No cost of male mating experience on female reproductive success in the almond moth, <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Cadra cautella</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) |
| |
Authors: | Kathryn B McNamara Therésa M Jones Mark A Elgar |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, 3010 Melbourne, Australia |
| |
Abstract: | Male copulation experience may have a profound impact on female reproductive success if male reproductive investment declines
over consecutive copulations and if females are unlikely to re-mate. Male reproductive investment is particularly interesting
in lepidopterans because males produce dimorphic sperm: a fertilizing (eupyrene) and a non-fertilising (apyrene) sperm. In
two experiments, we explored the lifetime reproductive investment of male almond moths, Cadra cautella (also known as Ephestia cautella) and examined its influence on female reproductive success. In the almond moth, females re-mate infrequently and males transfer
sperm in a spermatophore. Attached to the spermatophore is a large chitinous process, the function of which is unknown. One
group of males were permitted consecutive copulations with virgin females and the amount of sperm and size of the spermatophore
transferred were compared for all females. We found that the number of both eupyrene and apyrene sperm per ejaculate decreased
with his increased mating frequency, while the size of the spermatophore process decreased dramatically after the male’s first
copulation. In a second experiment, we allowed males to mate with females throughout their lives and then compared female
fecundity and fertilisation success. We found no obvious decrease in female fecundity and fertilisation success with increased
male copulation experience, despite the likely reduction in male gametic investment. We discuss potential explanations for
the development of this enlarged and elaborate first spermatophore of male almond moths given that it confers no clear fitness
advantage to females. |
| |
Keywords: | Spermatophore Apyrene sperm Eupyrene sperm |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|