Plastic responses of male Drosophila melanogaster to the level of sperm competition increase male reproductive fitness
Plastic responses of male Drosophila melanogaster to the level of sperm competition increase male reproductive fitness
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2008.1878
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发表时间：
2009-05-07
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Chapman, Tracey
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bretman, Amanda;Fricke, Claudia;Chapman, Tracey
进化和塑料的男性精子竞争（SC）的水平的反应，在广泛的类群报道，但缺乏直接的测试男性生殖成功的竞争环境中的后果。我们改变了男性的SC的看法，以研究男性竞争性生殖成功的影响，并测试结果是否如理论所预测的。暴露于竞争对手的男性交配前增加了男性的射精投资（测量交配持续时间），相比之下，暴露于竞争对手的男性在交配竞技场减少交配持续时间。因此，结果表明，SC强度是重要的，在塑造男性的SC反应在这个系统中，虽然模式并不严格雅阁与现有的理论。然后，我们测试是否男性的SC水平有较高的生殖健康的竞争环境中。我们发现，男性保持与竞争对手交配前再次交配更长的时间，此外，他们取得了显着更高的父权份额，无论他们是第一个或第二个男性与女性交配。因此，男性采用的塑料策略导致在竞争环境中显着增加生殖成功，即使在随后的重新交配中，大多数精子被取代。
Evolutionary and plastic responses by males to the level of sperm competition (SC) are reported across widespread taxa, but direct tests of the consequences for male reproductive success in a competitive context are lacking. We varied male perception of SC to examine the effect on male competitive reproductive success and to test whether the outcomes were as predicted by theory. Exposure to rival males prior to mating increased a male's ejaculate investment ( measured as mating duration); by contrast, exposure to rival males in the mating arena decreased mating duration. The results therefore suggested that SC intensity is important in shaping male responses to SC in this system, although the patterns were not strictly in accord with existing theory. We then tested whether males that responded to the level of SC had higher reproductive fitness in a competitive context. We found that males kept with rivals prior to mating again mated for longer; furthermore, they achieved significantly higher paternity share regardless of whether they were the first or second males to mate with a female. The plastic strategies employed by males therefore resulted in significantly increased reproductive success in a competitive context, even following subsequent rematings in which the majority of sperm were displaced.