DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Consequences of Sexual Conflict on Offspring Fitness

论文研究：性冲突对后代健康的影响

• 批准号: 0120446
• 负责人: Deborah Roach
• 金额: $ 0.99万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2003-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0120446&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Consequences; Sexual; Conflict

Scientists have long recognized that reproduction is costly to females. Research in various species finds that sexually active females have shorter lives than virgin females. Recent studies, in fruit flies, have discovered toxic compounds in the seminal fluid of males that shorten the longevity of females after copulation. What the toxic compounds are doing and why they have evolved is a largely unresolved question. Previous experiments conducted in the fruit fly indicate that the mating frequency of parents affects the fitness of offspring. The goal of this project is to determine whether females exposed to toxic seminal fluid compounds have offspring with improved fitness. This project will compare the fitness of offspring from females that re-mate after holding them for one week 1) as virgins, 2) with males, 3) with genetically altered males that produce seminal fluid but not sperm, 4) with genetically altered males that do not produce seminal fluid or sperm. This study will help determine whether female reproductive costs occur to improve the quality of offspring. This work is important for our general understanding of maternal care, sexual and parent-offspring conflict, and for the evolution of reproductive strategies.

科学家们早就认识到，对雌性来说，生殖是昂贵的。对不同物种的研究发现，性生活活跃的雌性比处女的寿命短。最近在果蝇身上的研究发现，雄性精液中的有毒化合物会缩短雌性交配后的寿命。有毒化合物在做什么，它们为什么会进化，在很大程度上是一个悬而未决的问题。此前在果蝇身上进行的实验表明，父母的交配频率会影响后代的适合度。该项目的目标是确定暴露在有毒精液化合物中的雌性是否会产生健康状况更好的后代。这个项目将比较抱着它们一周后再次交配的雌性后代的健康状况1)作为处女，2)与雄性，3)与产生精液但不产生精子的转基因雄性，4)与不产生精液或精子的转基因雄性。这项研究将有助于确定是否发生雌性生殖成本来提高后代的质量。这项工作对于我们对产妇护理、性和亲子冲突的一般理解以及生殖策略的演变都很重要。