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Updated: May 14, 2026
09:55
Observation and Quantification of Mating Behavior in the Pinewood Nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus
Published on: December 25, 2016
Coevolving parasites and population size shape the evolution of mating behaviour.
Niels Ag Kerstes1, Camillo Bérénos, Oliver Y Martin
1ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology, Experimental Ecology, Zürich, Switzerland. nielskerstes@hotmail.com
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|February 6, 2013
Summary
Parasite coevolution and population size impact mating rates differently in male and female red flour beetles. Coevolution reduced male mating eagerness in large populations but not small ones, while females became more receptive.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Behavioral ecology
- Host-parasite interactions
Background:
- Mating rates are influenced by coevolution with parasites and population size.
- Red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) and their parasite (Nosema whitei) were used in a coevolution experiment.
- Experimental populations were maintained at large and small sizes for 24 generations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between parasite coevolution and population size on mating rate evolution.
- To understand how these factors shape sexual behavior in hosts.
- To identify sex-specific responses to selective pressures.
Main Methods:
- Assaying mating behavior in male and female Tribolium castaneum.
- Comparing coevolved populations with non-coevolved controls.
- Manipulating population size (large vs. small) during coevolution.
Main Results:
- Males in large, coevolved populations showed reduced mating eagerness compared to controls.
- Coevolution did not decrease male mating rates in small populations.
- Coevolved females, regardless of population size, were more willing to mate than non-coevolved females.
Conclusions:
- Parasites and population size interact to shape the evolution of mating rates.
- Males and females exhibit distinct adaptive responses to coevolutionary pressures.
- Parasites are significant drivers of host sexual behavior evolution.
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