Sexual conflict drives male manipulation of female postmating responses in Drosophila melanogaster.

ABSTRACT: In many animals, females respond to mating with changes in physiology and behavior that are triggered by molecules transferred by males during mating. In Drosophila melanogaster, proteins in the seminal fluid are responsible for important female postmating responses, including temporal changes in egg production, elevated feeding rates and activity levels, reduced sexual receptivity, and activation of the immune system. It is unclear to what extent these changes are mutually beneficial to females and males or instead represent male manipulation. Here we use an experimental evolution approach in which females are randomly paired with a single male each generation, eliminating any opportunity for competition for mates or mate choice and thereby aligning the evolutionary interests of th

SUBMITTER: Hollis B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6486729 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature