Sperm Displacement Without Sperm Transfer in Drosophila melanogaster

Evolution ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence G. Harshman ◽  
Timothy Prout
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sperm Transfer ◽  
Sperm Displacement

scholarly journals SPERM DISPLACEMENT WITHOUT SPERM TRANSFER IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Evolution ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 758-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence G. Harshman ◽  
Timothy Prout
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sperm Transfer ◽  
Sperm Displacement

scholarly journals Female Genotypes Affect Sperm Displacement in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 1487-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew G Clark ◽  
David J Begun
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Isogenic Line ◽  
Female Fitness ◽  
Sperm Displacement ◽  
Extensive Variation ◽  
Polymorphic Genes ◽  
Displacement Parameter ◽  
Competitive Success

Abstract Differential success of sperm is likely to be an important component of fitness. Extensive variation among male genotypes in competitive success of sperm in multiply mated females has been documented for Drosophila melanogaster. However, virtually all previous studies considered the female to be a passive vessel. Nevertheless, under certain conditions female fitness could be determined by her role in mediating use of sperm from multiple males. Here we ask whether females differ among genotypes in their tendency to exhibit last-male precedence. Competition of sperm from two tester male genotypes (bwD and B3-09, a third-chromosome isogenic line from Beltsville, MD) was quantified by doubly mating female lines that had been rendered homozygous for X, second, or third chromosomes isolated from natural populations. The composite sperm displacement parameter, P2′, was highly heterogeneous among lines, whether or not viability effects were compensated, implying the presence of polymorphic genes affecting access of sperm to eggs. Genetic variation of this type is completely neutral in the absence of pleiotropy or interaction between variation in the two sexes.

scholarly journals Divergent allocation of sperm and the seminal proteome along a competition gradient in Drosophila melanogaster

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (36) ◽  
pp. 17925-17933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben R. Hopkins ◽  
Irem Sepil ◽  
Marie-Laëtitia Thézénas ◽  
James F. Craig ◽  
Thomas Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Sperm Competition ◽  
Seminal Fluid ◽  
Sperm Transfer ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Compositional Change ◽  
Seminal Fluid Proteins ◽  
Allocation Rules ◽  
Offspring Production ◽  
Component Allocation

Sperm competition favors large, costly ejaculates, and theory predicts the evolution of allocation strategies that enable males to plastically tailor ejaculate expenditure to sperm competition threat. While greater sperm transfer in response to a perceived increase in the risk of sperm competition is well-supported, we have a poor understanding of whether males (i) respond to changes in perceived intensity of sperm competition, (ii) use the same allocation rules for sperm and seminal fluid, and (iii) experience changes in current and future reproductive performance as a result of ejaculate compositional changes. Combining quantitative proteomics with fluorescent sperm labeling, we show that Drosophila melanogaster males exercise independent control over the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) under different levels of male–male competition. While sperm transfer peaks at low competition, consistent with some theoretical predictions based on sperm competition intensity, the abundance of transferred SFPs generally increases at high competition levels. However, we find that clusters of SFPs vary in the directionality and sensitivity of their response to competition, promoting compositional change in seminal fluid. By tracking the degree of decline in male mating probability and offspring production across successive matings, we provide evidence that ejaculate compositional change represents an adaptive response to current sperm competition, but one that comes at a cost to future mating performance. Our work reveals a previously unknown divergence in ejaculate component allocation rules, exposes downstream costs of elevated ejaculate investment, and ultimately suggests a central role for ejaculate compositional plasticity in sexual selection.

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