Abstract
When females mate with more than one male, the ensuing sperm competition leads to the evolution of male mechanisms that skew paternity. Males of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) transfer a spermatophore to females during copulation, but sperm release and storage occur later. We investigated how the interval between two matings with different males affects sperm precedence by varying the interval between the copulations so that the second mating was either: (1) before sperm release from the first spermatophore (<5 min); (2) after sperm release but before spermatophore ejection (15-20 min); (3) after spermatophore ejection but before sperm storage (4 h), or (4) after complete sperm storage (24 h). We collected offspring over a period of 2 weeks and determined paternity by protein electrophoresis. There was second-male sperm precedence in all treatments, but when the interval was <5 min, the second male usually (86% of cases) had complete sperm precedence (i.e., P2=1). Investigations into the mechanism of second-male sperm precedence during <5-min mating intervals indicate that sperm release from the first spermatophore is inhibited, a phenomenon which has not been previously documented.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 447-451 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - 2000 |
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Keywords
- Mating intervals
- Sperm precedence mechanisms
- Spermatophores
- Tenebrio molitor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Ecology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Cite this
Sperm precedence, mating interval, and a novel mechanism of paternity bias in a beetle (Tenebrio molitor L.). / Drnevich, J. M.; Hayes, E. F.; Rutowski, R. L.
In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Vol. 48, No. 6, 2000, p. 447-451.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Sperm precedence, mating interval, and a novel mechanism of paternity bias in a beetle (Tenebrio molitor L.)
AU - Drnevich, J. M.
AU - Hayes, E. F.
AU - Rutowski, R. L.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - When females mate with more than one male, the ensuing sperm competition leads to the evolution of male mechanisms that skew paternity. Males of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) transfer a spermatophore to females during copulation, but sperm release and storage occur later. We investigated how the interval between two matings with different males affects sperm precedence by varying the interval between the copulations so that the second mating was either: (1) before sperm release from the first spermatophore (<5 min); (2) after sperm release but before spermatophore ejection (15-20 min); (3) after spermatophore ejection but before sperm storage (4 h), or (4) after complete sperm storage (24 h). We collected offspring over a period of 2 weeks and determined paternity by protein electrophoresis. There was second-male sperm precedence in all treatments, but when the interval was <5 min, the second male usually (86% of cases) had complete sperm precedence (i.e., P2=1). Investigations into the mechanism of second-male sperm precedence during <5-min mating intervals indicate that sperm release from the first spermatophore is inhibited, a phenomenon which has not been previously documented.
AB - When females mate with more than one male, the ensuing sperm competition leads to the evolution of male mechanisms that skew paternity. Males of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor) transfer a spermatophore to females during copulation, but sperm release and storage occur later. We investigated how the interval between two matings with different males affects sperm precedence by varying the interval between the copulations so that the second mating was either: (1) before sperm release from the first spermatophore (<5 min); (2) after sperm release but before spermatophore ejection (15-20 min); (3) after spermatophore ejection but before sperm storage (4 h), or (4) after complete sperm storage (24 h). We collected offspring over a period of 2 weeks and determined paternity by protein electrophoresis. There was second-male sperm precedence in all treatments, but when the interval was <5 min, the second male usually (86% of cases) had complete sperm precedence (i.e., P2=1). Investigations into the mechanism of second-male sperm precedence during <5-min mating intervals indicate that sperm release from the first spermatophore is inhibited, a phenomenon which has not been previously documented.
KW - Mating intervals
KW - Sperm precedence mechanisms
KW - Spermatophores
KW - Tenebrio molitor
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033659159&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 48
SP - 447
EP - 451
JO - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
JF - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
SN - 0340-5443
IS - 6
ER -