Experimental reduction of intromittent organ length reduces male reproductive success in a bug.

ABSTRACT: It is now clear in many species that male and female genital evolution has been shaped by sexual selection. However, it has historically been difficult to confirm correlations between morphology and fitness, as genital traits are complex and manipulation tends to impair function significantly. In this study, we investigate the functional morphology of the elongate male intromittent organ (or processus) of the seed bug Lygaeus simulans, in two ways. We first use micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and flash-freezing to reconstruct in high resolution the interaction between the male intromittent organ and the female internal reproductive anatomy during mating. We successfully trace the path of the male processus inside the female reproductive tract. We then confirm that male processus lengt

SUBMITTER: Dougherty LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4455817 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature