DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Female Influences on Sperm Storage and Use in Two Species of Tephritid Flies with Divergent Mating Systems

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Female influences on sperm storage and use in two species of tephritid flies with divergent mating systems Dr. William J. Rowland Ann. H. Fritz ABSTRACT 'Female choice' is a form of sexual selection well documented at the level of precopulatory choice and helps to explain many male traits (e.g. peacock feathers). After or during copulation, however, females may differentially influence the fate of ejaculate from two or more males to affect paternity outcomes. This phenomenon, referred to as 'cryptic female choice' (CFC), is currently under intense investigation because 1) it adds a new dimension to the evolutionary conflict between the sexes, and 2) it changes our views on the degree to which females influence male reproductive success. This study examines the relationship between two species of tephritid flies with divergent mating systems and the potential for female influence on sperm use and storage. One species mates infrequently and has a complex courtship behavior, whereas the other species mates frequently and has minimal courtship behavior. CFC is predicted to be more important in species that exhibit multiple matings with little pre-copulatory choice. This study uses a multi-pronged approach to estimate the presence and degree of female influence on reproductive outcomes by examining sperm storage, mating behavior, neuromuscular control, and paternity outcomes in relation to male characters.