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Cueva Del Castillo R, Elias-Quevedo A, Medrano JV, Ruíz-Flores A, Flores-Ortiz CM. Potential strategic allocation of nuptial gift proteins of the neotropical katydid Conocephalus ictus (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 154:104633. [PMID: 38554814 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
In many katydids, the male feeds his mate with a large gelatinous spermatophore. While providing large spermatophores can increase female fecundity and lifespan, it may also decrease their sexual receptivity, benefiting male fitness. Allocating resources to these edible gifts may entail a lower apportionment of them to other functions, generating a trade-off between somatic and reproductive functions. Despite their effect on male and female fitness, little is known of the compounds associated with katydid spermatophores. Our study found 177 different putative proteins in the spermatophore of Conocephalus ictus, with no correlation between male body size with spermatophore mass, number, concentration and mass of proteins. However, we did observe a negative relationship between male forewing length and protein concentration, and a negative relationship between the mass of the spermatophore transferred to the females and their body size, suggesting a resource allocation trade-off in males, but also strategic transference of resources based on female quality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anahi Elias-Quevedo
- UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, A.P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090. Mexico
| | | | - Anabel Ruíz-Flores
- UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, A.P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090. Mexico
| | - César M Flores-Ortiz
- UBIPRO, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, A.P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090. Mexico
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Cordero-Molina S, Fetter-Pruneda I, Contreras-Garduño J. Neural mechanisms involved in female mate choice in invertebrates. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1291635. [PMID: 38269245 PMCID: PMC10807292 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1291635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Mate choice is a critical decision with direct implications for fitness. Although it has been recognized for over 150 years, our understanding of its underlying mechanisms is still limited. Most studies on mate choice focus on the evolutionary causes of behavior, with less attention given to the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved. This is especially true for invertebrates, where research on mate choice has largely focused on male behavior. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the neural, molecular and neurohormonal mechanisms of female choice in invertebrates, including behaviors before, during, and after copulation. We identify areas of research that have not been extensively explored in invertebrates, suggesting potential directions for future investigation. We hope that this review will stimulate further research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagrario Cordero-Molina
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ingrid Fetter-Pruneda
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva. Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Rines IG, Harrod AE, Hunt J, Sadd BM, Sakaluk SK. Disentangling effects of mating, nuptial gifts and accessory gland proteins on reproduction in female crickets. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Foquet B, Rapkin J, Sharma MD, Sadd BM, Sakaluk SK, Hunt J. Transcriptomic responses of females to consumption of nuptial food gifts as a potential mediator of sexual conflict in decorated crickets. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:183-194. [PMID: 36357978 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Nuptial food gift provisioning by males to females at mating is a strategy in many insects that is thought to be shaped by sexual conflict or sexual selection, as it affords males access to a female's physiology. While males often attempt to use these gifts to influence female behaviour to their own advantage, females can evolve counter mechanisms. In decorated crickets, the male's nuptial gift comprises part of the spermatophore, the spermatophylax, the feeding on which deters the female from prematurely terminating sperm transfer. However, ingested compounds in the spermatophylax and attachment of the sperm-containing ampulla could further influence female physiology and behaviour. We investigated how mating per se and these two distinct routes of potential male-mediated manipulation influence the female transcriptomic response. We conducted an RNA sequencing experiment on gut and head tissues from females for whom nuptial food gift consumption and receipt of an ejaculation were independently manipulated. In the gut tissue, we found that females not permitted to feed during mating exhibited decreased overall gene expression, possibly caused by a reduced gut function, but this was countered by feeding on the spermatophylax or a sham gift. In the head tissue, we found only low numbers of differentially expressed genes, but a gene co-expression network analysis revealed that ampulla attachment and spermatophylax consumption independently induce distinct gene expression patterns. This study provides evidence that spermatophylax feeding alters the female post-mating transcriptomic response in decorated crickets, highlighting its potential to mediate sexual conflict in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bert Foquet
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - James Rapkin
- Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK
| | - Manmohan D Sharma
- Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK
| | - Ben M Sadd
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - Scott K Sakaluk
- Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Section, School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA
| | - John Hunt
- Center for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK.,School of Science, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
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Simmons LW, Ng SH, Lovegrove M. Condition‐dependent seminal fluid gene expression and intergenerational paternal effects on ejaculate quality. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Soon Hwee Ng
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Maxine Lovegrove
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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DeLecce T, Shackelford TK, Zeigler-Hill V, Fink B, Abed MG. Mate Retention Behavior and Ejaculate Quality in Humans. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:3821-3830. [PMID: 34713428 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-01992-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Males of some species use mate retention behavior and investment in ejaculate quality as anti-cuckoldry tactics concurrently while others do so in a compensatory fashion. Leivers, Rhodes, and Simmons (2014) reported that men who performed mate retention less frequently produced higher-quality ejaculates, suggesting that humans use these tactics compensatorily. We conducted a conceptual replication of this research in a sample of 41 men (18-33 years; M = 23.33; SD = 3.60). By self-report, participants had not had a vasectomy and had never sought infertility treatment. We controlled for several covariates known to affect ejaculate quality (e.g., abstinence duration before providing an ejaculate) and found no statistically significant relationships between mate retention behavior and four components of ejaculate quality: sperm velocity, sperm concentration, slow motility, and ejaculate volume. The present results provide little support for the hypothesis that human males deploy mate retention behavior and ejaculate quality investment compensatorily. We discuss the limitations of this study and highlight the need for research to address questions about the nature of anti-cuckoldry tactic deployment in humans, especially concerning investment in ejaculate quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara DeLecce
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 213B Pryale Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA.
| | - Todd K Shackelford
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 213B Pryale Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | - Virgil Zeigler-Hill
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, 213B Pryale Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA
| | - Bernhard Fink
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Biosocial Science Information, Biedermannsdorf, Austria
| | - Mohaned G Abed
- Educational Graduate Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Moschilla JA, Tomkins JL, Simmons LW. Nongenetic inheritance of behavioural variability is context specific and sex specific. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joe A. Moschilla
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences (M092) The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Joseph L. Tomkins
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences (M092) The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology School of Biological Sciences (M092) The University of Western Australia Crawley WA Australia
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Moschilla JA, Tomkins JL, Simmons LW. Identification of seminal proteins related to the inhibition of mate searching in female crickets. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In response to the reduction in fitness associated with sperm competition, males are expected to evolve tactics that hinder female remating. For example, females often display a postmating reduction in their sexual receptivity that has been shown to be mediated by proteins contained in a male’s seminal fluid (sfps). However, although there has been comprehensive research on sfps in genetically well-characterized species, few nonmodel species have been studied in such detail. We initially confirm that female Australian field crickets, Teleogryllus oceanicus, do display a significant reduction in their mate-searching behavior 24 h after mating. This effect was still apparent 3 days after mating but was entirely absent after 1 week. We then attempted to identify the sfps that might play a role in inducing this behavioral response. We identified two proteins, ToSfp022 and ToSfp011, that were associated with the alteration in female postmating behavior. The knockdown of both proteins resulted in mated females that displayed a significant increase in their mate-searching behaviors compared with females mated to males having the full compliment of seminal fluid proteins in their ejaculate. Our results indicate that the female refractory period in T. oceanicus likely reflects a sperm competition avoidance tactic by males, achieved through the action of male seminal fluid proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe A Moschilla
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Joseph L Tomkins
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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