Do candidate genes mediating conspecific sperm precedence affect sperm competitive ability within species? A test case in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: When females mate to multiple males, the last male to mate fathers the majority of progeny. When males of different species inseminate a female, the sperm of the male conspecific to the female is favored in fertilization in a process known as conspecific sperm precedence (CSP). A large number of studies in Drosophila have assayed the genetic basis of sperm competition, with a main focus on D. melanogaster and accessory gland protein genes. Only a few studies have attempted to disentangle the genetic basis of CSP between related species of Drosophila. Although there is no a priori reason to believe that genes influencing intraspecific sperm competitive ability might also mediate conspecific sperm precedence, no study has addressed the question. Here, we test a group of candidate CSP genes b

SUBMITTER: Civetta A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4169163 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature