Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2026

Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
Published on: December 25, 2016
Courtship and mating behaviour of interspecific Nasonia hybrids (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae): a grandfather effect
L W Beukeboom1, J van den Assem
1Section Animal Ecology, Institute of Evolutionary and Ecological Sciences, University of Leiden, The Netherlands. Beukeboom@rulsfb.leidenuniv.nl
Abstract:
Nasonia courtship behaviour includes easily quantifiable, stereotyped components. We analysed displays of N. vitripennis x N. longicornis hybrid males. Most of them performed well-organised displays that were intermediate between the parental species. However, in both reciprocal crosses, a significant bias towards the behaviour of the grandpaternal species was observed. Possible explanations for this effect are a biased recovery of genotypes, either due to nucleo-cytoplasmic interaction or non-mendelian transmission, or differential activation of genes in hybrid females. This study is a first step towards unravelling the genetic architecture of courtship behaviour of Nasonia, which may provide information about factors responsible for species isolation.
Related Concept Videos
Mate Choice
Hybrid Zones
Understanding Species and Reproductive Barriers
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Frequency-dependent Selection
Genetics of Speciation

