The ghost sex-life of the paedogenetic beetle Micromalthus debilis

Perotti, M. Alejandra; Young, Daniel K.; Braig, Henk R.

doi:10.1038/srep27364

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 58 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Parthenogenesis may have evolved as an escape route from maintenance of sex (males), i.e., development of eggs without fertilization and female-only populations (Schwander et al, 2010;Elzinga et al, 2011;Perotti et al, 2016). In evolutionary time, mating costs that limit female fitness influence the evolution of mating systems, in particular the transition from sexual to asexual reproduction (Gerber & Kokko, 2016;Burke & Bonduriansky, 2017).…”

Section: The Role Of Immobility In Fmfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of female mating failure/lifelong virginity: a review of causal mechanisms in insects and arachnids

Rhainds

2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual reproduction implies binary outcomes of competitive interactions for access to male gametes: lifelong virgin females with null fitness vs. mated females with variable (generally nonzero) fitness. Female mating failure has long remained a dormant concept in sexual selection theory in part because it is acutely maladaptive (lifelong virgins that do not reproduce are strongly selected against) and also due to widespread acceptance of the Bateman–Trivers paradigm (anisogamy and correlated sex roles). Based on recent scientific output on lifelong virginity across multiple taxonomic groups in insects (Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Odonata, Orthoptera, Strepsiptera), female mating failure has become a mainstay of sexual selection over the last decade. Lifelong virginity and senescence (death) are intertwined processes; old virgin females compensate for increased risk of lifelong virginity by becoming less choosy and increasing investment in mating‐related activities. Low rates of female lifelong virginity (<5%) in most natural populations of insects indicate that sex generally ‘works’ due to selective pressures acting on both males and females to enhance lifetime fitness. Mating failures are most common in insects with female flightlessness; these pressures may lead in evolutionary time to transitionary pathways from sexual reproduction to parthenogenesis. Female mating probability is affected by nonlinear density‐dependent processes dependent upon the scale of observation (mate‐encounter Allee effect at large spatial scales, mating interferences between females at small scales). Mate choice and sex role reversal (females being the active sexual partner) are ubiquitous in insects and arachnids with significant paternal investment, but consequences in terms of female lifelong virginity remain unknown. Logistically, conceptual development of female mating failure in insects is most limited by the lack of broadly applicable methods to assess rates of lifetime virginity among flighted females.

show abstract

Section: The Role Of Immobility In Fmfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of female mating failure/lifelong virginity: a review of causal mechanisms in insects and arachnids

Rhainds

2019

Entomologia Exp Applicata

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the smaller suborder Archostemata, Micromalthus debilis LeConte, 1878 (Micromalthidae) with its extremely bizarre life cycle usually reproduces by thelytokous parthenogenesis, but it also has a rare arrhenotokous phase that apparently represents an evolutionary dead end (Pollock & Normark, ). During the latter process, the emerging male larva, which never develops into an adult male under normal conditions, obligately devours its mother, another (paedogenetic) larva (Perotti, Young, & Braig, ). Nevertheless, adult males in this species can be artificially obtained using intensive heat treatment of the male larvae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, adult males in this species can be artificially obtained using intensive heat treatment of the male larvae. However, these males are still non‐functional, and females of M. debilis exhibit sex‐role reversal of mating behavior, intensively competing for males and initiating copulation with them (Perotti et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, thelytoky that involves paedogenetic larvae was found in the archostematan Micromalthus debilis (Normark & Kirkendall, ). Although thelytokous parthenogenesis in this beetle was sometimes termed cyclic due to arrhenotoky (see, e.g., Pollock & Normark, ), thelytoky appears to be the only functional mode of reproduction at present in M. debilis (Perotti et al., ; also see above). Based on collecting only females, thelytoky was also suggested for a few species of the genus Agaporomorphus Zimmermann, 1921 that belongs to the adephagan family Dytiscidae (Young, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Parthenogenesis in Hexapoda: holometabolous insects

Gokhman

Kuznetsova

2017

J Zool Syst Evol Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study is a second part of a review on parthenogenesis in Hexapoda. In contrast to the first part describing parthenogenetic groups of Entognatha and non-holometabolous insects (Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 54, 2016, 257), this study deals with parthenogenesis in Holometabola. For each order of this group, the main parthenogenetic taxa and modes of parthenogenesis are listed. Data on parthenogenesis across Holometabola as well as other insects are summarized and discussed.

show abstract

“…Finally, a very interesting topic for future studies is the examination of the presence of other intracellular and symbiotic bacteria (like Cardinium, Spiroplasma, Rickettsia), in Coleoptera and their relations, both with the host and Wolbachia. So far, only three studies have found Wolbachia with Rickettsia and/or Spiroplasma together in beetle hosts (Majerus et al, 2000;Weinert et al, 2007;Toju & Fukatsu 2011;White et al, 2015;Perotti et al, 2016;Bili et al, 2016;Dudek et al, 2017). Preliminary results suggest that there is some balance in the number of these bacteria, probably caused by competition within host cells (Goto et al, 2006).…”

Section: Current Gaps and Future Endeavorsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Untitled

Supplemental Information 2: Image of Phylogenetic Tree Reconstructed Based on Wolbachia Wsp Gene Sequences Obtained From

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. Despite great progress in studies on Wolbachia infection in insects, the knowledge about its relations with beetle species, populations and individuals, and the effects of bacteria on these hosts is still unsatisfactory. In this review we summarize the current state of knowledge about Wolbachia occurrence and interactions with Coleopteran hosts. Methods. An intensive search of the available literature resulted in the selection of 81 publications that describe the relevant details about Wolbachia presence among beetles. These publications were then examined with respect to the distribution and taxonomy of infected hosts and diversity of Wolbachia found in beetles. Sequences of Wolbachia genes (16S rDNA, wsp and ftsZ) were used for the phylogenetic analyses. Results. The collected publications revealed that Wolbachia has been confirmed in 197 beetle species and that the estimated average prevalence of this bacteria across beetle species is 38.3% and varies greatly across families and genera (0-88% infected members) and is much lower (c. 13%) in geographic studies. The majority of the examined and infected beetles were from Europe and East Asia. The most intensively studied have been two groups of herbivorous beetles: Curculionidae and Chrysomelidae. Coleoptera harbor Wolbachia belonging to three supergroups: F found in only 3 species, and A and B found in similar numbers of beetles (including some doubly infected); however the latter two were most prevalent in different families. 59% of species with precise data were found to be totally infected. Single infections were found in 69% of species and others were doubly-or multiply-infected. Wolbachia caused numerous effects on its beetle hosts, including selective sweep with host mtDNA (found in 3% of species), cytoplasmic incompatibility (detected in c. 6% of beetles) and other effects related to reproduction or development (like male-killing, possible parthenogenesis or haplodiploidy induction, and egg development). Phylogenetic reconstructions for Wolbachia genes rejected cospeciation between these bacteria and Coleoptera, with minor exceptions found in some Hydraenidae, Curculionidae and Chrysomelidae. In contrast, horizontal transmission of

show abstract

The ghost sex-life of the paedogenetic beetle Micromalthus debilis

Cited by 26 publications

References 58 publications

Ecology of female mating failure/lifelong virginity: a review of causal mechanisms in insects and arachnids

Ecology of female mating failure/lifelong virginity: a review of causal mechanisms in insects and arachnids

Parthenogenesis in Hexapoda: holometabolous insects

Untitled

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About