?h of exposure. The application of oil significantly reduced F₁ progeny production and even at lowest concentration (2?ml/kg), the amount of F₁ production was reduced more than 70%, compared with control treatment. Complete (100%) reduction in progeny production was recorded at the rates of 8 and 10?ml/kg. The results of seed germination assay showed no significant differences between control and treated seed, and no harmful effect was observed on the seed germination. These results proved that Poppy seed oil can be used as a controlling agent of storage pests, especially C. maculatus, although more detailed studies are necessary.     

四纹豆象不同地理种群的遗传分化

【目的】通过对四纹豆象Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius不同地理种群mtDNA-Cytb和COⅠ基因部分序列进行比较, 分析其不同地理种群间的遗传分化情况, 为揭示其与生物入侵的关系及入侵过程中种群系统发育地理格局与演变机制提供依据。【方法】用PCR产物直接测序法对分别来自中国海南、喀麦隆、韩国和泰国的四纹豆象4个地理种群的mtDNA-Cytb和COⅠ序列进行测序, 运用软件MEGA3.1对四纹豆象不同地理种群mtDNA-Cytb和COⅠ序列进行序列分析, 以绿豆象C. chinensis为外群构建了不同单倍型的分子系统树。【结果】34条420 bp Cytb序列中共检测到14个多态位点和5种单倍型, 33条822 bp COⅠ序列中检测到28个多态位点和9种单倍型, 其中4种单倍型为独享单倍型, 其余为全部或部分种群的共享单倍型。AMOVA分析结果显示, 四纹豆象4个地理种群间的遗传结构差异并不明显, 遗传差异主要发生在地理种群内。对4个地理种群进行了Fst值和基因流动统计, 结果表明4个地理种群间既存在着一定数量的基因交流, 也存在一定程度的遗传分化。【结论】根据单倍型分布格局初步推测, 中国不可能是四纹豆象的原产地, 而喀麦隆有可能是原产地之一, 并且喀麦隆种群与泰国种群之间的基因交流比较充分, 而中国种群与其他种群之间的遗传分化相对较大。     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of conventional insecticides against the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), on four different substrata surfaces

在害虫治理中,在消费或贮藏粮食加工产品的建筑设施或场所进行害虫防治需要将杀虫剂施用在各种基质表面上.为了测定不同基质表面上杀虫剂的药效,将四纹豆象Callosobruchus maculatus(F.)成虫接触田间推荐剂量的阿维菌素、溴氰菊酯和毒死蜱.结果表明:施用在玻璃、瓷砖、塑料和纸盘表面上,阿维菌素对四纹豆象成虫的致死率分别为63.33％,22.41％,12.9％和11.9％,而溴氰菊酯在这4种基质表面上对四纹豆象成虫的致死率分别为55％,44.2％,41.3％和37.4％.在所有基质表面上接触毒死蜱,四纹豆象成虫的死亡率均为100％.对数据进行的Probit分析表明,毒死蜱制剂在玻璃、瓷砖、塑料和纸盘上对四纹豆象成虫的LC50值分别为8.66,13.6,29 16和56.5 μg/mL,阿维菌素制剂的相应数值分别为119.4,446.2,774.2和836.4μg/mL,溴氰菊酯制剂的相应数值分别为1008,1131,1210和1336 μg/mL.据此推断,毒死蜱对四纹豆象的毒性最强,且在玻璃、瓷砖、塑料和纸盘表面上的毒性依次降低.     

Are extra‐pair males different from cuckolded males? A case study and a meta‐analytic examination

Traditional models for female extra‐pair matings assume that females benefit indirectly from extra‐pair mating behaviour. Under these so‐called adaptive models, extra‐pair males are hypothesized to have more compatible genotypes, larger body size, exaggerated ornaments or to be older than cuckolded males. Alternatively, (‘nonadaptive’) models that consider female extra‐pair matings to be a by‐product posit that female extra‐pair mating can be maintained even if there is no benefit to females. This could happen if, for example, males gained fitness benefits from extra‐pair mating, while female and male extra‐pair mating behaviours were genetically correlated. Extra‐pair males are also expected to be older and larger if this improves their ability to convince or coerce females to mate. We investigated whether a female's extra‐pair mates differed from her cuckolded mate in both genetic and phenotypic traits by analysing data from an insular house sparrow population. We found that extra‐pair males were older than cuckolded males, consistent with both models. However, in contrast to the expectations from from adaptive models, extra‐pair and cuckolded males were of similar genetic relatedness, and hence expected compatibility, with the female, and had comparable body size and secondary sexual traits. We also updated previous meta‐analyses examining differences between extra‐pair and cuckolded males. The meta‐analytic results matched results from our house sparrow case study. Although we cannot completely exclude indirect benefits for females, nonadaptive models may better explain female extra‐pair matings. These neglected alternative models deserve more research attention, and this should improve our understanding of the evolution of mating systems.     

Polyandry in grain beetles, Tenebrio molitor, leads to greater reproductive success: material or genetic benefits?

Females that mate with more than one male may derive both materialand genetic benefits, and differentiating between the two benefitsis often difficult. We tested for both material and geneticeffects associated with multiple mating in the highly promiscuousyellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor. Females that matedfour times to the same male laid more eggs and produced morelarvae than females that mated only once. Whether copulationsoccurred on the same day or over several days, the result wasan immediate increase in the production of eggs by females.Some females were kept on a restricted diet to test whethernutrients in the spermatophore disproportionately benefittedfood-deprived females. Although females on poor diets producedfewer and smaller offspring, diet did not significantly affect the proportional benefit of mating treatment on female fecundity.By controlling for male mating history, we were able to separatethe effects of mating with different males from the effectsof receiving multiple spermatophores from the same male. Femalesthat mated with four different males achieved substantial gainsin numbers of eggs produced (32% increase) beyond those offemales that mated an identical number of times with the same male. We found no evidence that males allocate fewer sperm toprevious mates. Egg hatchability was unaffected by mating behavior,suggesting that genetic incompatibility at that stage is notresponsible for the low reproductive success of females matedwith a single male. These results suggest that females maydelay or reduce oviposition or may be incapable of achieving maximal fecundity until they have gained the material and/orgenetic benefits of mating with multiple males.