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Quantitative Comparison of cis-Regulatory Element CRE Activities in Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster

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Experimental evolution under hyper-promiscuity in Drosophila melanogaster.

Jennifer C Perry^1,2, Richa Joag^3,4, David J Hosken³

¹Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. jennifer.perry@zoo.ox.ac.uk.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

|June 18, 2016

Summary

Increased mating frequency in fruit flies led to males evolving reduced investment per mating and altered courtship behaviors. This study explores the evolutionary impacts of promiscuity on sexual traits.

Keywords:

Copulation Courtship Drosophila melanogaster Ejaculate Experimental evolution Mating Sex peptide Sexual selection Sperm competition

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Behavioral ecology
Genetics

Background:

Variation in mating partners drives sexual evolution.
Little is known about the costs and benefits of increased mating frequency.
The sex peptide receptor (SPR) gene influences mating behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary consequences of increased mating frequency.
To create and study a novel, highly promiscuous mating system in Drosophila melanogaster.
To assay reproductive phenotypes in response to experimentally increased mating frequency.

Main Methods:

Genetic manipulation of the sex peptide receptor (SPR) gene to create high mating frequency populations.
Experimental evolution of Drosophila melanogaster populations for 55 generations.
Assaying behavioral, morphological, and transcriptional reproductive phenotypes.

Main Results:

Males evolved decreased ability to inhibit mate receptivity and shorter copulation duration.
Males showed decreased per-mating investment and altered pre-copulatory performance.
A trend towards increased sex peptide (SP) gene expression was observed.

Conclusions:

Experimentally increased mating frequency induced adaptive behavioral changes in males.
Evolutionary responses included decreased post-copulatory investment and altered pre-copulatory behaviors.
Genetic manipulation coupled with experimental evolution is a powerful tool for studying sexual evolution.