Drosophila ovipositor extension in mating behavior and egg deposition involves distinct sets of brain interneurons.

ABSTRACT: Oviposition is a female-specific behavior that directly affects fecundity, and therefore fitness. If a fertilized female encounters another male that she has evaluated to be of better quality than her previous mate, it would be beneficial for her to remate with this male rather than depositing her eggs. Females who decided not to remate exhibited rejection behavior toward a courting male and engaged in oviposition. Although recent studies of Drosophila melanogaster identified sensory neurons and putative second-order ascending interneurons that mediate uterine afferents affecting female reproductive behavior, little is known about the brain circuitry that selectively activates rejection versus oviposition behaviors. We identified the sexually dimorphic pC2l and female-specific pMN2 neurons

SUBMITTER: Kimura K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4425497 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature