A female nervous system is necessary for normal sperm storage in Drosophila melanogaster: a masculinized nervous system is as good as none

Arthur, Benjamin I.; Hauschteck‐Jungen, E.; Nöthiger, Rolf; Ward, Paul I.

doi:10.1098/rspb.1998.0498

Cited by 57 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Given the distance that sperm must travel to reach the spermathecae, it is unlikely that ejaculate transport and displacement could be facilitated without the active participation of the female. Similar patterns of female involvement in sperm transport have been described for other dipterans (Gilbert 1981;Otronen & Siva-Jothy 1991;Arthur et al 1998), and implicated in S. stercoraria (Ward 1993). However, the question of whether females actually bene¢t from sperm displacement has not yet been addressed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Consequences of sperm displacement for female dung flies, Scatophaga stercoraria

Stockley

Simmons

1998

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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Displacement of stored sperm during copulation occurs in many insects. This process provides direct bene¢ts for males via increased fertilization success, but the ¢tness consequences of sperm displacement for females are less clear. Here we investigate potential bene¢ts of sperm displacement for female yellow dung £ies, Scatophaga stercoraria. We ¢nd no evidence that female dung £ies gain direct bene¢ts from displacement of previously stored sperm in terms of increased fertility or fecundity. There was no di¡erence in the relative survival rate, development time, size or £uctuating asymmetry of o¡spring produced by females that had previously stored sperm displaced before oviposition and those that did not. Females using previously stored sperm to fertilize their eggs produced signi¢cantly higher ratios of male to female o¡spring. These novel ¢ndings have important implications for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of male^female interactions in sperm competition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Consequences of sperm displacement for female dung flies, Scatophaga stercoraria

Stockley

Simmons

1998

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

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“…Previous studies have demonstrated that an intact female nervous system is required for proper sperm storage in Drosophila: as females with masculinized nervous systems showed abnormal sperm storage (Arthur et al 1998). In Tribolium beetles, isolated female abdomens showed abnormal sperm storage, also suggesting the need for nervous system input (Bloch Qazi et al 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Large Neurological Component to Genetic Differences Underlying Biased Sperm Use in Drosophila

2013

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Sperm competition arises as a result of complex interactions among male and female factors. While the roles of some male factors are known, little is known of the molecules or mechanisms that underlie the female contribution to sperm competition. The genetic tools available for Drosophila allow us to identify, in an unbiased manner, candidate female genes that are critical for mediating sperm competition outcomes. We first screened for differences in female sperm storage and use patterns by characterizing the natural variation in sperm competition in a set of 39 lines from the sequenced Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) of wild-derived inbred lines. We found extensive female variation in sperm competition outcomes. To generate a list of candidate female genes for functional studies, we performed a genome-wide association mapping, utilizing the common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) segregating in the DGRP lines. Surprisingly, SNPs within ion channel genes and other genes with roles in the nervous system were among the top associated SNPs. Knockdown studies of three candidate genes (para, Rab2, and Rim) in sensory neurons innervating the female reproductive tract indicate that some of these candidate female genes may affect sperm competition by modulating the neural input of these sensory neurons to the female reproductive tract. More extensive functional studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of all these candidate female genes in sperm competition. Nevertheless, the female nervous system appears to have a previously unappreciated role in sperm competition. Our results indicate that the study of female control of sperm competition should not be limited to female reproductive tract-specific genes, but should focus also on diverse biological pathways. I N many organisms, sperm competition is an important source of reproductive variation and is critical to the reproductive success of both males and females. Sperm competition occurs when a female mates with and stores sperm from multiple males. Multiple mating creates a situation in which the males' sperm "compete" for successful fertilizations. While the ultimate outcome of a sperm competition depends on a complex interaction between male and female factors, the sexes often have different interests. Males are essentially in competition with other males, and while natural selection drives males to become better competitors with each other, it may result in males damaging the female through toxicity of seminal proteins (Wigby and Chapman 2004;Mueller et al. 2007). On the other hand, females benefit from simply being able to produce the most and highest-fitness offspring, and this may entail a specific response to male-produced molecules that influence sperm competition. The sexual conflict that arises from these different evolutionary goals of males and females implies that the genetic response to selection on sperm competition may be totally distinct in males and females. It remains largely unknown what genes drive this sexual antagon...

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“…Genetic mosaics have been used to show that the response to seminal proteins requires a female nervous system (Arthur et al, 1998). The results beg the question of molecular mechanisms that may cause these differences.…”

Section: Females Play An Active Role In Sperm Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm competition and the maintenance of polymorphism

Clark

2002

Heredity

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Sperm competition may occur whenever sperm from more than one male are present in the reproductive tract of the female. Studies of field-caught Drosophila reveal that a substantial fraction (80%) of females clearly have sperm from more than one male, and the figure is probably higher because only a small number of progeny are typically surveyed, so a strong skew in paternity can make multiplymated females appear as singly mated unless appropriate models are applied. Examination of genetic variation in aspects of sperm competition has revealed some striking patterns, particularly in the implications for the maintenance of polymorphism. The magnitude of variation in sperm competitive ability is as great as that for other fitness components, and the males with the strongest displacement also appear to be the ones with the greatest positive effect on

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A female nervous system is necessary for normal sperm storage in Drosophila melanogaster: a masculinized nervous system is as good as none

Cited by 57 publications

References 22 publications

Consequences of sperm displacement for female dung flies, Scatophaga stercoraria

Consequences of sperm displacement for female dung flies, Scatophaga stercoraria

Large Neurological Component to Genetic Differences Underlying Biased Sperm Use in Drosophila

Sperm competition and the maintenance of polymorphism

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