Condition-Dependent Effects of Mating on Longevity and Fecundity of Female Medflies: The Interplay between Nutrition and Age of Mating

Abstract

BackgroundIn various species mating exerts direct and indirect effects on female demographic traits ranging from life span shortening to behavioural shifts. A wealth of data regarding effects of nutrition on longevity and reproduction output also exists. Nonetheless, little is known regarding the interaction between the age of mating and nutrition on female fitness.MethodologyWe studied, the effects of protein deprivation and age of mating on female fitness traits, using a wild population of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly). We tested the hypotheses that (a) protein availability increases female lifespan and fecundity, (b) female longevity and egg production are independent of mating and the age of mating, and (c) female mating behaviour is independent of their age and nutritional status. Thus, we recorded the mating success and the copulation characteristics, as well as the egg production and survival of females mated at young or at old age and fed a full or a protein-deprived diet.ResultsMating boosts egg production and reduces longevity of protein-fed females. On the contrary, mating increases the longevity of protein-deprived females. Mortality responses (negative or positive) to mating are expressed after a long lag phase. Old females are more receptive and less selective than young females regardless of the food regime.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that condition (nutritional status and age) defines the positive or negative output of mating in female medflies. These results contribute towards understanding the effects of mating, aging, resource allocation and their interactions on survival and female reproduction.

Polygyny in the olive fly—effects on male and female fitness

“…It seems that males did not invest the maximum of their sperm in first copulations but saved enough sperm for future mating opportunities. On the other hand, spermatogenesis might be a continuous process in male olive flies as recently demonstrated for medfly and other fruit flies (Valdez 2001;Papanastasiou et al 2013). Further, risk of sperm competition could be considered equivalent for all males in this experimental setup, since males had the opportunity of choosing between three virgin females from the same batch of insects.…”

“…On the other hand, it is very likely that only the fittest males manage to copulate successfully for four times, such that any longevity costs coming from additional copulations may be less conspicuous and therefore do not characterize the majority of the male population (Ferkau and Fischer 2006). Mating has been shown to increase fecundity in many insect species (Arnqvist and Nilsson 2000, and references therein), including several tephritid flies (Blay and Yuval 1999;Papanastasiou et al 2013) (but see Chapman et al 1998). We found that mating increases fecundity and shortens the life span of female olive flies.…”

Demography of a genetic sexing strain ofAnastrepha ludens(Diptera:Tephritidae): effects of selection based on mating performance

“…The increase (more than two‐fold) in gross fecundity observed as a consequence of selection for sexual competitiveness was an unexpected but favourable result for SIT application. This result could be explained as a consequence of the change in certain components of the seminal fluids in the mating‐based selection that increase egg production in females (Papanastasiou et al ., ). In Drosophila melanogaster , certain specific components of the male ejaculate increase the production of eggs and reduce the longevity of the females (Chapman et al ., , ; Wigby & Chapman, ).…”

“…This approach can contribute to improving the effectiveness of the SIT. Relationships between sexual behaviour and demographic traits, such as longevity and fecundity, have been reported previously (Chapman et al ., ; Carey et al ., ; Papadopoulos et al ., ; Papanastasiou et al ., ). In the present study, our hypothesis was that selection based on mating success affects the demographic traits of the Tapachula‐7 strain.…”

Mating and social contact change egg production and longevity in adult females of the mirid Lygus hesperus

“…In some species, lifetime fecundity does not impact longevity, but the rate of egg production does (Rowe & Scudder, ; Rönn et al., ; but see Müller et al., ). Although a tradeoff has been observed in numerous insects, not all species exhibit a negative association between fecundity and longevity (Chapman et al., ; Arnqvist & Nilsson, ; Papanastasiou et al., ; Schrempf et al., ). Notably, some highly fecund queens of social insect colonies can live considerably longer than their own ‘sterile’ progeny (Keller & Jemielity, ; Heinze & Schrempf, ; Flatt et al., ; Rodrigues & Flatt, ), and exhibit positive associations between lifespan and egg production (Lopez‐Vaamonde et al., ; Heinze et al., ).…”