Using Rhodamine to Tag Mites for Studies of Pre- and Post-Copulatory Sexual Selection.

ABSTRACT: Our understanding of sexual selection is advancing with new technologies that tag individuals or their sperm, revealing how females use post-copulatory processes to discriminate between competing mates. Many tagging methods have been devised primarily for model insect organisms like Drosophila or Gryllidae. Developing such novel methods, however, is expensive and requires intensive investment. In this experiment, we trial the use of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Rhodamine 110 (Rh110) in a small arachnid, the bulb mite Rhizoglyphus echinopus, for pre- and post-copulatory observations as it is a relatively inexpensive and simple way to tag individuals and their ejaculate proteins. First, we tested whether RhB and Rh110 applied to food can be used as a tagging method to track and distin

SUBMITTER: Shavrova AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11537705 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature