Condition-dependent ejaculate production affects male mating behavior in the common bedbug Cimex lectularius.

ABSTRACT: Food availability in the environment is often low and variable, constraining organisms in their resource allocation to different life-history traits. For example, variation in food availability is likely to induce condition-dependent investment in reproduction. Further, diet has been shown to affect ejaculate size, composition and quality. How these effects translate into male reproductive success or change male mating behavior is still largely unknown. Here, we concentrated on the effect of meal size on ejaculate production, male reproductive success and mating behavior in the common bedbug Cimex lectularius. We analyzed the production of sperm and seminal fluid within three different feeding regimes in six different populations. Males receiving large meals produced significantly more spe

SUBMITTER: Kaldun B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4797159 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature