The role of species‐specific sensory cues in male responses to mating rivals in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> fruitflies

Bretman, Amanda; Rouse, James; Westmancoat, James D.; Chapman, Tracey

doi:10.1002/ece3.3455

Cited by 18 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(107 reference statements)

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“…In our study, males did not seem to distinguish between con‐ and heterospecific social partners as they respond to both similarly by increasing their song bout duration. This contrasts with recent findings showing that D. melanogaster males increase their mating duration to a lesser extent after being raised with D. simulans males than with D. melanogaster males (Bretman et al, ), suggesting that the response may be finely tuned to species identity for some but not all traits. Both species are commonly co‐collected with standard Drosophila trapping techniques and mixed species mating encounters have been described, but the likelihood and intensity of these mixed species interactions during development or courtship behavior in the field is not well understood (Gromko & Markow, ).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…Males raised with con‐ or heterospecific social partners produced courtship song with unchanged parameters, that is, similar IPI and SSF. Recent findings suggest that that D. melanogaster males can distinguish conspecific from D. simulans males (Bretman et al, ). This finely tuned response to species identity contrasts with the inflexibility of IPI and SSF we found.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans are closely related, but males produce species‐specific IPIs and SSF when raised under ordinary conditions with conspecifics (Cowling & Burnet, ). The species identity of social partners has recently been shown to affect other male sexual behaviors in these species (Bretman, Rouse, Westmancoat, & Chapman, ). However, whether courtship song can be modified through social interactions with other males is at present not known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social effects on fruit fly courtship song

Marie‐Orleach

Bailey

Ritchie

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Courtship behavior in Drosophila has often been described as a classic innate behavioral repertoire, but more recently extensive plasticity has been described. In particular, prior exposure to acoustic signals of con‐ or heterspecific males can change courtship traits in both sexes that are liable to be important in reproductive isolation. However, it is unknown whether male courtship song itself is socially plastic. We examined courtship song plasticity of two species in the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup. Sexual isolation between the species is influenced by two male song traits, the interpulse interval (IPI) and sinesong frequency (SSF). Neither of these showed plasticity when males had prior experience of con‐ and heterospecific social partners. However, males of both species produced longer bursts of song during courtship when they were exposed to social partners (either con‐ or heterospecific) than when they were reared in isolation. D. melanogaster carrying mutations affecting short‐ or medium‐term memory showed a similar response to the social environment, not supporting a role for learning. Our results demonstrate that the amount of song a male produces during courtship is plastic depending on the social environment, which might reflect the advantage of being able to respond to variation in intrasexual competition, but that song structure itself is relatively inflexible, perhaps due to strong selection against hybridization.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social effects on fruit fly courtship song

Marie‐Orleach

Bailey

Ritchie

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…This could be achieved by the processing of multiple cue components. Subsequently, it has been shown that interfering with one cue alters the magnitude of off-target responses to heterospecific males (Bretman et al 2017), providing some evidence that multiple cues indeed enable better environmental matching.…”

Section: Hypotheses For the Benefits Of Complex Cue Use In Social Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of complex cues in social and reproductive plasticity

Dore

McDowall

Rouse

et al. 2018

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Phenotypic plasticity can be a key determinant of fitness. The degree to which the expression of plasticity is adaptive relies upon the accuracy with which information about the state of the environment is integrated. This step might be particularly beneficial when environments, e.g. the social and sexual context, change rapidly. Fluctuating temporal dynamics could increase the difficulty of determining the appropriate level of expression of a plastic response. In this review, we suggest that new insights into plastic responses to the social and sexual environment (social and reproductive plasticity) may be gained by examining the role of complex cues (those comprising multiple, distinct sensory components). Such cues can enable individuals to more accurately monitor their environment in order to respond adaptively to it across the whole life course. We briefly review the hypotheses for the evolution of complex cues and then adapt these ideas to the context of social and sexual plasticity. We propose that the ability to perceive complex cues can facilitate plasticity, increase the associated fitness benefits and decrease the risk of costly ‘mismatches’ between phenotype and environment by (i) increasing the robustness of information gained from highly variable environments, (ii) fine-tuning responses by using multiple strands of information and (iii) reducing time lags in adaptive responses. We conclude by outlining areas for future research that will help to determine the interplay between complex cues and plasticity.

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“…In contrast to the combined cues described by Bretman et al [11], Kim et al [15] reported that only one cue, vision, was needed for males to extend mating duration. Indeed it has been claimed that the only stimulus required is moving red eyes [15], though this is contested as further work was unable to replicate this result, and showed that males will not necessarily respond to heterospecific rivals with red eyes [16]. The cues important for behaviour to accurately react to environmental change will directly affect the mechanistic processes controlling behaviour [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flexible memory controls sperm competition responses in maleDrosophila melanogaster

Rouse¹,

Watkinson²,

Bretman³

2018

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Article:Rouse, J orcid.org/0000-0001-8457-4623, Watkinson, K and Bretman, A orcid.org/0000-0002- 4421-3337 (2018) AbstractMales of many species use social cues to predict sperm competition and tailor their reproductive strategies, such as ejaculate or behavioural investment, accordingly. Whilst these plastic strategies are widespread, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Plastic behaviour requires individuals to learn and memorise cues associated with environmental change before using this experience to modify behaviour. Drosophila melanogaster respond to an increase in sperm competition threat by extending mating duration after exposure to a rival male. This behaviour shows lag times between environmental change and behavioural response suggestive of acquisition and loss of memory. Considering olfaction is important for a male's ability to assess the sperm competition environment, we hypothesised that an olfactory learning and memory pathway may play a key role in controlling this plastic behaviour. We assessed the role of genes and brain structures known to be involved in learning and memory. We show that sperm competition responses depend on anaesthesia sensitive memory, specifically the genes rut and amn. We also show that the lobes of the mushroom bodies are integral to the control of plastic mating behaviour. These results reveal the genetic and neural properties required for reacting to changes in the sperm competition environment.

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The role of species‐specific sensory cues in male responses to mating rivals in Drosophila melanogaster fruitflies

Cited by 18 publications

References 70 publications

Social effects on fruit fly courtship song

Social effects on fruit fly courtship song

The role of complex cues in social and reproductive plasticity

Flexible memory controls sperm competition responses in maleDrosophila melanogaster

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