Male and female effects on sperm precedence in the giant sperm species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila bifurca</Emphasis> |
| |
Authors: | Nathalie Luck Béatrice Dejonghe Stéphane Fruchard Sophie Huguenin Dominique Joly |
| |
Institution: | (1) Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation, CNRS–UPR 9034, Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France |
| |
Abstract: | Sperm competition is expected to be a driving force in sexual selection. In internally fertilized organisms, it occurs when
ejaculates from more than one male are present simultaneously within the female’s reproductive tract. It has been suggested
that greater sperm size may improve the competitive ability of sperm, but studies provide contradictory results depending
on the species. More recently, the role of females in the evolution of sperm morphology has been pointed out. We investigate
here the male and female effects that influence sperm precedence in the giant sperm species, Drosophila bifurca Patterson & Wheeler. Females were mated with two successive males, and the paternity outcomes for both males were analyzed
after determining sperm transfer and storage. We found very high values of last male sperm precedence, suggesting a strong
interaction between rival sperm. However, the data also indicate high frequencies of removal of the sperm of the first male
from the female reproductive tract prior to any interaction with the second male. This implies that successful paternity depends
mainly on successful sperm storage. Knowing what happens to the sperm within females appears to be a prerequisite for disentangling
post-copulatory sexual interactions between males and females. |
| |
Keywords: | Drosophila Female effect Multiple mating Paternity analysis Post-copulatory sexual selection Sperm competition Sperm gigantism Sperm precedence |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|